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Outside an Ohio drag story hour, LGBTQ+ supporters just outnumbered Proud Boys. By a lot.

Inside, Veranda L’Ni read books to families. Selected readings included: “I am Peace,” “Call Me Max” and “Spork.”

Supporters of LGBTQ+ equality arrived from all over Ohio on Saturday to provide a barrier between a drag story hour and an anticipated protest from the white nationalist Proud Boys.

The drag story hour was held at Colors+ in Fairview Park, a suburb outside of Cleveland.

Despite repeated threats, this LGBTQ+ organization has stood firm in their their mission “to strengthen LGBTQ+ youth and allies by promoting individual and community wellness.”

“I want youth to know that our programs are going to remain constant,” Colors+ founder and staff member Kameron told The Buckeye Flame in September. “And that we’ve sent a very clear messages back that we are not going anywhere.”

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Outside on Saturday, Colors+ supporters outnumbered the handful of Proud Boys by a ratio of 10:1.

Despite videos that had been shared online by “Proud Boys Cleveland” in days leading up to the event promising, “It’s going to be WILD,” only a handful of protesters showed up. Their numbers were dwarfed by supporters with trans pride flags, blocking the small group of white nationalists from the entrance to Colors+.

Inside, Cleveland’s tallest drag entertainer Veranda L’Ni read books to families. Selected readings included: “I am Peace,” “Call Me Max” and “Spork.”

Here are some images we captured of the day:

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Author

Dr. Ken Schneck (he/him) is the editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. For this work, he was honored with the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for National LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. He is the author of “Seriously, What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew” and three LGBTQ+ Ohio history books. Schneck spent 25 years working in higher education, including 10 years as a dean of students and 13 years as a tenured professor of education. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

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