It appears that the Ketchikan Public Library is not planning to have another drag-queen storytime in their Pride Month programming. The city’s manager, who recently changed direction and cancelled the event due to the response of the public to the reading last year.
Ketchikan City Manager Delilah Walsh told the mayor and City Council in an email sent on the 17th of April that drag-queen storytimes would not return for the second year.
“As Chief Administrative Officer of The City of Toronto, I’m responsible for the overall operations of the company and am asking that the Library do not schedule the drag queen storytime,” Walsh wrote in an email that was obtained through KRBD through an open requests for records. “I am sorry for this alteration and appreciate the opportunity that it afforded me to investigate a little more deeply; I am determined in my decision to move forward.”
Ketchikan is a city in the state of Ketchikan is run by a council-manager type of governance, which means that the city manager serves as the city’s chief administrator and is subordinate to the direction of City Council. City Council.
This is the latest in a long-running dispute about LGBTQ programs at the Ketchikan Library. In June of last year it was the time that Ketchikan Public Library held its first ever LGBTQ storytime. Ketchikan Public Library hosted its first ever storytime featuring an drag queen to commemorate Pride Month and promote inclusivity.
A drag queen named Luna as played by drama teacher at high school Tommy Varela, read a picture book to hundreds of children. She guided them through a sequence of basic dance moves with the librarian for children.
This event proved extremely well-loved: Luna had to read the book three times in order to accommodate all participants. The library director claimed it was the most popular storytime ever recorded.
However, the lead-up to the drag show was marred by controversy. The topic was the focus of the two Ketchikan City Council meetings, where residents from both sides in favor and against presenting their opinions for many hours.
The council then approved 5-2 the drag queen contest to go on.
Then, in April, when officials from the city were looking into a taletime for drag queens and the raging flames erupted again.
Walsh mentioned public opposition to her decision to postpone the event. She highlighted two causes in the debate over the event last year among City Council members and a community-led initiative to reduce library funding that was driven by drag queen stories.
“It is a popular event. The event also received some very negative comments from the community,” Walsh said in an interview via phone. “My goal is to educate our community and the event doesn’t necessarily point toward that end.”
The email she sent to the editor Walsh stated that “there are numerous ways that our City can embrace diversity and inclusion without becoming polarized in the community.”
“This involves providing educational resources and a safe environment for the residents of Ketchikan to study and grow. A drag queen story time arranged by the Library has been proven not to be one of these methods,” she wrote.
Walsh suggested a few options. She suggested a screening at the library of the PBS documentary about the Stonewall demonstrations which was a series of demonstrations widely regarded as an historic moment in the struggle in the fight for LGBTQ human rights.
Walsh added that any non-profit group is welcomed to host a reading by drag queens. Prohibiting drag queen readings completely could infringe lawful requirements of the First Amendment and nondiscrimination laws and ordinances, such as a local one which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender expression or identity, Ketchikan City Attorney Mitch Seaver wrote in a memo from last year.
However, the Ketchikan Pride Alliance’s largest LGBTQ-focused group claim they don’t have a plan to fill the void caused by the city’s decision to cancel. JD Martin is head of the Ketchikan Pride Alliance.
“At this point we don’t have the intention of holding a drag queen time,” Martin said.
The Pride Alliance said in a statement that it’s worried that taking over the hosting of the event would increase the chances of to cancel the event.
“The Ketchikan Pride Alliance refuses to be a part of the marginalization within our communities,” Martin said in the statement..
The Pride Alliance says it instead will host an drag show in a different location.
Concerns to LGBTQ Community members
Frankie Urquhart teaches health at Ketchikan High School, instructing nearly all freshmen students. She’s concerned about the effect of the school’s closure on the mental health of students.
“One element of your mental and social well-being is self-love and feeling as if you’re part of a larger community,” she said in an interview by phone.
She believes a drag-themed storytime could have been one of the few venues that LGBTQ teens could be seen in public in Ketchikan. Urquhart claims she went to the reading last year with her son, who is 11 years old. In addition she believes that the reading helped LGBTQ pupils feel at ease in Ketchikan.
“Having this event, I consider it an amazing opportunity for people to be able to say”Oh my god I’m here with my friends. This is where I feel welcomed. It’s where I feel safe. I am a part of this community”” she added.
Urquhart claims she is concerned that cancelling the event sends her the incorrect message.
