A openly gay city council member has shared the actions of a hateful group of protestors outside his home.
NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher represents District 3, which covers Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea and West Village. On Saturday, the Andrew Heiskell Library in Manhattan hosted a drag queen story hour for children. Like similar events in other parts of the country, it attracted a small band of protestors.
Bottcher, 42, attended to show his support and film the protest happening outside.
“Today I witnessed pure hatred and bigotry outside Drag Queen Story Hour at a public library in Chelsea. Inside, I witnessed a loving and peaceful reading of children’s books to kids,” he said in an accompanying caption.
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Today I witnessed pure hatred and bigotry outside Drag Queen Story Hour at a public library in Chelsea.
Inside, I witnessed a loving and peaceful reading of children’s books to kids.
Warning: this video contains foul language and hate speech. pic.twitter.com/RLMWHDdSnw
— NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) December 17, 2022
Related: Dallas drag show for kids prompts street protest and conservative meltdown
Bottcher later posted another tweet along with a photo from inside the event.
“Reading encourages skills like language and literacy, plus cognitive development and social-emotional growth, too,” Bottcher said. “Thank you to Drag Queen Story Hour for bringing your program to Chelsea!”
Reading encourages skills like language and literacy, plus cognitive development and social-emotional growth, too. Thank you to Drag Queen Story Hour for bringing your program to Chelsea! pic.twitter.com/CiL4GR1F8A
— NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) December 17, 2022
His postings drew supportive comments but also a wave of anti-LGBTQ tweets.
Bottcher says the protests are now targeting him personally. First there was graffiti outside his district office.
Today people who call themselves “gays against groomers” vandalized the hallway outside our district office. We will not be cowed. We will not be silenced. We will continue to stand up against hate. pic.twitter.com/WaUEjhWc2Z
— NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) December 19, 2022
Two arrests
Last night, he shared that a hardcore minority had scrawled “groomer” and “child predator” on the sidewalk outside his apartment. Even more alarming, two people even gained entry to the building. A superintendent called the police and they were arrested.
“Tonight the Drag Queen Story Hour protesters came to my apartment building and gained entry. My super called the cops and two of them were arrested for trespassing. I’m safe. I’m sorry my neighbors had to see filth these people wrote on the sidewalk. This is pure hate, unmasked. If they think this is going to intimidate us, they’re mistaken. This has only strengthened our resolve. We won’t be cowed.”
“Completely outrageous”
NYC Mayor Eric Adams was among those to express horror at the vandalism and trespassing.
“This is outrageous. Completely outrageous,” Adams tweeted. “Erik, you stand up for our city every single day and these cowardly bigots have no place here. Thank you to the NYPD for your quick work and sending the message that this hate will not go unchallenged.”
NYC Rep. Jerry Nadler also tweeted his outrage.
“I stand with my friend @ebottcher, Drag Queen Story Hour, and the LGBTQ+ community against this disgusting display of hate. Elected officials have a responsibility to condemn this false, dangerous rhetoric that’s being used as a new way to discriminate against the community.”
Donston
It’s very unlikely the people who did this (or most of the people who did this) were “gays”. While, if I’m being real, the queers who would do something like this are typically self-hating, embittered queers who were molested/abused by whoever and still haven’t gotten past that trauma. I can understand not wanting children to teach children the in and outs of queer-dom. But a damn drag queen reading to some kids is not traumatizing or “grooming”. Hell, it’s barely even “queer”. Get some help for your own traumas and insecurities.
Brian
That’s quite a leap. In a world where perhaps 90% of people are heterosexual, why are you assuming that the criminals are not? Most bigots become bigots through their upbringing — mean parents, religions, brainwashing, etc. These are most likely completely straight people committing the crimes.
Kangol2
Did I miss something, Donston? Why do you assume or even suggest the people behind this were “gays”? Given the unrelenting, extreme right-wing rhetoric against drag queen story hours, LGBTQ people, trans people, and so on, and the parallel hate discourse accusing gay people of “grooming,” why wouldn’t the assumption be that the terrorists engaging conducting these acts are probably straight people who’ve been whipped up by hatemongers on FoxNews, Breitbart, etc.? Did Queerty delete prior hate posts on this article or something?
Kangol2
Ah, I see–they’re calling themselves “Gays Against Groomers” but I doubt they are. They sound like Q-Anon types.
Donston
Kangol2, don’t get it twisted. There’s definitely a cute amount of Q-Anon who are queer, out and in. I know most who participated in this are probably not queer. But the ones who would participate in something like that are probably deeply insecure, self-hating, f-ed on the head, haven’t-gotten-past-certain-traumas types.
dbmcvey
There are some pretty crazy gays, and I think being conservative makes them even crazier, but it could be like that group (I can’t remember the name, not Log Cabin) that claimed to be gay conservatives but there were no gay people on the board.
inbama
Story Hour was an idiotic idea from the start. Drag queens are neither magical nor harmful, but a good number of them are trash. This has resulted in photos and videos of supposedly “family friendly” drag events circulating on the internet that show drag queens exposing their fake tits and shaking their bare asses and fake penises right in the faces of little children. I wouldn’t call it “grooming as the parents are right there. But it’s clear no one with a brain in his head is running these shows.
