Drag queen children's storytelling tour hit by protests 'shut down' by council leaving organisers 'disappointed'

A drag queen book reading in Greater Manchester has been postponed indefinitely by the council, leaving organisers 'disappointed'. Drag Queen Story Hour was due to take place in Rochdale next week.

But the event, in which drag queens host reading sessions for children in libraries and community centres, was postponed by Rochdale Borough Council. The council did not give a specific reason for the postponement, but the announcement comes after a series of protests across the country in response to the events.

Drag Queen Story Hour has been up and running worldwide since 2015, and the latest series - running as part of a UK-wide tour - sees drag queen Aida H Dee read and perform stories. It aims to break down stereotypes and bias from a young age and illustrate the importance of inclusivity.

The events in Rochdale were due to take place at three libraries in the Greater Manchester borough next week. They had been scheduled for Tuesday, August 16 at Rochdale Central Library, Middleton Library and Heywood Library. As it stands, Drag Queen Story time readings are still due to take place in Bolton on August 17-18.

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Despite the positive impact of these events, sessions up and down the country have been faced with protests from people claiming they are damaging to children. The story hour saw angry protesters storming Reading Central Library a few weeks ago, with further protests taking place in Bristol and Cornwall.

An event held in Leeds at the weekend faced similar issues, with people holding up placards such as ‘Learn ABCD not LGBT’ and ‘let kids be kids’. A representative for Rochdale Borough Council said: