Amid high tensions over Iowa Legislature’s efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights, the Johnson County Republican Party leader claims she was assaulted when she and other conservative activists opposed a drag story time event at the Iowa City Public Library protested.
About 400 people, mostly parents with children, participated in the Drag Family Storytime in a library meeting room on Tuesday. Teresa Horton Bumgarner, the party leader, was there with several others, some carrying signs condemning the library and drag performers as “groomers,” a term implying the manipulation of children for harmful purposes.
As Bumgarner sat amidst a group of parents and children and live-streamed the event, she was repeatedly confronted by both parents and counter-protesters. At one point, she was grabbed, held and insulted by a person during the recording and was later shoved by a parent, who said she was trying to prevent her from live-streaming videos of children posing for photos with the drag performers.
Bumgarner claimed during the livestream that she was also hit by at least one of the people who confronted her and spoke to Iowa City Police Department Sgt. Kevin Bailey, who was present. She let him accompany her from the event after it was over.
She told the Press-Citizen she would file a complaint with the police and provide the livestream as evidence. The people who confronted Bumgarner have not been identified.
Police spokesman Lee Hermiston said he could not comment due to the ongoing investigation.
The police officer confirms the GOP chairman’s right to record video
Parents at the event repeatedly said they were upset that Bumgarner was making videos of children and asked them to stop. Although she denied attempting to record video of children, the Iowa City Public Library is a public space and recording of anyone there, including minors, is legal under Iowa law.
At one point, Bailey reached out to one of the people confronting Bumgarner to confirm that she had the right to record a video.
“You can film. listen to me This is a public space. She can film, you can film,” Bailey said, adding that the confrontation “happened in front of kids. We don’t want that.”
Despite Bumgarner’s denial that she made videos of children, some can be seen on the livestream, including as she walked into the room with her camera forward as they posed for photos with the drag performers. When Bumgarner was first confronted, her camera switched multiple times to a child sitting next to her, looking extremely concerned about what was happening.
It was the library’s first drag storytime since October, when a much larger group of protesters attended. The events have been a staple of the library’s schedule for several years, but only recently have they attracted protesters.
The Republican majority of the legislature in the current session has pushed legislation to limit LGBTQ-related education in schools and ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, prompting protests by gay and transgender rights supporters at the Iowa Capitol. Another bill that would have made it a misdemeanor to bring children to drag events, similar to a controversial bill passed in the Tennessee legislature, died in committee.
Another county GOP official was also confronted
Bumgarner wasn’t the only protester to have tense interactions with the crowd at the event. Johnson County GOP candidate leader Micah Broekemeier is seen on video confronting several parents and counter-protesters who called him a “pervert” and other offensive names as he held a sign that read “Go.” Home Drag” Queen Story Groomer stood in the middle of the seated crowd.”
Bumgarner said she and the other protesters went to the event to express their disapproval of a book in particular whose lyrics, sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus,” explain how to become a drag queen.
“We were attacked and attacked for being there and I don’t know why,” she said. “There was a bunch of people pushing me, grabbing me and dropping a lot of F-bombs and a lot of ugliness.”
Library director Elsworth Carman was at the event and told the Press-Citizen he did not see what happened but that he would seek reports from those involved if they were willing to speak to him. Protests are allowed in the library, including at children’s events, he said, but assault, loud disturbances and abusive language are not.
“We take any comfort or security issues in the library very seriously,” he said. “I would encourage (Bumgarner) to reach out to me and have a dialogue.”
What did the live stream show during the drag performance?
The first confrontation caught on Bumgarner’s recording came when she sat down and a person in a rainbow bandana argued with her. The person repeatedly told Bumgarner not to take in children and then grabbed her shirt and another protester’s shirt until Bumgarner told her to stop and Bailey, the police officer, approached.
He asked Bumgarner and the person to be polite and informed them that Bumgarner and everyone else in the room had legal rights to record the event, even without parental permission.
The second confrontation came after the event was over and children were lining up to take photos with the drag queens. As Bumgarner approached and began recording, a parent confronted her, holding a jacket in front of the camera and shoving her.
Bumgarner repeatedly said during the video that the parent pushed and attacked her and once claimed she was hit. It is not clear from the video what happened.
Bumgarner denied allegations that she and her group were bringing hatred to an otherwise peaceful children’s event and defended her right to be there.
“They called us hateful, but they were the ones showing hate,” she said.
The library has been hosting drag performances since 2018
Aside from the protests, Wednesday’s event was similar to others at the library it’s been holding since 2018. Videos show drag performers in colorful outfits or Halloween costumes reading children’s books to teenagers in the presence of their parents. The readings are sometimes accompanied by slide shows, music and other activities.
Drag queens Tuesday, who use the stage names Valencia Van de Camp and Kalliope Belle, and drag king Spooki Santos read from LGBTQ children’s books and sang songs promoting inclusion and acceptance.
After the event, Belle said she gets nervous for the children when the protesters are present because it can be difficult for them to see what she calls hate. She said she was reassured, however, that there were so many more supporters than protesters.
“(The library) is phenomenal. We have great library staff who always look after us… and make us feel safe and secure,” Belle said.
Van de Camp said after the last event in October that she was very nervous about protesters making children uncomfortable, but it was good to see support from the community.
“It lets us know that there is still love and caring for what we do, which outweighs the misunderstanding and hate we have,” she said.
Belle, herself a mother, said getting involved in a drag event at the library was her biggest to date.
Denice Connell sat at the back of the room with her two grandchildren and her husband.
“I enjoyed it and thought it was great. I know my granddaughter did too,” Connell said. “I liked the stories they read.”
She said she regrets that Republicans are supporting legislation that would ban the performances.
“It’s important that children grow up in an environment where this diversity is recognized,” she said.
Bumgarner said she wasn’t put off by the hostility she encountered and wouldn’t be surprised if there were more protests at the library’s drag shows.
“I could imagine that there will be protesters,” she said.
George Shillcock is Press-Citizen’s local government and development reporter for Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
