Drag Queen Story Hour event at Winchester Gate hit by protestors

The Drag Queen Story Hour was due to take place at The Winchester Gate on Saturday, February 4 but days before the event was to take place, the pub placed a poster up to inform cancelled due to a risk to the public.

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Winchester Gate, General manager, Jamie Lillycrop said: "We heard about some fliers being distributed by a very lovely audience member who alerted us and the Drag Queen Story Hour Team. 

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"We are really pleased that we made the decision to relocate the event to the Progress bar which enabled it to go ahead without any trouble at all. Caroline and her team were incredible and the venue is positive and inclusive, just like the performance, so the two worked in harmony perfectly."

Everyone who had purchased a ticket was told secretly that the venue had been changed so they could attend the event without any disturbance from protestors. 

Jamie added: "Our programming has always been, and will always remain inclusive, open-minded and available to everyone. I’m not sure the protestors actually know what Storytime Live is, or what it includes, but what we do know is that everyone who attended had a brilliant time." 

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The Drag Queen Story Hour UK was with Aida H Dee and provides a fun and interactive show for children to show that being different is not a bad thing.

Councillor Caroline Corbin who is also the director of Salisbury Pride and who opened Progress Bar in Endless Street confirmed that she had been happy to step in and help when asked. 

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She said: “Once I had checked the terms of our licensing, I said, yes. It was for families. There were grandparents, parents, and children there. The children loved it. There was no provocative outfit or anything that could cause problems.

​“There is a bit where Aide tells the story and gets the children to run around and chase her. It was great.”

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The event went ahead without issue but a group of people began to protest outside of the Winchester Gate. 

Later, Aida H Dee recorded a message and uploaded it on Facebook. 

Caroline said: “The blanket biases that are thrown about drag queens, trans people or the gay community is unfair, and it will only change if Aida and others are able to carry on to dispel myths and to make a change.”

She added: “I know Aida used the experience through Drag Queen Story Hour social media to highlight why the event venue was changed against the risk of a protest.

“With people like Aida sharing experiences through books, we empower our families and children especially to be open about issues if and when they happen which enables better safeguarding.”