Miss Ginger Devine was greeted with applause as she walked into the children’s nook of the Downtown Reno Library. Devine wore a broad, rainbow colored hat and striking makeup as she read from a picture book called Rooster Wore Skinny Jeans to a crowd of around 40 kids and parents.
And like any good emcee, Devine took time for a little audience participation – including a moment where everyone got to crow like a rooster.
“This is what we call immersive theater!” Devine exclaimed.
The event was part of the library’s Pride Month programming. It followed an earlier Drag Story Hour on June 15, at the North Valleys Library.
In the reading room, the mood was fun and festive. But outside, a small crowd of Republicans picketed the event.
Failed candidate for Nevada Assembly Drew Ribar was with them, recording the scene with two cameras. He just lost the District 40 Republican primary to incumbent P.K. O’Neill in the June 11 election, but on Thursday, he was there to oppose the children’s event.
“You’re taking people that have a sexual agenda, and you’re targeting children with that sexual agenda,” he said.
Ribar frequently appears at library board of trustee meetings to protest programs and materials featuring LGBTQ+ people.
His talking points echo decades-old homophobic conspiracy theories that falsely accuse LGBTQ+ people of pedophilia. Even though that narrative has no basis in fact, it’s been reanimated by Republican activists in the leadup to the general election.
But this time, he couldn’t enter the library. Staff temporarily suspended his access after they say he tried to disrupt the prior story hour.
“Well, they opened the door and I grabbed the door to try to enter,” he explained.
Candace Powell, on the other hand, said she and her kids are big fans of Devine.
“She’s so great. I really think that her story selection is wonderful,” she said.
Powell brings her family to the library at least once a week. She said the library staff does a great job of making kids and families feel as safe as possible, in spite of the culture war raging outside.
But what she’s not a fan of are right-wing protesters who film her children as they walk into the library for Drag Story Hour.
“If somebody were lurking outside of children’s events anywhere else – outside of a school, outside of a playground – taking photos of children, I think we would all think, ‘Wow, that’s a predator,’” Powell said.
