Drag queen devastated after city’s 11th hour cancellation of story time event: “It hurts really bad”

The City Council claimed it couldn't guarantee the event would be family-friendly, despite the fact that the book and outfit had been pre-approved.

The city council of Madison Heights, Michigan, voted 4-3 on Monday to cancel a drag queen story time that was slated to be a part of the city’s Arts & Pride festival.

The vote took place less than a week before the festival was scheduled to take place in the city’s Civic Center Park. The council convened a special meeting on Monday just to discuss whether a drag story time was appropriate for the event, WXYZ Detroit reported.

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Jadein Black, the drag queen who was supposed to host the story time, had been thoroughly vetted by the festival’s planning committee and the Madison Heights Arts Board, with her book and outfit already preapproved. “I feel like my drag is my armor,” Black told WXYZ. “And I feel like all of these people really don’t understand or have even been to an experience with myself or any other drag queens before, so it hurts really bad.”

Rae Stoloff, a volunteer for the event, said a drag story hour feels “no different than having a magician come in.”

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“You have a magician that performs one way for kids and one way for adults,” Stoloff said.

“Hearing from our elected officials, it almost takes on its own home within us of hearing we are also a danger, or we aren’t appropriate to be around kids,” Stoloff added. “Ultimately, I think it’s just hurtful.”

Former City Councilman Mark Bliss, who also founded the Madison Heights Arts Board, said the decision sets a dangerous precedent; “What they’re telling me with this ruling is, yeah, you could run a concert in the park, but not this band, we have an issue with this band. To do this at the 11th hour without any planning, public communication, and without any discussion with the two boards that are affected is offensive.”

A statement from Councilwoman Toya Aaron, who voted to cancel drag story time, said that the City Council had “received several emails and concerns from residents” and that their discussion leading up to the vote “focused on ensuring that all programming aligns with the expectations of a public, family‑friendly space—especially since we were unaware of the performance’s content.”

Aaron claimed the council was “unaware of what the performer had in mind” and thus could not “ensure total confidence that the performance would be family-friendly.” This, despite the fact that the content had been pre-approved.

In a social media post reacting to the cancellation, Black said she was seeking a venue to donate space so she could still host the event on Sunday, as originally scheduled.

“Let me be clear: Drag performers are not groomers,” she said. “We are educators, neighbors, friends, community members, and human beings. We show up to create spaces where children can learn about kindness, literacy, acceptance, and self-expression.”

“This decision doesn’t stop us—it only reminds us why this work matters.”

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A post shared by Jadein Black (@jadeinblack1)

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