7-15-2023 3:49am

Drag Q&A Event Protests and Pride Party

Rockford Family Initiative protested outside Talcott Free Library on Monday through Wednesday in the evenings, and again Friday afternoon, July 14, 2023, to speak out against the drag Q&A youth virtual event. Friday's protest had a larger turnout than the previous - organizers claimed two hundred people - and included a march down Main Street with bagpipes and drums.

Police closed part of Rockton's Main Street and protesters lined the sidewalks in front of several downtown businesses, causing some of them to close early, including Taylor+Max. The library itself closed at 2 p.m. Signs said "Talcott Library: keep groomers away from children," "Protect the innocence of our children," "Drag queen story hour is child abuse," "Keep drag away from children," "Drag shows offend God and wound his children," "Keep your hands off our children," and "Demons, leave our kids alone" (which assumes that demons read and obey signs.)

Rockton Pride held a party at Village Green Park Friday from 4-6 p.m. There were many crafts and activities under the pavilion, food, music, and a drag show, consisting of lip syncing songs. The event ended with Rockton Pride announcing they will be presenting the Talcott Library with a check for $1,000 at the next board meeting.

Scroll down for photos of the Rockton Pride Kickoff Party, and at the end, an image gallery of several days of the library protests.

More about the drag event

Virtual Drag Event Draws Prayers And Protests

Protests over Drag Queen Q&A at Talcott Library cost more than $14,000

Rockton residents react to drag protest expenses

Talcott's Drag Q&A: where and why

No counter-protest at Talcott Library, Rockton Pride plans party instead

Drag event at Rockton library will be virtual

Talcott Library board votes 4-2 to proceed with Drag Q&A

Divided opinions on Drag Q&A at Talcott Free Library

Talcott Library Board Meeting

Opinion

Public comments and speeches from the Talcott Library board meeting

Towards a united and proud Rockton, not division

On Behalf of the Old Stone Church

Clearing The Air

Talcott Library Drag Queen

Pride Party at Village Green Park

Protests at Talcott Free Library

Photos were taken at several of the protests held during the week.

Editor's note: Some people belonged to neither group. Amidst the anti-drag crowd at the library, a lone young man from Freeport, Nyx Omen, held a sign for more than two hours saying "Drag isn't dangerous" and "No hate in my state." He said he didn't know much about the Pride event at the park - he came on his own.

Outside Village Green Park, a mysterious couple was carefully making videos of the Pride Party goers. Rockton Pride members held up flags to block them. The man and woman said they were not religious (Rockford Family Initiative is overwhelmingly Catholic) and claimed they were not part of any organized group. Besides that, they would say little else about themselves, except that they post their videos on "the Internet." The woman mocked a Rockton Pride leader who said the group had received threats from white supremacists. She also mocked the idea that she might be a Trump supporter.

The videographers turned out to be behind the Midwest Audit YouTube channel. Ironically, while carefully protecting their own identity, they say they have a right to publicly "publish and disseminate information, thoughts, and opinions without restraint," including videos of individuals and children vulnerable to discrimination.

When confronted by Rockton Pride members, the woman replied, "I have a right to record whoever I want in public." When a leader objected to having children videoed without permission, the woman replied, "Then don't bring them out in public." Still, the couple was honest enough to post YouTube shorts of Rockton residents explaining to them why what they were doing was unethical and unprofessional, as well as a long video titled Unusual Interactions with "Rockton-Roscoe News" Editor During a Drag Show in Rockton Illinois, which prompted mockery from their followers.

Legally, the Midwest Audit is correct that press passes or permits are not required in the United States. And courts have ruled that journalists don't need to ask permission to take photos of people involved in a breaking news story. However, the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, which Rockton-Roscoe News follows, requires its members to "minimize harm" and says, "Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness." Others pointed out that people take videos at public events all the time, which is true.

Across the street from the library, in front of Rockton Inn, a street preacher's Bible signs included "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). A Roscoe resident and pastor of 20th Street Missionary Baptist Church in Rockford, Josh Whitehead says the problem is that people think when you disagree with somebody, you have to hate them. "I don't hate anybody," he says.

Tap, swipe, or click on the photo below to view an image gallery of the library protests.

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Mary Mitchell Neighbor

7-18-2023 12:36pm

Abby, how fitting that you did not post the many people who opposed this event. You took many pictures of the drag queens and the few that came to support them. But you did not show what really happened in front of the Talcott building. You are not biased much are you? Sad that this is how the people are fooled. We all know who you support. Heartbreaking!

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Michael McGinnis Editor

7-18-2023 12:45pm

Oh no, she included many photos from the Talcott Library, as an image gallery at the bottom. She wasn't sure they would be as prominent as she wanted them to be. We even talked about publishing two different articles. Let me display the Talcott photos differently and see if you still have concerns.

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Rebecca Powers Neighbor

7-20-2023 7:59am

Did you notice the MAIN photo of the article is of your protest group at the Library?

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S M Neighbor

7-21-2023 12:07pm

The Midwest Audit couple was completely within the law doing what they did. The article stated filming as allowed for "breaking news events", it goes beyond that. You can film anything you can see from a public place, anytime. It may not be normal to one person but it's not wrong. If anything, the Youtube group was harassed by event goers. The woman Youtuber was threatened multiple times, on recording with getting her "rear end" kicked. So threats were made against them.