Watch CBS News

Little Roo's drag queen story hour attracts supporters as well as protesters

Chaska drag queen story hour draws supporters and protesters
Chaska drag queen story hour draws supporters and protesters 02:05

CHASKA, Minn. -- If it weren't for the police presence and protestors, you wouldn't know there was anything controversial happening at Little Roo's Children Boutique in Chaska.

The shop and it's parking lot were filled with families and supporters for a drag queen story hour.

"It's wild. It's phenomenal. It's definitely not anything that I expected," said Marissa Held-Nordling, Owner of Little Roo's. "There has just been a huge, huge outpouring of love and the amount is definitely beyond anything we could've estimated."

The store went viral earlier this week after a woman, claiming to be a lawyer, confronted the store's owner over hosting the event, falsely claiming it was against city ordinance. 

MORE: Kids' boutique hosting drag story hour cites "love outpouring" since TikTok video of confrontation went viral

Parents say the video actually encouraged them to come out and support the store. 

"It was shocking to me that this is happening right in our own backyard, this hatred, and so we came out," said Jen Hennen of Minneapolis. "We're trying to raise our son in a positive light and that we know that love conquers hate. And so we came here to support the love and the drag show that's here because that's all it is, is entertainment and art and love and positivity."

Members of the Minnesota Proud Boys also showed up, yelling at families with claims of child grooming and sexualization.

"Their numbers are very small and for every handful of negative comments, phone calls we get, we have dozens and dozens and dozens more outpouring their love here," said Held-Nordling.

Which is why the store's owner didn't hesitate when asked if she'd do it again, saying another event is already in the works.

"I live in the community and really like this boutique in general and appreciate what they're doing to support people in our community and really thinking about acceptance," said Caitlin Gschenidner of Chaska.

The drag queen who performed at the event is Miz Diagnosis, who performs stand-up comedy around the Twin Cities and is also known as Dobbs DeCorsey.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.