Drag Queen Story Hour at Ohio elementary school canceled

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A Drag Queen Story Hour set to take place Tuesday at an Ohio elementary school after school hours was canceled for safety reasons after "outside agitators" complained, WCMH-TV reported.

"We support Clinton Elementary School and its PTA in their efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and safe spaces within their school community," Columbus City Schools said in a statement late last week, the station noted. "The response to the event from our Clinton Elementary School families has been overwhelmingly positive. This is a diverse school community who feels it is important to recognize and support people from all walks of life. It is unfortunate that outside agitators feel the need to influence what we do locally."

Patricia Price, the school's principal, told WCMH that malicious messages were sent to the school, so the decision was made to cancel the event to maintain the safety of students and staff.

The district's statement added, "It is important that we all work together to keep our children safe and our schools a welcoming environment that is conducive to learning and growth for everyone. The District does not discriminate based upon sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ancestry, familial status or military status with regard to admission, access, treatment or employment."

Prominent Ohio drag queens Valerie Taylor and Courtney Kelly were set to dress as Disney characters Mary Poppins and Cruella de Vil for the Drag Queen Story Hour, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

According to a poster advertising the event, the plan was to "sing songs and read books exploring diversity, self-love, and an appreciation of all people" and raise money for those living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the paper added.

A parent of two students at the school declined to go on camera but told WCMH she was disappointed about the cancellation as she was planning to take her kids to the Drag Queen Story Hour.

Those opposed to the event made their voices heard on social media, the station said, adding that one individual tweeted an image of the story hour poster along with the phone numbers for the school's principal and the school board president and encouraged people to call them.