May 4, 2023, 11:21am
Respect and support to Wasilla, Alaska’s Black Birch Books, who’re getting a lot of online flack for announcing a drag story time in June. But despite a slew of negative, and sometimes threatening, comments and reviews, Black Birch owner Taylor Jordan is going on with the show. As she told Alaska News Source:
It’s really important to me that I allow commenting on all of my posts and events, and I try to not delete very many because people are able to actually voice how they feel about something. That is an important thing—that everyone gets a say.
Jordan added that she wants to make her store a safe place for everyone in the community, which includes LGBTQ people.
There’s such a large group in this community, and sometimes they feel like they don’t have a safe space. I’m delighted to accommodate whatever anybody needs.
It is no easy thing in this day and age to stand-up to the ill-informed online hate around drag story times, along with the potential for real-world intimidation. But with a store motto like, “Let’s crack some spines,” Jordan is clearly not the type to back down. So if you’re even thinking about buying a book today, maybe do it from Black Birch?