By Ryan Ernstes Arts, Entertainment & Culture Intersectionality March 16, 2022

Parasol Patrol

On Saturday, February 26, 2022, the Broomfield Library hosted Drag Queen Story Hour, a “fun and inclusive story time for all ages,” led by Drag Queen Miss Shirley Delta Blow. It was the first time the event was held since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In anticipation of protestors, the Parasol Patrol organized volunteers to escort attendees safely into the event. Their tools? Earmuffs and brightly colored parasols, utilized to shield children from the hate speech of protestors.

5a1484d6-f710-412a-9498-e40550a3a7e4_rw_1920 — Founders of Parasol Patrol, Eli Bazan and Pasha Eve, talk with Miss Shirley, who reads stories to kids at Drag Queen Story Hour.

880dd45d-c86b-46fd-a616-eeff83807868_rw_1920 — Parasol Patrol stands outside the Broomfield Public Library, ready to welcome kids and their families to Drag Queen Story Hour. Some volunteers have come from as far as Fort Collins and Colorado Springs to assist. Meanwhile, a man waits for his fellow protestors to arrive.

Volunteers from Parasol Patrol escort attendees into the Broomfield Library auditorium prior to the event.

Volunteers of Parasol Patrol turn their backs to protestors and are instructed not to interact with protestors in any way. Police stand nearby.

fc5c1200-0d35-4f6d-b606-b1a367c47134_rw_1920 — Police interact with a protestor at the event.

1a99d35f-b82a-4f17-a3e7-036640f33a62_rw_1920 — Police interact with a child and her mother.

Members of Parasol Patrol offer earmuffs to children on arrival, to shield them from hate speech of protestors.

Members of a Catholic group recite Hail Marys outside of Drag Queen Story Hour in protest of the event.

Attendees exit Drag Queen Story Hour – held in the library auditorium – on a sunny winter day in Broomfield, CO.