Drag Queen Story Hour Canceled After Threats On Social Media

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Carnegie Library and the Children's Museum have both canceled the Drag Queen Story Hour after threats posted on social media.

The programs, which are part of a relatively new phenomenon catching on in libraries, feature drag queens reading stories, singing songs and having fun with the children.

Akasha Van-Cartier, a local drag queen who reads at the library, says the program teaches exclusivity and love.

"This isn't a gay program, this isn't a straight program, this is an educational program," Van-Cartier told KDKA Radio.

"We dance, we play games, we do crafts, we teach them letters, numbers, colors. We teach them to love themselves and to love everyone that is around them."

With the rise of events like Drag Queen Story Hour also comes a rise in threats that cause events to be canceled.

A spokesman for the Children's Museum says the program was canceled due to circumstances beyond their control.

The program at the library could return soon.

"If you don't like the museum because you don't like what they're teaching, don't take your children there," Van-Cartier says.