Drag queen story hour is back on for Apex this weekend, after Equality NC takes over
The drag queen story hour is back on for this Saturday’s Pride Festival in Apex, now that Equality NC has taken over after citing “disappointment” with town officials.
Earlier this week, Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert announced on Facebook that the town’s Festival Commission had decided to cancel the story hour, acting on feedback he received from citizens.
In the same post, Town Council Member Audra Killingsworth said the council had gotten numerous complaints about the story hour, which had escalated into violent threats sent to members of the Festival Commission.
So on Thursday, the group Equality NC announced that it will sponsor Apex Pride and restore the story hour, ensuring that all members of the community have a right to gather and celebrate.
“Pride is first and foremost about our community,” Equality NC Executive Director Kendra R. Johnson said in a news release. “It has always been about our collective voices, our stories, our resilience and our hopes.
“What we saw in Apex was an attempt to invade our spaces, to silence us, to disperse us, and limit our freedom to be ourselves in our community. We were extremely disappointed in the actions of the Apex Festival Commission that allow provocative and misinformed complaints to target and attempt to cancel this Pride event.”
June is Pride Month nationwide, and Equality NC said it is taking over the annual Apex Pride Festival in support of its organizers.
“We will not be silent, and we will not be forced back into a closet,” Johnson said.
The Apex news comes as Holly Springs Mayor Sean Mayefskie told community members this week that the town will not issue a proclamation in support of Pride Month.
It also comes the same week a Texas legislator introduced a bill that would ban minors from watching drag shows, according to NBC News.
In a new Facebook post Thursday, Gilbert said he has not been involved in any decisions since his announcement that the story hour would be canceled. He referred all questions to Killingsworth.
Killingsworth noted that Apex and its Festival Commission are separate entities, and that the town had never taken a stand on the story hour.
The Festival Commission, she said, asked Apex Pride to find another nonprofit if the drag queen story hour was to be included.
“Apex Pride is grateful and happy to work with Equality NC to bring a great celebration to the LGBTQIA community,” she said.
Town Manager Catherine Crosby said, also in a Facebook post, that Apex takes security seriously.
“Our public safety teams are involved in every aspect of planning for events hosted by the town and those hosted by outside groups,” she wrote. “We welcome you and your family to join us for an array of cultural events throughout the year that help to make Apex a welcoming and inclusive community.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Drag queen story hour is back on for Apex this weekend, after Equality NC takes over."