Some groups across New York state are taking action in the national debate over drag story hour.

Protests have sprung up across the U.S. and in New York at events where drag performers read to children.

One organizer in the Rochester area is implementing non-violent protest training to utilize in real-world situations.

An organizer, ally and a mom, Pamela Dayton from the organization Free Hugs ROC is passionate in supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

“I am the parent to trans kids, and my son's boyfriend is trans and we all live together,” Dayton said. “And I want the world to be safe for them. When my son first came out probably six years ago, I was really angry. And I really just wanted to be ferocious and protect my kid. But I’ve learned to do better.”

Dayton is turning the unconditional love she has for her son and sharing her support with others as well.

“I see my kid in every person's face, one another, and I want the best for them,” Dayton said.

Her family is inspiring Dayton to create a non-violent protest training session in support of drag story hour and LGBTQ+ rights, both locally and nationwide.

“I was with the Daniel Prude protests in 2020 and that was the worst,” Dayton said. “And that is not going to happen today. I hope people talk about ways to be centered in their bodies and ways to connect with the people standing next to them and to kind of block out whatever nonsense might be happening.”

Participants engaged in conversations after a scheduled drag story hour at the Pittsford Community Center. It’s an event that has recently come under criticism. Organizers moved the drag story hour to a nearby bookstore after the town of Pittsford asked them to cover the costs for additional security. The town later withdrew that request and the drag story hour will return to its original location. But at their temporary home, organizers and participants built their own “love wall” to prepare for opposition and backlash.

“LGBTQ people throughout history have been scapegoated,” director of Rochester LGBTQ+ Together Braden Reese said. “Drag has always been here. From the time of Shakespeare, there has been drag. And probably before then. We need our elected leaders to stand up for all of the people that include the LGBTQ people. There shouldn't be separate rules or additional burdens that we have to take on just to be able to use the same facilities as other community members.”

Attendees utilized their techniques and carried them into real-world situations.

“It's nice to see that there's a variety of people who are supporting,” participant Karla Carey said. “We are here to show the love here to make sure the kids that are here are safe, which I think is really everybody's number one priority, is kind of just ensuring that kids and families that are here feel safe and feel supported.”

“We come from a great state, the state of New York, where we have Susan B. Anthony, we have Frederick Douglass, the father of the civil rights movement,” participant Tom Crane said. “And we had the very first women's rights convention here. This is the world’s front yard for human rights.”

In the last few years, states have advanced a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, that have attendees say they are fighting for not only their rights, but their lives as well.

However, as previously reported, some people are saying the readings do more harm than good.

"We really don't think it has anything to do with reading,” said Jason McGuire, the president of the New Yorker's Family Research Foundation. “It really is more about desensitizing children to gender fluidity and some of the issues that I think really confuses children. And I just don't think we need to confuse kids. We ought to be really helping them to realize who they are created to be. Not confusing them about their sexuality or gender identities."

The Drag Story Hour is a nonprofit that launched in San Francisco in 2015. Those who take part say it teaches inclusion, but nonprofit educational organization New Yorker's Family Research Foundation’s president disagrees.

"I really don't think this is about inclusion,” McGuire said. “I think it's about desensitization to hyper-sexualized images. I think it's part of the problem is when you engage in the drag-queen culture, and what's going on here, we really are about desensitizing children."

But Reese maintains that groups will continue to fight for the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community.

“We're going to stand up vocally,” Reese said. “All we want to do is be ourselves, live our truth and just lead our lives.”