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A bar in Northern California had to cancel a drag show celebrating the end of Pride Month Thursday night “due to increased threats of violence” — but that didn’t stop anti-LGBTQ protesters from showing up and attempting to storm the place.
Early on Thursday, Mojo’s Lounge and Bar, in Woodland, about 20 miles west of Sacramento, announced on Instagram that its Drag Queen Happy Hour had to be canceled.
“We worked closely with Woodland Police Department and local Security Services to make everyone as safe as possible,” a message shared on the bar’s Instagram account read.
“Unfortunately, organizers and performers still did not feel comfortable putting the event forward with the recent escalation from Hate Groups in and around Northern California towards Drag Events,” the statement added.
Just hours after the announcement, a group of anti-LGBTQ extremists showed up in front of the restaurant and tried to force their way in.
“The aggressors kind of showed up. We had the doors locked and closed, but when someone tried to leave, they tried to force their way in. And then there was pepper spray, which doesn’t work in an inside environment,” the bar’s owner, Christina Hayes, told local television station KTXL-TV.
Authorities confirmed the incident in a statement released later on Thursday.
“Tonight, the Woodland Police Department assigned foot patrol officers downtown near [the bar] after the business received threats on social media in response to their planned drag show. Several people showed up and were disruptive while making derogatory comments about the event and the LGBTQIA+ community. At one point there was an altercation at the door of the establishment, which Woodland PD officers de-escalated,” authorities said.
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WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
According to Hayes, the bar has been targeted by online hate for nearly a month.
“There [have] actually been threats since about June 8 when the flyer first dropped for the event, so I’ve been in constant contact with the police,” she said. “As the threats got very real and much more local, they definitely increased the police presence to match that.”
No arrests have been made. Investigators are now reviewing surveillance videos, following up on leads, and working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine who made the threats.
The incident comes just weeks after members of the Proud Boys stormed a Drag Queen Story Hour event in a library in San Lorenzo, about 90 miles south of Woodland.
“A group of five men entered the library and disrupted the reading event,” the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on June 12. “The men were described as members of the Proud Boys organization, known to be a right-wing hate group with anti-LGBTQ affiliations.”
Organizers of Mojo’s Drag Happy Hour show say they “hope to reschedule this fun event later in the summer.”
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