Update: October 28, 2022 at 5:02 p.m.

General Manager of Pybus Public Market Travis Hornby released a statement addressing the Drag Queen Storytime debacle Friday evening.

Hornby said YWCA NCW contacted Pybus for what is described as a “day table” for this event which was approved, however Pybus was not a sponsor of the event.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, Pybus and its tenants started receiving calls, emails, and messages attacking them for the YWCA’s use of Pybus as a the venue.

Hornby said that due to the threatening nature of some of these messages and talking with all of the stakeholders involved in this situation, the Board of Directors felt that Pybus would be ill-equipped to keep the Pybus staff, tenants, and participants safe.

The Pybus Board also condemned the threats that were made to facility, staff and tenants.

As of Friday afternoon, Wenatchee Police Capt. Edgar Reinfeld said he was not aware of any threats reported to his department.

Original: October 28, 2022 at 10:36 a.m.

After a severe public outcry, YWCA NCW announced that their Drag Queen Storytime event will no longer be held at Pybus Public Market.

On Thursday night, Pybus Public Market posted on their official Facebook page that the event was no longer going to be at Pybus Public Market

“After much deliberation the Pybus Board has decided that the YWCA Drag Queen Story Hour event on Saturday October 29th will no longer be held at Pybus Public Market and has been relocated. We have not received any information about the new location."

The event was originally going to be at the market on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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The Drag Queen Storytime event will now be at YWCA NCW’s headquarters on 212 First St., on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Multiple community members called Pybus Public Market’s mainline to protest the event, with the #boycottpybus.

The backlash began on Thursday when Chelan County Commissioner candidate Shon Smith posted the original flyer with the caption "The water was nice and cool when you placed your children in the pot…"

Here are some other examples of some of the comments Pybus received regarding the event:

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As a result, Pybus shut down their main phone line and held an emergency meeting with their board of directors. One market vendor shared that she would no longer hold a booth at the market because of the event.

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Other community members expressed their support for the event and expressed how grateful they were to see LGBTQ+ representation in the community while other shareed their disappointment with how Pybus was handling this situation.

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American Shoe Shop owner Josh Tarr also shared his view on the whole situation.

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Wenatchi Wear stating that they would be withdrawing their booth after this event.

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Organizations such as NCW Equity Alliance shared their support for the event, writing that they wish to clear up some of the misinformation circulating around the event.

"The Drag Queen Story Hour is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ community members to see themselves reflected in our culture and institutions. It is wrong to suggest an adult reading a children’s story is dangerous or inappropriate based on the clothing or makeup applied. Showing children examples of gender diverse adults gives children the understanding that they will be able to grow up, to survive, to even thrive in adulthood. That is something everyone should want for children."

 

News Radio 560 KPQ tried to contact Pybus Public Market but were unable to get ahold of them.

To learn more about Drag Queen Storytime events, visit this link.

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