“The children are always watching. Certain youngsters are more watched that others” they said. “The children that really require the support — they’re the ones paying attention the most.”
Martin Walsh, who is the Pride Alliance president, said that the Pride Alliance would be delighted to inform Walsh the significance of the celebration in greater specific terms.
“I think that when we’re talking about inclusivity and diversity there will always be going to be some who are polarized by it,” she said.
Although Walsh stated to council members via mail that she’d held “many conversations with people in the community regarding both sides of the debate”, Martin says Walsh did not speak to the council prior to deciding to pull the event.
City Council members weigh in
A few members of Ketchikan city council’s 7 members have praised Walsh’s decision, according to email responses that were obtained by KRBD. Riley Gass, a conservative council member was the leader in the past year to stop the drag queen performance.
“I recognize that this is a difficult subject (speaking from my experience last year) and I truly applaud you for making this difficult decision. I’ll stand with you in this. I think it’s a good step to begin taking steps to make those who were unwelcomed at the library feel welcomed and welcome again.” Gass said.
Some members of the council that decided to continue with the reading last year also expressed support for the decision to cancel the drag-queen reading.
“I consider this to be an the best choice. It is free for them to start their own program, but they do not have to require it to be sponsored by the city,” Lallette Kistler wrote. “I could have recommended it myself should I have known as an alternative.”
Member of the council Mark Flora, Ketchikan’s vice mayor, made more tempered remarks.
“Not an easy choice regardless,” Flora said. “I am grateful for your determination.”
However, one council member is opposing.
“I’m not satisfied with the decision. I believe that the council was very clear in the past,” said Janalee Gage who is a progressive Member of the Ketchikan City Council.
As Urquhart, Gage says she’s worried about the precedent that the decision creates.
“If we’re planning on making a list and then dissecting each event based on how it polarizes the public, then we’re going to need to cut out several events,” Gage said. “There’s people who aren’t convinced of Halloween. Who’s to say they’ll never come out and say, “That shouldn’t be in the library”?”
Similar to Urquhart, Gage says she’s concerned regarding the messages Walsh’s move conveys towards LGBTQ residents.
“Although I am aware that the manager is in the position to determine the actions of each department and what department does, I think this sets a precedent that is far beyond what a department’s actions are in the sense it implying that the LGBTQ community is not permitted to be present in public,” Gage said.
Walsh defends cancellation
In her own words, Walsh states that she completely believes in creating Ketchikan an inclusive and diverse community where everyone feels welcome. It’s particularly important to her due her experience.
“I’m born in New Mexico, but I’m an Hispanic female. I was raised in a rural area. … As an Hispanic woman in my first year of school it was a three-to-one ratio in gender ratios, males to femalesI went to an engineering school for technical students and I was are also extremely uncommon in being Hispanic,” she said. “In my own experience I know the feeling of having being different.”
Walsh wrote in her email she wrote that “there is no procedure to determine the whether or not it is appropriate” of city-sponsored events and that she is ultimately accountable for making decisions that are for the best interest for the citizens. When asked about other events in the city or programs that could be subject to removal due to their controversial or controversial content, Walsh struggled to come to a suitable instance.
“You are right, the city would not support such things as an anti-minority storytime or something similar but I’m not imagining any such thing ever being considered,” she said. “So it’s a really difficult to think of an analogy.”
Walsh has defended her decision to pull the event. She says she’s anticipating some resentment from those who would like to see the storytime move ahead.
“I’m certain that we’ll get the same responses that we would get if we were to hold it. There will be a group people who are against to the idea, and another group who support the idea, and everyone absolutely has the right to express their opinions,” she said. “My aim is to make sure you’re making good decision to the best of my ability for the City.”
The issue will likely be brought back before members of the City Council soon. Gage is one of the City Council member opposing the decision to cancel, has said she intends to bring the issue to the table during a council meeting scheduled for May 4.
Disclosure The reporter Eric Stone has accepted a position with Ketchikan Public Utilities, an entity that is owned by Ketchikan’s city Ketchikan and supervised by Delilah Walsh. The first day of work is May 5.
The city of Ketchikan or any official from the city is in charge of Stone’s activities in his role as KRBD Director of News. There was no city official who reviewed the story’s content prior to its publication. Stone was denied access to any city information due to the new job.
