Cleveland Reporter

The Communist Party of Ohio said its members gathered to “stand with drag queens and families” during a protest outside a "Drag Story Hour" event at the Near West Side Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.

“In Cleveland, we joined other allies to stand with drag queens and families during a drag story hour, far outnumbering the protesters,” said the June 2023 edition of “Red Notes,” the party’s online newsletter.

The party protest was in opposition to those protesting a May 13, 2023 “drag queen” event at the theatre. 

Ideastream Public Media reported that, “Three drag performers – Veranda L'Ni, Zoey Zegai and Dakota Cox – read books, played games and sang children’s songs, such as the ‘Hokey Pokey.’”

The theatre website said the “program is ideal for ages 3 to 8 and their families."

The June edition of “Red Notes” also promoted a June 24 “Better World Book Club” event featuring the book, “Transgender Marxism.” The description of the book on Amazon says, "the authors conclude that for trans liberation, capitalism must be abolished.”

The Communist Party of Ohio is a chapter of the Communist Party USA. The party’s website says it is “dedicated to helping advance the day-to-day struggles of the working class on the road to a socialist USA.”

Recent tweets by the party have included one that said, “F*** the Ohio Republicans,” and another calling for the nationalization of railroads.

The party is also a member of "Vote No in August," a coalition of left-leaning Ohio activist groups opposing an Aug. 8 ballot initiative to make it harder to change the state constitution. That initiative would raise the vote threshold from 50 percent to 60 percent.