Drag queen reading tour comes to Greater Manchester after previous shows hit by protests

A drag queen book reading tour is coming to Greater Manchester after previous shows were hit by protests.

Drag Queen Story Hour, which sees creator and drag queen Aida H Dee read and perform stories to parents and young children, saw angry protesters storming Reading Central Library last Monday, with further protests during its Bristol leg on Thursday.

As Bristol live reported, on Monday, July 25, protesters stormed the event at Reading Central Library - some with their own children - to protest, with police having to get involved and Aida having to be escorted to her next event location while a human wall was formed to protect her.

This was followed by protests in Bristol on Thursday, July 28, in which demonstrators for and against the event waved flags and carried banners.

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The fun and interactive reading event has been created to ‘engage children’s creativity and love for reading by giving them a brand-new, positive experience, one page at a time, all the while learning and communicating’. In a show of defiance, scheduled events at libraries in both Rochdale and Bolton will still take place on Tuesday, August 16 through to Thursday, August 18.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News ahead of their events in Rochdale and Bolton later this month, Aida said: “I think although we were aware, we weren’t expecting the hatred to be manifested so strongly. We've found out that the majority of people who have protested at any event, were not actually from that area and lots of them aren’t even parents themselves - I think the protesters are actually victims themselves, victims of misinformation.

“The main thing we want to