Andrew Yawn

Special to the Daily Advertiser

For months, a planned Drag Queen Story Time event was halted by controversy, a federal lawsuit and threats of mass protest.

On Sunday, days after the federal lawsuit was dismissed, three drag queens clad in vibrant garb strode into the South Regional Library — police escort in tow — to read to children while protesters gathered on the lawn outside.

For Dylan Pontiff, who becomes veteran drag queen Santana Pilar Andrews when he dons a gown and wig, the event was a massive success and a way to teach children the importance of respecting others' differences.

“I definitely think the main goal of Drag Queen Story Time is to bring up the next generation of inclusiveness and tolerance, to let them understand that the world is full of differences, but just because something is different doesn't make it bad,” Pontiff said.

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Pontiff and two other drag queens — Roxie C. Black and Kenli Andrews — read three books to carry that message: “The Boy with the Rainbow Heart,” “Love is Love,” and “Jacob’s New Dress,” a book about a boy who feels most comfortable wearing a dress meant to promote acceptance of gender-nonconforming children.

The three held two different reading sessions for dozens of children, who also participated in face painting and a photo booth.

The event was somewhat of a localization of Drag Queen Story Hour, an organization with chapters in four countries and 24 cities, including New Orleans.

Sunday's event was not affiliated with the national group, but like other youth-focused drag readings, it saw similar flashes of push back.

Protesters outside held signs reading “Don’t drag children’s innocence through the mud” and “Drag Queen Story Time = Childhood’s End.” But Pontiff said he was unfazed by the opposition.

"I feel very sad for those people that they wasted what could have been a quality Sunday at home with their loved ones and the children in their lives. They wasted a day on being hateful and protesting against something they didn't understand," Pontiff said. "It happened and the world did not end. The day ticked on and kids left happy."

Originally, members of University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Delta Lambda Phi, a national social fraternity that gay men founded in 1986, were going to host the event in drag at the local library on Oct. 6.

But the idea of drag queens reading to children about LGBTQ issues and gender identities became a lightning rod for criticism.

The location of the reading was eventually shifted to the South Louisiana Community College auditorium due to the amount of interest, but SLCC pulled out two days before the event after law enforcement warned of large-scale planned protests.

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A Citizens for New Louisiana petition saying the event "promoted sexual deviancy" amassed 1,600 signatures online, while other citizens took to the Lafayette City-Parish Council podium to defend it.

A federal lawsuit filed against Lafayette Public Library Executive Director Teresa Elberson on behalf of Warriors for Christ and Special Forces of Liberty claimed the event violated the First Amendment.

The federal lawsuit was dismissed last week, after which Sunday's reading was organized by Matthew Kinne, Aimee Robinson and Hannah Boni. Delta Lambda Phi's Brad Parfait emceed the event.

However, Elberson said that, although the library had worked with the fraternity to host Drag Queen Story Time in the fall, Sunday's event was unrelated and in no way associated with the library, in part because there is still time for an appeal to the federal lawsuit dismissal.

The library hired six Lafayette Police Department officers to have on hand and allowed the use of the public meeting room, because, "We had to let them use the room. They had the right to use the room."

More:ACLU files lawsuit over Lafayette's Drag Queen Story Time

"We had told the judge we wouldn't plan any more story times until all this was resolved — and it's still not resolved, they have time to appeal — but this group didn't want to stop and decided to have their own event and use the library meeting room," Elberson said. "We weren't involved."

Pontiff said it was "unfortunate" it took six months of navigating legal proceedings to bring Drag Queen Story Time to Lafayette. But he said he's in favor of doing it again if possible, and he hopes the lessons shared with the children are ones adults will learn from too.

"Hopefully the kids will grow up to be more tolerant, more understanding and be the people fighting against those who were standing on that street corner," Pontiff said.

News tips? Questions? Call reporter Andrew Yawn at 334-240-0121 or email him at ayawn@gannett.com.