BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) – A petition to end a virtual drag queen book reading for children with the Brownsville Public Library is not changing the city’s plan to keep the event on the schedule.
In a statement, Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez wrote, “Nobody should be discriminated against and every resident of Brownsville deserves to have an equal voice.”
June is PRIDE month and the reading serves as a win for the LGBTQ+ community’s mission toward inclusion.
Jose Colon-Uvalles, also known as Kween Beatrix a drag performer and LGBTQ+ activist, worked with Brownsville to host the reading.
Uvalles calls the petition disheartening because of the anti-LGBTQ+ tropes in the petition but not a hindrance toward the cause of reading to children, “We are not going anywhere. Our community is here. We have always been here, and we are going to continue to be here, with or without her [the petition writer] permission.”
TVC Church Pastor Ambrocio Perez is not supporting the reading, “it doesn’t go with my faith. It doesn’t go with my preference. I feel uncomfortable not only for my son but for the other kids as well.”
CBS4/LOCAL 23 News attempted multiple times to contact the petition writer with no response.
Due to COVID-19, the library remains closed with the reading to be shared on the Brownsville Public Library Facebook page.
