YWCA NCW Addresses Community Backlash Against Drag Queen Storytime Event

YWCA NCW Executive Director Rachel Todd uploaded a video to their official Facebook page to discuss how the Drag Queen Story Hour event on Saturday can be a teachable moment for the community.

The Drag Queen Story Hour is scheduled to be held at Pybus Public Market on Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Todd said they arranged the event to uplift the voices of marginalized communities and to provide an inclusive environment in Wenatchee Valley.

“There is a huge amount of young people in our community right now that have nowhere to go, because they're being kicked out of their homes, they're not welcome in the communities that they grew up in, and there are not enough resources in our communities to safely house these young folks and we want to make sure that we are creating spaces where we can do that,” Todd explained.

She later stated, “It's not controversial to want a safe community for everybody. That is also something we strongly, strongly believe in, that this is not a controversial issue. At the very core of it, this is an issue of inclusivity and we really are striving to build a joyful, inclusive, equitable community.”

Earlier on Thursday, multiple community members called Pybus Public Market’s main line to protest YWCA’s Drag Queen Story Hour event on Saturday.

Some promoted the #boycottpybus in opposition to the event.

Chelan County Commissioner Candidate Shon Smith shared the banner on his Facebook page, resulting in over 1,000 comments on his post.

He captioned the banner with the quote “The water was nice and cool when you placed your children in the pot…”

Towards the end of the video, Todd concluded that YWCA NCW will not be backing down from providing a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.

“Everybody wants to feel safe in the community that they're in,” Todd said. “That is why we are doing these shows and that's why we are doing these events and why we continue to move forward even if we ourselves are receiving a lot of community backlash from a specific sector of the community and I will continue. This isn't something that we'll back down from.”

To see the full video, click here.