This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.
Law enforcement evacuated both the Lancaster Public Library and two nearby city blocks after discovering a suspicious package.
A Drag Queen Story Hour event scheduled at a Pennsylvania library faced cancellation over the weekend following numerous bomb threats. Police evacuated the building and surrounding blocks due to a suspicious package.
The event, “Drag Story Hour with Miss Amie,” organized by Lancaster Pride at the Lancaster Public Library, had been met with vehement local opposition, particularly from anti-LGBTQ+ groups. This opposition intensified after Lancaster County Commissioners Ray D’Agostino and Josh Parsons, both Republicans, expressed their disapproval on social media. Protestors attended county commissioners’ meetings for two consecutive weeks to voice their concerns. Additionally, a member of the county’s Moms for Liberty chapter secured a permit for a prayer vigil before the event. On Friday evening, several people participated in a prayer service led by local pastors in a plaza near the library.
Amidst the controversy, the event garnered a surge in support with more attendees signing up. Consequently, security measures were heightened in response to the increased attention.
However, on Saturday, the police issued an evacuation order for the library and the adjacent blocks after a police dog alerted to a package delivered to the library the previous day during a security check. Lancaster Pride swiftly announced the cancellation of the drag story hour event.
A city spokesperson later confirmed that the package contents were found to be harmless, but the city received additional written threats via email. Police are currently investigating these additional reported threats, as per the Associated Press.
Expressing disappointment over the cancellation, Lancaster Pride director Tiffany Shirley lamented, “It just breaks my heart that we were trying to make a safe, fun event for our children, and because people disagree and don’t think we should exist, (they) had to ruin it for everybody.”
Lissa Holland, the executive director of the Lancaster Public Library, voiced frustration, stating, “I’m really sad, very disappointed, and angry that leaders of this county turned this into saving the children from the library, and we are having to cancel this event because of safety threats.”
Christopher Paolini, scheduled to participate in drag as Miss Amie Vanité, expressed sadness over the situation, saying, “It was supposed to be fun, happy, great, loving, and caring kind—all the good things. And somebody had to go and create what was a safe space and make it dangerous, not just for children. But for everybody.”
The targeting of the Lancaster Public Library’s event is part of a broader trend amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, both online and from right-wing politicians and media figures in recent years. Conservatives have falsely labeled drag queen story hour events and family-friendly Pride performances as “indoctrination” and “grooming,” leading to protests and disruptions at libraries and other venues across the country, sometimes by armed members of far-right hate groups. Recent reports have linked anti-LGBTQ+ influencer Chaya Raichik’s social media posts to actual threats directed at schools, libraries, hospitals, and individuals she targeted through her influential Libs of TikTok account.
Despite the challenges, Paolini remains resolute, telling local reporters, “It just hurts my heart that it came to this. I’m not going to stop what I’m doing. This program is too important for too many people.”
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