By Helen Karakoudas
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROCKTON — About two blocks separated a potluck and drag show on Friday night from a prayer rally and protest against drag.
The concurrent events were held in response to the Talcott Free Library’s decision to offer a virtual one-hour question-and-answer session with a drag queen, and they came nearly three weeks after a library board meeting over the event drew hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters into the downtown streets.
Library staff had opted to make the event virtual because of safety concerns as the controversy simmered after the library board voted 4-2 on June 26 to go forward with the Drag Q&A. After roughly 250 people on each side had rallied outside the board meeting, there was concern they could clash at the virtual event.
But the two sides didn’t meet in numbers on Friday. Each made their case in a different part of downtown.
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At 3 p.m., Rockford Family Initiative, a group that had protested during the library board meeting, led a prayer rally in front of the library, at 101 E. Main St. More than 100 people gathered and held signs across Main Street saying, “protect the innocence of our children” and “honk against child abuse.”
The virtual event was from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. For safety precautions, it was held at undisclosed location.
Krystal Ball, the drag queen doing the presentation, said after the Q&A that about 40 people were on the Zoom call and that all was calm and respectful.
During the Zoom call, about two dozen protesters held a second rally in front of the library.
Meanwhile, two blocks away under the pavilion at Village Green Park, 100 E. Chapel St., dozens of people were gathering as of 4 p.m. for the Rockton Pride Kickoff Party, an event planned in place of a counterprotest by the newly formed Rockton Pride group.
As some adults walked around the park with LGBTQ+ flags, others worked with children on face painting, bracelet beading and crown making. Hosting the event was Stephen Ramberg, a drag queen from Rockford who performs as Auntie Heroine.
Dave and Cindy Wellen of Rockton United Methodist Church staffed the potluck area.
“Grab a sandwich,” Dave Wellen said. “We want to make sure everyone here is fed and happy.”
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By the 5:35 p.m., when Krystal Ball arrived at the park pavilion, a mini drag show was underway and more than 100 people were in attendance across the lawn.
Brandon Osterberg, the 26-year-old gay man who performs as Krystal Ball, grew up in Belvidere and now lives in Rockford. He has been performing as a drag queen for more than six years.
“I agreed to appear at the Pride Kickoff Party because a large majority of the protesters have stated that they had an issue with us doing this at the library, because it was ‘behind closed doors’ and they could not know for sure what was going on in there,” he said.
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The party concluded with Rockton Pride organizers saying they had collected $1,000 through a GoFundMe account to support inclusive programming at Talcott Free Library. The account was started after the library board vote to raise money to cover the library’s payment to the drag queen, reported to be $150.
“We are all for inclusive programming as long as it does not sexualize children and turn children into pawns in the sexual revolution as the Talcott Library has so desperately trying to do,” Kevin Rilott, director of Rockford Family Initiative, said in an email after this announcement was made at the party.
Nyx Omen of Freeport was the sole counter-protester who stood among the group leading the prayer rally outside the library. Omen, who uses they/them pronouns, held signs reading “drag isn’t dangerous” and “no hate in my state.”
Omen eventually spoke for more than 25 minutes with a man who was protesting the library board’s decision. He displayed signs that read, “impeach the board. They brought this HERE.”
But Omen and the man, who would not provide his name, said they had a productive conversation.
“We could talk and understand each other,” the man said. “If it didn’t look odd out here, I would’ve given them a hug.”
This article is by freelance journalist Helen Karakoudas. Email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.