DavesPaper.com | by Calvin Audibert | June 4, 2023
The drama surrounding a drag queen story hour in Waterville, Maine on Saturday was not confined to the children’s bookstore. Instead, it spilled over onto Main Street, where supporters and protesters clashed in a battle of rhetoric on either side of the street.
Ellen Richmond, owner of the Children’s Book Cellar, expressed her belief that there is nothing wrong with hosting a drag story hour for children.
“The allegations made by the protesters, including ‘Corn-hole’ (referring to a local political activist known as Corn Pop), about what we do inside are nothing but sick and perverted imaginations,” Richmond told DavesPaper.com.
The drag queen from Old Town, who read to a small group of children, was modestly dressed. The story hour included readings of children’s books, including a couple of books about Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball.
However, the story hour was briefly interrupted when a protester managed to enter the store and was promptly escorted out by Richmond.
Tensions had arisen a few days earlier between Waterville activist Corn Pop and Waterville mayor, Jay Coelho.
Save Maine captured footage of the protests outside the Children’s Book Cellar on Saturday, providing the video below.
Corn Pop, speaking to DavesPaper.com after the event, expressed confusion over how a woman dressing as a woman in drag could be considered a “drag queen.”
What seemed to surprise the protestors was that two previous drag queen story reading events hosted by Richmond at her children’s bookstore had featured males dressed in female drag.
The first event, held at the Children’s Book Cellar on June 1, 2019, showcased drag queen Ophelia Johnson.
On June 20, 2020, Richmond hosted a virtual Drag Queen Story hour, also featuring Ophelia Johnson.
This is a developing story and will be updated as necessary.
