‘I was heartbroken’: Organizers upset after Drag Queen Story Hour for kids in Hickory is canceled

HICKORY, N.C. — A Drag Queen Story Hour event for children in Hickory was canceled, and organizers said it was due to recent political shifts, although the minor league baseball team hosting the event at their stadium said the decision was due to staffing issues.

The event was called the “Red, White, and Q,” a celebration of drag that was set to be hosted on July 9 at the LP Frans Stadium, home of the Hickory Crawdads, a minor league team of the Texas Rangers.

Organizer David Zealy-Wright said he was told by the Crawdads that the Rangers had not approved the event.

“I was heartbroken…I cried for a little bit because we worked really, really hard to be very present in our community,” Zealy-Wright said.

Zealy-Wright shared photos with Channel 9′s Dave Faherty of a previous Drag Queen Story Hour event where he said an age appropriate conversation was held about gender identity.

Zealy-Wright said he believes that conversation during the story hour is part of the reason for the cancellation.

The Crawdad’s management told Channel 9 that the cancellation was mainly due to the event never getting full approval from the Rangers and staffing concerns.

“We are able to kind of graciously and gracefully step back away from the table. We understand there’s no hard feelings…just disappointment,” Zealy-Wright said.

The event was also set to include a family resource fair, drag show, and buffet-style barbecue.

Organizers said they had a similar event last year where 150 people showed up, but it did not include the Drag Queen Story Hour that was planned for this year.

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