The propaganda outlet knows exactly what it’s doing in airing segments focused on these story hours. So do the right-wing social media actors who purport to simply reshare publicly available videos when in reality they are singling out targets for harassment by a bigoted and violent base. This base is, frighteningly, listening.
The Present Age writer Parker Molloy said that the right-wing Libs of Tik Tok had been steadily highlighting LGBTQ events in the state. That account had also zeroed in on a drag queen story hour in San Lorenzo, California. She writes that event was subsequently “disrupted by a group of 8-10 members of the pro-Trump Proud Boys group, who threatened attendees and performers while shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs.”
Fox News might argue that it is simply reporting on LGBTQ events, but this is not a news network. Like the right-wing social media actors, it’s very deliberate in what it chooses to air, and doesn’t choose to air. Just like when it chose notto air the first Jan. 6 coup hearing, and when it chose to mark the start of Pride Month by airing transphobic segments across multiple programs. Media Matters said at the time that Lia Thomas, a college athlete who is transgender, was “repeatedly misgendered” by contributor Katie Pavlich during a Fox and Friends appearance. Thomas was the subject of transphobic attacks on at least three other Fox News programs.
Frequent Fox News guests are also openly calling “for the state to take away children from parents of trans kids and parents who take their child to drag queen story hour,” Media Matter said. It is not hard to see where this will ultimately lead to, which is calls for all openly LGBTQ parents to have their children taken away.