In Liverpool, England, someone threatened drag queen Aida H Dee, saying she will be “cut up and thrown into the River Mersey” if she performs her Drag Queen Storytime event in the city.
Dee, also known as Sab Samuel, was supposed to read the book on bullying that she wrote. The event, scheduled at Dorothy’s Diner in Liverpool’s Pride Quarter, was canceled due to security concerns.
“Unfortunately even though very popular, we have decided to cancel Drag Queen Storytime,” a spokesperson for the venue told The Liverpool Echo. “We are very concerned about some of the comments towards this event.”
Following the event’s initial announcement on social media, Dee said the post and her account were flooded with hateful and threatening messages.
“It blew up, and there were hundreds of hate comments,” she said. “It was disgusting and hateful. One message threatened to cut me up into pieces and throw me into the river.”
“I’ve been to Liverpool before — just a few months ago I was there for the UK’s Pride Organizers Network conference — and I got shown around the city. So I wasn’t expecting this from Liverpool, a place that has such a diverse, inclusive and queer scene.”
“It does scare me, but there isn’t a chance in hell that I wouldn’t perform because of the haters or because of threats.”
Dee, a 29-year-old, said her first reaction to the vitriolic response was the “show must go on!” But she said her most important concern was the kids. In the end, she agreed canceling the event was the wisest decision.
Merseyside Police said they’d spoken with Dee about the threats, who is well-known in the UK for her trademark rainbow sequined jumpsuit and towering red wig.
“We can confirm that we have received a report of a hate crime and we are speaking with the victim to offer our support,” Detective Sergeant Tracy O’Hara said in a statement. “We are also carrying out extensive inquiries into the incident and this is ongoing.”
Dee said she’s used to the unflattering attention and expects the backlash whenever a Drag Queen Storytime event is announced, first and foremost getting labeled a “pedophile”.
The harassment has occurred both online and offline.
Dee said several events have seen protesters and police outside facing off as frightened children are led from venues by parents. Dee herself has been whisked away by police because protesters “were literally chasing me.”
The drag artist says haters have also turned up at her house. She’s been threatened with kidnapping, having her cat set on fire, and accused of “dragging children into the sex industry.”
She’s been called an “ugly pervert” and warned that a “mallet through the skull” was in her future.
“The stories I have created are about not bullying people and others,” she said, referencing her books, “so the irony isn’t lost.”
Speaking of the canceled Pride Quarter event, she added, “The amount of dangerous threats made on the attending children and parents, the staff, the owner, and myself by a very small minority of misinformed barbarians is disgusting. I support the decision to protect the families and children from these violent brutes.”
