Pastor Story Hour held in response to recent Drag Queen Story Hour

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Dueling story hours drew supporters and protesters Saturday morning.

A Drag Queen Story Hour event was moved from the Fall River Public Library to a space on Rock Street after white supremacists protested previous events in Taunton and Fall River.

No protests were reported at the space on Rock Street, but a new Pastor Story Hour used the library.

Dr. Michelle Walsh, the lead minister at the First Parish Church in Taunton, was one of the demonstrators outside the library.

She told ABC6 News crews she was concerned about having the Pastor Story Hour in a public setting.

“Liberal religious traditions have a very different view on gender and sexuality than what is being testified to within the public library setting,” Walsh said. “We support and affirm and welcome all LGBTQIA+ people.”

Pastor Manny Silva said two stories were read at the event inside. One called “Jesus and My Gender,” and the other titled “The King and the Dragon.”

“They have a right to teach what they want to teach,” Silva said. “We felt there needed to be a counterbalance to the message they have.”

ABC6 News reached out to Fall River police for comment about their presence at both events Saturday morning but not heard back as of publication of this story.