Right-wing protesters and counter-demonstrators clash in angry scenes outside Tate Britain over drag queen Aida H Dee’s story hour for children from three to 11
Far right protestors have been clashing outside of Tate Britain over a drag queen story telling event for children.
A large police presence can be seen outside the gallery where counter protestors gathered outside the gallery to face the right wing protestors.
Tate hired Aida H Dee to read stories to children, on its website it describes them as an ‘ADHD, neurodivergent, queer hero of literature’ and ‘the first drag artist in Europe to read stories to children in a nursery.’
The large group outside the gallery have been pictured in physical altercations as police try and keep the groups apart from each other.
T-shirts with slogans such as ‘groom dogs not children’ are being worn by the far-right protestors, while placards such as ‘Don’t let the far-right divide us. Defend LGBTQ+ communities’ are being held by the counter-demonstrators.
Right wing protesters clash with counter protesters outside the Tate Britain gallery in London in response to a ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’
The pop up event involves drag queen and activist Aida H Dee reading stories to children
In honor of LGBTQ history month Aida H Dee was booked to perform for children
Tate describes Dee on its website as an ‘ADHD, neurodivergent, queer hero of literature’
Sab Samuel (pictured) — performing as his flamboyant alter ego ‘Aida H Dee’, a play on the neurological disorder ADHD
The drag queen’s real name is Sab Samuel, and he has been on a tour called Drag Queen Story Hour UK – which has been protested at various venues.
In an open letter to the Tate’s board of trustees, Conservative party life peer Emma Nicholson described the event as both ‘propaganda’ and ‘nonsense on stilts.’
Baroness Nicholson said: ‘Having adults read to children is a wonderful thing, of course, but why does it have to be a man pretending to be a woman?’
She signed the letter as the chair of Children and Women First, a parliamentary lobbying group advocating for children and women with a pointed focus on gender issues pertaining to trans people.
