Over 200 people gathered to show support for Drag Queen Storytime in Oxford on Tuesday. A group of about 30 had come to protest against the event happening but were met with a crowd singing, dancing and showing queer joy. We were able to counter the harassment aimed at the children and parents attending with colour and music.
We then gathered at Didcot where around 40 of us shouted support for the storytime, drowning out the far right and other conspiracy theorists. Police were eager to separate the demos on either side of the road and tussled with queer and trans people demanding police silence those shouting harmful, queerphobic messages. Despite this, we welcomed the children out of the library at the end of their storytime: parents and children alike told us they’d had a great time! One parent even went on to tell us how Aida had made adjustments in the session to ensure their neurodivergent child had a better experience.