HOLLAND, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Regardless of pushback from parents and communities across Michigan and the rest of the country over drag queens having “family” story time readings in libraries and other public venues, the events continue to be scheduled in Michigan by LGBTQ+ groups and their supporters.
However, it appears that sometimes when the general public gets informed about these events, they can end up getting cancelled. Such is the case with “Out on the Lakeshore’s” (OOTL) Drag Story Time that was supposed to take place July 20th after being postponed in June over safety issues. But now it’s cancelled indefinitely.
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Drag Story Time, according to OOTL, was supposed to be an evening of stories, fun, snacks, activities and family-friendly books for all ages.
Kate Leighton-Colburn, Executive Director of OOTL, a Community Center serving West Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community, had told Fox 17 West Michigan that the original event was postponed because of planned protests and “feeling like our space wasn’t conducive to keeping everyone safe and happy.”
The one-hour event, which was moved to July, was scheduled to take place at MillerKnoll, a furniture design company whose website says “MillerKnoll is a collective of dynamic brands that comes together to design the world we live in. Together, we form an unparalleled platform for building a more sustainable, caring, equitable, and beautiful world.”
OOTL had said that the MillerKnoll venue had a yard that afforded them a lot more safety, security and privacy than their own center did. Leighton-Colburn explained. “They have a large amount of private lands. Folks won’t be able to get nearly as close to attendees if they do decide to protest, which they’re more than welcome to do, but we’re going to be a little bit more separate which is helpful, I think, for everyone.”
Although the event was free to attend, OOTL was requiring RSVPs for security purposes. However, as of around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 14th, OOTL posted on their Facebook page that the event was cancelled. Their social media post said, “MillerKnoll is no longer able to host the Drag Story Time event scheduled for July 20th due to safety concerns. OOTL is reassessing programming and considering next steps. We are committed to providing services designed to foster inclusive, fun, and engaging learning environments for LGBTQ+ families. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent programming to the greater Holland community.”
OOTL had said they were also trying to find venues in Grand Haven and Muskegon for Drag Story Times. However, without the ability to schedule a venue for their own event, that might be a difficult endeavor.
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Michigan News Source reached out to OOTL and the corporate offices of MillerKnoll for further information on the cancelled event, but they did not return our request for comment.
