By Evan Olwell
On March 26, 2019, members of Tradition, Family, Property–Louisiana returned to Houston City Hall to speak out in opposition to the Drag Queen Story Time during the Council’s Public Session.
Public indignation hit a peak after one of the readers for the DQST at the Houston Public Library was revealed to be a convicted pedophile, a fact discovered by the conservative organization MassResistance. This frustration could be felt in the Council chamber. Several pro-family Houstonians addressed the mayor and Council members with impassioned statements regarding the scandal.
One of the first to speak about the issue was the MassResistance local representative, Mrs. Linda Rodriguez. “Did you hear these words when your child was born? ‘Congratulations, it’s a boy!” or, ‘it’s a girl!'” “Why are you against our children’s natural tendencies? Why are you, Mr. Mayor and the library staff, not ending all LGBT story reading hours? Shame on you Mr. Mayor for letting it continue.” “As to Mr. Laster’s question to me on November 28th, ‘What am I afraid of?’ Here is your answer. A registered 32-year-old sex-offender drag queen who was convicted of assaulting an 8-year-old boy in 2008.” “That’s what I’m afraid of. Whoops! It looks like the library didn’t go through a background check!”
Many of the Council members had previously scoffed at the chance that there could be any danger in having Drag Queens read to 3- to 6- year-olds. Now, with the recent fact-finding, they had to admit that children were put in danger.
Fighting Back Against Drag Queen Story Hour
During the Council session, it was revealed that certain public documents from the library about the DQST are being withheld by the city even though the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has ordered them to be released. This came as a surprise to the Council members since they had all received a communiqué from the office of Mayor Turner which stated that the files had been delivered. This information raised doubts in everyone’s minds. What reason would the mayor have for not sharing the documents other than, perhaps, to hide some other scandal from public notice?
The last person to address the Council was TFP member Cesar Franco. His words are reproduced here in their entirety:
“Mr. Mayor, City Council members, I am here to address the filth at the Freed Montrose Public Library. I am not talking about physical trash, like candy wrappers and soda cans, I am talking about the moral filth of the Drag Queen Story Time, infamously hosted by the Houston Public Library and permitted by the Mayor and certain members of the city council.
“Sexualizing little children is child abuse. That the city would allow this to take place in the public library in the name of literacy is shameful.
“The revelations that one of the drag queens is a convicted pedophile should not be a surprise. After all, Dylan Pontiff, a drag queen in Lafayette, Louisiana and one of those pushing for the Drag Queen Story Time there, publicly affirmed that they intended to groom the next generation of children.
“If a drag queen is on public testimony before a City Council saying that the Drag Queen Story Hour is intended to groom children… why was he not taken seriously?
Defending the Unborn Amidst a Crisis of Faith
“The Houston Chronicle has said that the city wants the Drag Queen Story Time to come back to the library possibly as soon as the summer…
“I join my voice with all those who want this abomination to cease and never come back to the public library. It should never have happened to begin with, and it would be grave negligence on the part of the city government to allow it to come back.
“Please listen to the voice of reason, and do your duty to safeguard the common good and protect the innocence of children at public libraries.
“And shame on the parents who push for these hours of public scandal at the libraries. That they would sacrifice the innocence of their children on the altar of sexual diversity is most grave…”
On March 19, the organizers of the DQST announced that they are canceling the program and stepping down from their organizational role. However, since then the library has announced their intent to bring the program back sometime this summer, concerned Catholics must remain vigilant.
Good things happen when good people stand up for what is right. The recent surge in public outrage was only possible because a few good souls made sacrifices and spoke up when no one else would. Evil advances when good people do nothing. The Culture War for the soul of America is far from over, and every Catholic is called to be a participant. As Saint Joan of Arc once said, “The soldiers will fight, and God will give the victory!” May God grant a total victory over the abominable Drag Queen Story Time in Houston, and in every city of America.