Los Angeles Times

Gustavo Arellano: Would hate disrupt a drag story hour in gay-friendly Laguna Beach?

Drag Queen Pickle, left, reads a story to children during Drag Queen Story Hour at Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California.

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- I visited Laguna Beach this past Saturday on a gorgeous morning, the type of sunny day the seaside gem hadn't experienced in months. Tourists headed toward the beach. Locals jogged. Paramotor enthusiasts crisscrossed the blue sky on their way toward the Pacific.

Beauty wasn't what brought me to the coast, though. It was hate.

For weeks, social media posts had trashed the Laguna Art Museum for planning to host story time with a drag queen. Typical was one from the Greater Laguna Beach GOP, which alleged with no evidence whatsoever that the mere act of a drag queen reading a book to kids was part of a "larger, recent trend of sexualizing children."

These attacks were the latest volley in an ugly battle against queer anything in Southern California this year.

The president of the Temecula Valley Unified School District during a board meeting. Vandals have . Protesters clashed outside an elementary school in North Hollywood that and where June would be recognized as Pride Month. before the team's Pride Night on Friday to lambaste the Blue Crew's decision to honor a group of drag nuns with a Community Hero Award.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
Eric Sondheimer: Greatest legacy of 1984 Olympic Games is LA84 Foundation
LOS ANGELES — Driving past a San Fernando Valley middle school during lunchtime, the sports fields were buzzing with activity. Soccer balls were being kicked, basketballs were being dribbled, tetherballs were being socked. My previous three hours had
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Space Team Seeks To Turn School Into Science Destination
LOS ANGELES — This month, Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, had a pep rally to celebrate the achievements of what might be its least conventional team: its cutting-edge space squad. Seniors Isaiah Dunn, Christopher Holbert, Travis Le
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Why Did Reggie Bush Lose His Heisman Trophy? How Did The Former USC Star Get It Back?
LOS ANGELES — Former USC running back Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy in 2005, lost it in 2010 and finally got it back this week. It's been a long, strange trip for the player who went on to win a Super Bowl in the NFL and serve as a college footb

Related Books & Audiobooks