{"id":2235448,"date":"2024-05-02T11:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T15:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-hit-with-punishment-after-lawmaker-hosts-drag-queen-story-hour-at-state-capitol\/"},"modified":"2024-05-02T11:21:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T15:21:42","slug":"democrats-hit-with-punishment-after-lawmaker-hosts-drag-queen-story-hour-at-state-capitol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-hit-with-punishment-after-lawmaker-hosts-drag-queen-story-hour-at-state-capitol\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats face consequences for hosting Drag Queen Story Hour at State Capitol"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-hit-with-punishment-after-lawmaker-hosts-drag-queen-story-hour-at-state-capitol%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2235448&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Arizona House Democrats face <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harvard-launching-app-to-help-students-find-inclusive-bathrooms\/\" title=\"Harvard Launching App to Help Students Find Inclusive Bathrooms\">room access<\/a> restrictions\u2062 by House Speaker Ben Toma after \u200balleged deception\u2064 about a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-air-force-base-holds-drag-queen-story-hour-for-kids\/\" title=\"U.S. Air Force Base Holds Drag Queen Story Hour for Kids\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-spends-200k-on-drag-performers-for-public-schools\/\" title=\"NYC Spends 200k on Drag Performers for Public Schools\">drag story hour<\/a> event<\/a>. Toma claims Rep. Lorena Austin misrepresented the event as a \u2062stakeholder meeting. Democrats refute\u2064 claims of deceit.\u2063 Tensions rise as Toma and Republicans criticize the event and Planned Parenthood partnership. No minors were reportedly \u200cpresent. Arizona House Democrats are restricted from room access by Speaker Ben Toma following accusations of deceit about\u200d a drag story hour \u2063event. Representative Lorena \u200bAustin\u200c is accused of misrepresenting \u2064the event as\u200b a stakeholder meeting. Democrats \u2062deny the allegations. Speaker Toma and Republicans condemn the event and \u2062its association with Planned Parenthood. The absence of minors at the event is noted.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/%20\"><span>George C. Upper III<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   May 2, 2024 at 5:49am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Democrats in the Arizona House will no longer have access to meeting rooms controlled by the House speaker except for caucus meetings and hearings after the speaker said one Democrat \u201clied to\u201d him about the nature of a drag story hour held at the Capitol on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, said that Democratic Rep. Lorena Austin sought his approval for the event in the Arizona House basement without informing him of the true nature of the event.<\/p>\n<p>Austin described the drag story hour as a \u201cstakeholder meeting,\u201d Toma told KJZZ, when it fact it was an event promoting what he called \u201cdangerously perverse ideology,\u201d and co-hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/planned-parenthood-abortions-unborn-murdering-giant-disturbing-new-cash-cow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planned Parenthood<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocrat Rep. Lorena Austin deliberately misled House leadership to reserve a conference room to host a drag story hour with Planned Parenthood,\u201d Toma later posted on X. \u201cUse of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result, I\u2019ve ordered that Democrats have lost the privilege of accessing House meeting rooms until trust can be restored,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Democrat Rep. Lorena Austin deliberately misled House leadership to reserve a conference room to host a drag story hour with Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n<p>Use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker.<\/p>\n<p>As\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yuOnkjn8zR\">pic.twitter.com\/yuOnkjn8zR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ben Toma (@RepBenToma) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBenToma\/status\/1785359182541324324?\">April 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Toma apparently didn\u2019t become aware of what was happening in the House basement until it was too late. KJZZ reported that he sent \u201clegislative staff\u201d to revoke the permission to use the space, but the event was already over by then.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Should the lawmaker who organized this event be punished?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Toma may have been alerted to what was going on by a tweet from a political rival, fellow Republican Anthony Kern, a state senator currently running against Toma for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/house-democrats-furious-mike-johnson-forcing-reveal-true-colors-anti-semitism-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. House<\/a> seat currently held by Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/exclusive-congresswoman-lesko-dems-targeting-gop-women-advance-false-lib-narrative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Debbie Lesko<\/a>, who is not running for re-election.<\/p>\n<p>Kern posted on X less than a half hour prior to Toma\u2019s post, calling his post an \u201cARIZONA ALERT\u201d (emphasis original).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrag Queen story hour going on now at the Arizona State House of Representatives sponsored by Planned Parenthood!\u201d Kern posted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is @RepBenToma allowing this?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">ARIZONA ALERT:<\/p>\n<p>Drag Queen story hour going on now at the Arizona State House of Representatives sponsored by Planned Parenthood!<\/p>\n<p>Why is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBenToma?\">@RepBenToma<\/a> allowing this? <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AZHouseGOP?\">@AZHouseGOP<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2WlRNed9rQ\">pic.twitter.com\/2WlRNed9rQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Anthony Kern (@anthonykernAZ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/anthonykernAZ\/status\/1785352213348626554?\">April 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Arizona House Democrats, however, denied that anyone had lied in requesting the use of the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was described as a drag story hour when Rep. Austin\u2019s assistant called to reserve the room,\u201d House Democratic Whip Nancy Gutierrez said in a statement cited by KJZZ. \u201cI was there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that she and other Democrats had spoken to Toma and were \u201cworking toward a resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman told the outlet that no minors were present for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/emmys-fully-embrace-lgbt-agenda-never-ending-gay-kiss-drag-queen-story-hour-propaganda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drag story hour<\/a> event \u2014 \u201cjust a handful of adults listening to a storybook reading,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-lands-historic-nike-shoe-deal-worth-millions-just-before-her-rookie-season-kicks-off\/\" title=\"Caitlin Clark Secures Multi-Million Dollar Nike Deal Ahead of Rookie Season Kickoff\">establishment media simply<\/a> will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech and the elites don\u2019t want the truth out. That\u2019s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done to people like us. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>As a staff, we are asking you to <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to fight this once-in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-forced-to-cancel-rally-devastated-by-whats-coming-im-so-sorry-god-be-with-you\/\" title=\"Trump expresses deep regret and cancels rally, sending heartfelt apologies and prayers\">-a-lifetime fight<\/a>. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Will you support The Western Journal today and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>become a member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A Western Journal <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Thank you for your support!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Please stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44802\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44802\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44802\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44802\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44802\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of &#8220;WJ Live,&#8221; powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor&#8217;s and master&#8217;s degrees in English as well as a Master&#8217;s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Foxborough, Massachusetts <\/p>\n<p>  Nationality <\/p>\n<p>  American <\/p>\n<p>  Honors\/Awards <\/p>\n<p>  Beta Gamma Sigma <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  North Carolina <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats in the Arizona House lose room access except for caucuses and hearings. The speaker restricts access due to alleged deception about a drag story hour event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2010,"featured_media":2235449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Lorena-Austin.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2235448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Lorena-Austin.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2235448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2235449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2235448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2235448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2235448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}