‘I’m appalled’: Drag queen, city leaders react to bomb threats made at canceled event at Lancaster Public Library
By Taylor Hess
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LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — After multiple bomb threats in the city of Lancaster on Saturday, the drag queen who was scheduled to speak at the canceled Drag Queen Story Hour is making his voice heard.
Saturday afternoon, police evacuated the area between the 100 block of North Queen Street and the 100 block of North Lime Street after multiple bomb threats were made.
The evacuation order was lifted just after 3 p.m. when officials deemed there was no active threat to the public. After the threats were made, the scheduled Drag Queen Story Hour at the Lancaster Public Library was canceled.
Christopher Paolini, who was going to read in drag as Miss Amie, spoke to News 8 about what this means for his future.
“I am appalled. It’s very disappointing, disheartening and I am surprisingly unfazed because I’ve been dealing with hatred like this for years now with these programs, but it’s never been like this before,” Paolini said.
After three bomb threats, many are still reeling from the evacuation order that followed and the fear that still lingers.
In response to the threats, officials with Lancaster Pride released a statement, writing in part, “We are grateful for the outpouring of support from our community as we work to process today’s events together.” Continuing, they said, “While we support the freedom of speech: we stand firm and cannot and we will not let hate, fear, and intimidation stop our collective movement for love and support for all.”
Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace, also speaking on the matter, said, “While we respect differences in opinion and the freedom of expression, the use of fear to manipulate and control our community will not be tolerated in Lancaster City. We will not be deterred from loving our neighbors — all of them.”
This weekend’s threats may have temporarily paused drag events in Lancaster, but Paolini stresses he and the drag community aren’t going anywhere.
“I’m not going to stop what I’m doing. This program is far too important to way too many people, and I absolutely believe in this program, and I’ve seen a change lives,” Paolini said.
News 8 has spoken with Lancaster City Police but they say at this time, they can’t provide any details on the prosecution.
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