A drag queen story hour event at the Somerville Public Library, meant to be a joyous celebration of storytelling and inclusivity, was abruptly cancelled due to a bomb threat yesterday. The threat prompted an evacuation and thorough search of the building, before being deemed safe again by authorities. According to a report by The Boston Globe, the event had attracted both protestors and a larger group of counterprotesters, who faced off outside the library.
Although the police were prepared for the protests, the bomb threat that led to the cancellation came as an unexpected twist. A video taken during the commotion, which appeared on social media, captures a more substantial crowd of counterprotesters, brandishing LGBTQ+ Pride rainbow flags and chants in support of the event. Meanwhile, a minority of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters, including one woman with a sign stating, "Don't desensitize your child to preditory [sic] behavior," took a stand against the story hour. In the midst of this tension, Somerville City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen voiced his frustration, "The whole thing is just completely outrageous," he told The Boston Globe. "We can’t let things like this take away our ability to just live our lives and be the people we are."
Mayor Katjana Ballantyne echoed a sentiment of resilience and collective defense in the face of hate, stating, "Hate has no place here in Somerville. When any one of us is hurt, we're all hurt, so it's just not acceptable." A large contingent of supporters, reportedly around 100, as per WCVB-TV report, were present to counterbalance the negativity brought by the protestors, with one community member, Willie Burnley Jr., telling the station, "Luckily, those few people who did show up were vastly outnumbered by many members of our community who want to support queer people, who want to support children, who want to make sure we can be an inclusive community."
Christine H. Doherty of Super Happy Fun America, a far-right organization with a controversial history, including organizing buses to the rally that became a riot at the US Capitol, claimed victory for the event's cancellation in a Facebook post. However, in a statement obtained by WCVB-TV, Doherty condemned the bomb threat: "We are relieved that today’s drag queen story hour for 4- to 8-year-old children at the Somerville Public Library was cancelled. It is our goal to preserve children’s innocence and we did show up to peacefully voice our objections to the event. We do, however, denounce the action of a bomb threat being called in, especially at a children’s event. We have no connection to the caller." The investigation into whether the bomb threat is connected to the protests or a designated hate crime is still underway, according to Police Chief Shumeane Benford.
Despite the day's turmoil and subsequent investigation, no injuries or arrests were reported from the clash between protesters and counterprotesters. In response to the threat, the city had already employed private security to safeguard the library, a policy implemented after a series of disturbances that caused a temporary reduction in after-school hours, a measure that has since been reversed.
