GOP leader says she was assaulted while protesting Iowa City children's drag story time

Amid high tensions over the Iowa Legislature's moves to limit LGBTQ+ rights, the chair of the Johnson County Republican Party is claiming she was assaulted as she and other conservative activists protested a drag story time event at the Iowa City Public Library.

About 400 people, mainly parents with children, attended the Drag Family Storytime on Tuesday in a library meeting room. Teresa Horton Bumgarner, the party chair, was there with several other people, some of whom carried signs condemning the library and drag performers as "groomers," a term that implies manipulation of children for detrimental purposes.

As Bumgarner sat in the middle of a group of parents and children, livestreaming the event, she was confronted repeatedly by both parents and counter protestors. At one point she was grabbed, held and insulted by a person while recording and later was pushed by a parent who said she was trying to prevent her from livestreaming video of children posing for photos with the drag performers.

Bumgarner claimed during the livestream that she also had been struck by at least one of the people confronting her, and spoke with Iowa City police Sgt. Kevin Bailey, who was present. She had him escort her from the event after it was over.

She told the Press-Citizen she was filing a complaint with police, providing the livestream as evidence. The people who confronted Bumgarner were not identified.

Police spokesman Lee Hermiston said that because the investigation is open, he could not comment.

Police officer confirms GOP chair's right to take video

Parents at the event repeatedly said they were upset that Bumgarner was taking video of children and asked her to stop. Though she denied she was trying to take video of children, the Iowa City Public Library is a public space and recording people there, including minors, is permitted under Iowa law.

At one point, Bailey approached one of the people confronting Bumgarner to confirm she had a right to take video.

"She's allowed to film. Listen to me. This is a public space. She can film, you can film," Bailey said, adding that the confrontation was "happening in front of kids. We don't want that."

Despite Bumgarner's denial that she was taking video of children, some are seen on the livestream, including when she went to the front of the room with her camera as they posed for photos with the drag performers. When Bumgarner was first confronted, her camera shifted several times to a child sitting next to her, who looked extremely concerned about what was happening.

It was the library's first drag storytime since October, when a much larger group of protestors attended. The events have been a regular part of the library's programming for several years, but only recently have attracted protestors.

The Legislature's Republican majority in the current session has advanced legislation to restrict instruction on LGBTQ topics in schools and ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, spurring protests at the Iowa Capitol by gay and transgendered rights supporters. Another bill that would have made it a misdemeanor to bring children to drag events, similar to a controversial bill approved in the Tennessee legislature, died in committee.

Another county GOP official also confronted

Bumgarner was not the only protestor to have tense interactions with the crowd at the event. Johnson County GOP candidate chair Micah Broekemeier is seen on the video being confronted by multiple parents and counter protestors, who called him a "pervert" and other insulting names as he stood in the middle of the seated crowd with a sign saying "Go Home Drag Queen Story Groomer."

Bumgarner said she and the other protestors went to the event to express their disapproval in particular of one book whose text, sung to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus," explains how to become a drag queen. The publisher of that book, “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” describes it encouraging readers to boldly be exactly who they are and it was written by Lil Miss Hot Mess, a founding member of the nationally recognized Drag Queen Story Hour.

"We were met with hostility and attacked for being there and I don't know why," she said. "There was a number of people who pushed me, grabbed and a lot of f-bombs were dropped and a lot of ugliness."

Library director Elsworth Carman was at the event and told the Press-Citizen he didn't see what happened, but that he would seek accounts from the people involved if they were willing to speak with him. Protests are allowed in the library, including at children's events, he said, but assault, loud disruptions and abusive language are not.

"We take any comfort or safety issues very seriously at the library," he said. "I would encourage (Bumgarner) to reach out to me and have a dialogue."

What did the livestream show during the drag performance?

The first confrontation captured 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 record children and then grabbed her shirt and the shirt of another protestor until Bumgarner told her to stop and Bailey, the police officer, approached.

He asked Bumgarner and the person to be civil and informed them that Bumgarner and anyone else in the room were legally allowed to record the event, even without parents' permission.

The second confrontation came after the event was over and children lined up to take photos with the drag queens. When Bumgarner approached and started recording, a parent confronted her, held a jacket in front of her camera and pushed her.

Bumgarner repeatedly said during the video that the parent was pushing and attacking her and at one point claimed she had been hit. It's not clear on the video what happened.

Bumgarner denied accusations that she and her group were bringing hate to an otherwise peaceful children's event and defended their right to be there.

"They were calling us hateful, but they were the ones showing hate," she said.

Library has hosted drag performances since 2018

Aside from the protests, Wednesday's event was similar to others at the library, which has been holding them since 2018. Videos show drag performers in colorful outfits or Halloween costumes reading children's books to youngsters with their parents present. The readings are sometimes accompanied by slideshows, music and other activities.

The drag queens Tuesday, who use the stage names Valencia Van de Camp and Kalliope Belle, and drag king Spooki Santos, read from LGBTQ-themed children's books and sang songs that promoted inclusivity and acceptance.

Following the event, Belle said she gets nervous for the children when the protesters are present because it can be hard for them to see what she termed hate. She said she was reassured, however, that there were so many more supporters than protestors.

"(The library) does phenomenally. We have a great staff at the library that always takes care of us ... and makes sure we feel safe and protected," Belle said.

Van de Camp said after the last event in October she was very nervous about protestors making children feel uncomfortable but that it was good to see support from the community.

"It lets us know there is still love and care for what we do that outweighs the misconceptions and hate directed towards us," she said.

Belle, herself a mother, said the turnout was the largest so far for a drag event at the library.

Denice Connell sat at the back of the room with her two grandchildren and husband.

"I enjoyed it and I thought it was great. I know my granddaughter did too," Connell said. "I liked the stories that they read."

She said she thinks it's a shame that Republicans supported legislation that would ban the performances.

"It's important for kids to grow up in an environment where that diversity is recognized,"she said.

Bumgarner said she was not deterred by the hostility she encountered and wouldn't be surprised if there were more protests at the library drag shows.

"I would imagine that there will be protestors," she said.

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Johnson County GOP leader says she was assaulted at drag story time