Arizona lawmaker under fire for hosting drag story hour in Capitol. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A video, which a spokesperson from the state Senate told Fox News Digital was taken by an intern who stopped by at the event, shows a man in a sparkly suit jacket wearing pink and white makeup reading from the book "Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes."
"When is it time to choose a new name? Why does someone become an activist? How does one begin?" the man can be heard saying in the video.
Rep. Lorena Austin, a nonbinary Democrat lawmaker in the state House, organized the event with Planned Parenthood. Fox News Digital reached out for comment but did not hear back by press deadline from Austin or the abortion network.
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Woman protesting in favor of the LGBTQ movement. (Yffy Yossifor/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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In a statement posted to X, Planned Parenthood Arizona said in response to Toma that it's another example "of Speaker Toma showing how out of touch he is with the values of Arizonans & their support for the LGTBQ community."
"At Planned Parenthood Arizona, we are proud to offer gender-affirming care services and provide essential health care to everyone," the group said. "We thank Rep. Lorena Austin for being a staunch ally and for their continued support in our fight for reproductive freedom. We will be sure to invite Speaker Toma to the next Drag Story Hour."
State Sen. John Kavanaugh told Fox News Digital that it was the first time anything like the drag event had happened at the Capitol.
"And it wouldn't have happened had they been truthful and said they wanted to have a drag queen story hour," he said. "I mean, that in and of itself, is so inflammatory and controversial, which is probably why they didn't mention that. So, it was the fact that they were deceptive in the explanation."
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
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