DeKalb Times

Sen. Andrew Chesney spoke out about a drag event held at the Rockton Library in a June 26 news release. The event was a Q&A session, scheduled for July 14.

“I am extremely disappointed in the decision, and believe it does not align with the traditional family values of the Rockton community. While I believe adults can make their own decisions on issues like this, information that relates to sexuality for kids is best taught in the home, or at a minimum, library programs must be age-appropriate," Chesney said, according to the news release.

"Over the last few weeks, my office has been flooded with phone calls and emails from irate constituents who do not want their tax dollars spent on this type of programming. They feel, and I agree, that this is an inappropriate use of public funds," Chesney said in the news release on his website. 

The Talcott Free Library met in the Rockton Community Center on June 26, after hundreds of individuals gathered to support and denounce the plan for the July 14 Q&A session with drag queens, the Rock River Current reported. The event was originally scheduled as part of the library’s “Find Your Voice” program, and it was designed for youths between sixth and 12th grades. According to the Rock River Current, the event’s description now reads “LGBTQ+ friendly and anyone interested can attend.” The Rock River Current also noted that some of the community members at the gathering were part of the Rockford Family Initiative, which protested a drag queen storytime scheduled at the East Branch of the Rockford Public Library in 2019.

Rockton-Roscoe News reported on June 28 that the board voted 4-2 to continue with the planned event. The outlet noted that the meeting lasted more than two hours and that the Teen Advisory Board had requested the drag Q&A event. After the youth librarian passed along the request, staff reached out to Rockford University who provided a recommendation for a performer to come to the event.

CBS 23 WIFR reported that hundreds of individuals attended the meeting to protest the scheduled event. The event is expected to feature area drag queen Krystal Ball, who is expected to show off his costumes and makeup and answer questions. Some of those protesters came to protest with the Rockford Family Initiative who say children shouldn’t be allowed to attend. There was a group supporting the event as well. The outlet referred to Chesney’s statement as well.