But now, because of reckless behavior by some, we’ve handed the right wing an issue. As we just saw in Colorado, there is now a target on the back of every gay man – drag queen or not. Sadly, there are no gay organizations to get these girls to clean up their acts -all we have are “queer” and LGBTQIA+ organizations, and they don’t give a damn about what’s being done in our name or our safety. And that’s why you have “LGB Alliance” in Britain or “Gays Against Groomers” here in the U.S. trying to distance us from the craziness.
Diplomat
Dead on. LGB PR nightmares like this is only one item on a long list of bs markers that put targets on the backs of the LGB community. However the LGB community did it to themselves by allowing a handful of unaware leaders run us into the ground, and is therefore responsible. Unfortunately, we can’t turn back time.
dbmcvey
Wow. Gay conservatives agreeing with themselves.
Chrisk
They’re once again using kids as their pawns. Of course they don’t give a shit about them but they know many people get highly emotional (controllable) when kids are brought into it.
Doug
ChrisK, that’s exactly the way they work. They hold their kids up in front of them as a smokescreen when what it’s really about is they hate gay people. They couldn’t care less about their kids, but they need an excuse.
And we have “gay” men (lol!) like “inbama” and “Diplomat” here who hate themselves as much as these people do.
inbama
@Doug
Self-hate?
I’m the one who choses to protect gay lives while arrogant sheep like you put them in danger.
Jim
Let’s talk about Proud Boy groomers
inbama
@Jim
Let’s talk about winning elections.
Let’s stay away from children like we used to. We’re playing right into Republican hands.
Smart people choose their battles.
dbmcvey
So inbama is supporting the vandals. He may even be one of the vandals.
gft77
I’m amazed at the projection these hateful people use to justify calling someone else a “groomer” “Conservatives” have no issue when a politician makes a Christmas card with a bunch of kids posing with rifles in front of a tree, but someone dressed up reading to kids is evil? Before 1660, women weren’t allowed to participate in the theater. Male and female roles were performed by men and this was during a time when the church held much more importance and had stricter rules. Sad how those people had more sense than those on the right today.
You can do a Google search and easily find sites that list all the Republicans who have been convicted of child abuse. The number is staggering. In fact, research demonstrates that most pedophiles (more than 95 percent) are heterosexually oriented.
Diplomat
Men dressed up as women will always annoy the masses. They are looked upon as a disease. Just the way it is.
dbmcvey
And we have a new conservative troll, or is “Diplomat” just the usual with a new name?
Chrisk
Diplomat
Only to a mysogonist. Besides men dressing up as women have been a favorite in Hollywood. Everything from Tootsie, Ms Doubtfire, and practically anything Tyler Perry does.
Diplomat
Chris,
I don’t see a connection to misogyny. I don’t think disliking men dressed as women is a knock against women. I think it’s more a case of disrespect for women andor twisting up genders around that gets some people riled up. Then you add small children to the mix and… well it’s a bridge too far for many.
Diplomat
dbm,
Your twisting reality with trolling. Open your eyes and see the real picture. Not pretty. Do you want another Colorado? That’s the result of many of these issues.
dbmcvey
Oh dip,
Conservative trolls pop up here all the time and then disappear.
Diplomat
dbmColorado,
So do irrational hopeless victims.
Michael736
You seem to be conflating pedophiles with child abusers. Most child abuse is not committed by actual pedophiles, but rather people preferentially attracted to adults who offend due to opportunity, sociopathy, substance abuse or any number of reasons.
Most pedophiles desire voluntary and nurturing relationships with young people, the kind exemplified by the pederastic traditions that make up the majority of recorded homosexual history. The mainstream gay groups jettisoned boylovers from their struggle by the 90s in exchange for greater mainstream acceptance–it’s time to do the right thing and start standing up for fellow sexual minorities. Instead many don’t even seem willing to defend the “T” in LGBT. If respectability politics guides the movement then progress will be lost, you cannot compromise with bigotry.
bachy
Comparing drag queens to “harmless clowns” is a false equivalency. In our society, drag shows are at base a form of sexual transgression, appropriate to adult entertainment. I simply cannot see how dressing in drag is relevant or helpful to teaching children how to read. Drag performance involves significant, complex layers of gender ambivalence, sexual transgression, flagrant sexual signaling and gross seduction; all of which are unsuitable to the psychological developmental stage of children at story hour. I have nothing against sexual performance art – in fact I admire much of it – but I firmly believe it is to be enjoyed in adult settings only.
Michael736
Don’t get it twisted, drag performances may be sexual in nature but these book reading events generally are not. The right cherry-picks examples that look questionable and treats them as if they represent the majority, because that’s what they do. Don’t accept their dishonest premise.
Part of drag is being self-confident and comfortable in your own skin regardless of what others think. These are excellent values to teach children.
ZzBomb
The irony of these people calling us “groomers” when they literally look like every pedophile mug shot I’ve seen… esp that one guy who held the sign u “stop grooming children.” Yeah, can we get a look into that guy’s web browser history?