MR. PERV’S STORYTIME
Library had child sex offender read to kids
The Houston Public Library promised kids and their parents “an imaginative storytelling experience” during “Drag Queen Storytime” — but it served up something a lot more sinister.
One of the participating drag queens, Tatiana Mala Nina, whose real name is Alberto Garza, is a 32-year-old child sex offender who was convicted of assaulting an 8year-old boy in 2009, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“In our review of our process and of this participant, we discovered that we failed to complete a background check as required by our own guidelines,” the library said in a statement. “We deeply regret this oversight and the concern this may cause our customers. We realize this is a serious matter.”
The oversight was discovered by a group called MassResistance, which has been trying to stop the program and refers to its purpose as “profamily activism.”
“If they had done their job and due diligence, they might have said wait — maybe it’s not a good idea to have a sex offender who at 200 pounds and 5-foot-11 assaulted an 8-year-old boy,” Tracy Shannon, co-leader of Houston MassResistance, said.
The group also spouted anti-LGBT rhetoric in its announcement of its discovery, referring to the reading drag queens as a “depraved crowd” and stating, “Any reasonable person would see that ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ is a train wreck waiting to happen. It’s a program whose goal is to make children feel comfortable about LGBT behaviors.”
The library’s Drag Queen Storytime page lists four dates last year — Aug. 25, Sept. 29, Oct. 27 and Dec. 29 — for the program, which it states is “appropriate for all ages.”
“Join the Houston Public Library and local Drag Queens for an imaginative storytelling experience,” the listing reads. “Picture books and songs shared by vibrant performers will excite and instill a love for reading for the entire family.”
In its statement, the library system said that “one participant ... who read at the Sept. 29, 2018, Drag Queen Storytime has a criminal background that should have prevented him from participating in the program. We assure you that this participant will not be involved in any future ... programs.”
The library added that every program it sponsors is supervised by staff and all kids are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
“No participant is ever alone with children, and we have not received any complaints about any inappropriate behavior by participants at storytimes,” the library stated. “We are taking the appropriate action to ensure that the status of every participant in every program throughout our system is verified. We will continue to review our process to ensure that this cannot happen again.”