For Najaraj, the event offered a chance to normalize drag and LGBTQ Pride, with the hope that her daughter would grow up to be an accepting, worldly woman.
Other parents snagged signed copies of books read by the performer to add to their home bookshelves, vowing that “we’re not going to be afraid.”.
“Things that are unknown are what’s scary to people,” said Julia Ramirez of Castro Valley, who attended the reading with her 4-year-old son.
Dulce later returned to finish the reading after deputies responded and the apparent Proud Boys members left.
One book – illustrated by King herself – detailed a girl’s relationship with an uncle who enjoyed dressing in drag.
One scene depicted several people shouting their disapproval at the girl’s uncle – prompting King to remark “that’s not very nice.”
As the owner of the Books on B bookstore in Hayward, Rettig has hosted several Drag Queen Story Hour events in the past. »
