MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Drag queen story time has been cancelled from Madison Heights' Arts & Pride festival this year after city council voted 4-3 to remove it from the event lineup Monday night — just days before the festival is scheduled to take place.
The decision came during a special workshop meeting called by city council, where the main agenda point was to discuss the appropriateness of drag queen story time being at a public park, one of several events planned for the Arts and Pride festival at Civic Center Park.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report below:
Jennifer Nagle, who serves on the Madison Heights Arts Board and the Arts and Pride Planning Committee, said the board had been planning the festival since February and had specifically vetted the drag performer before booking them.
"This was the first year we had the budget to book a drag performer and this was apparently far too much for some people," Nagle said.
She says some members of city council are on the boards that helped plan the event, and no problems were found in the months leading up to it.
The drag queen who was expected to participate in the story time, Jadein Black, is a K-12 educator in the Ypsilanti area who also performs family-friendly reading events, particularly in June, widely known as Pride Month. Black had been vetted by the Madison Heights Arts Board on both the book they planned to read and the outfit they would wear — a dress highlighting autism awareness. The selected book focuses on love and acceptance.
"We've been planning this for a long time. And we specifically vetted our drag performer," Nagle added.
Black said the cancellation was painful.
"I feel like my drag is my armor. And I feel like all of these people really don't understand or have even been to an experience with myself or any other drag queens before, so it hurts really bad," Black said.
Volunteer Rae Stoloff, who helped organize the festival, pushed back on characterizations of the event as inappropriate.
"To me, this is no different than having a magician come in. You have a magician that performs one way for kids and one way for adults," Stoloff said.
Council members who voted to remove the event reiterated that the Arts and Pride festival is city-sponsored and that final event decisions rest with city council. During the meeting, some council members described the drag queen story time as potentially being vulgar and overtly sexual, according to Mark Bliss, a former city councilman who founded the Arts Board.
Bliss warned the vote sets a troubling precedent regardless of how residents feel about the performer.
"What they're telling me with this ruling is yeah, you could run concert in the park, but not this band, we have an issue with this band," Bliss said. “To do this at the 11th hour without any planning, public communication and without any discussion with the two boards that are affected is offensive.”
Madison Heights resident Sam Sheehan says she wishes the decision had been made sooner.
"I understand it's a polarizing topic. I wish it would've been voted on sooner, so people could've been updated about it. Personally for me it, doesn't matter. I would've been happy to take my children to the event either way," Sheehan said.
Councilwoman Toya Aaron, who voted to remove drag queen story time from the lineup, released a statement about the decision:
"On June 1, 2026, Madison Heights City Manager Melissa Marsh called a special workshop meeting to discuss a programming element planned for the city’s 5th Annual Pride Event. The Human Relations and Equity Committee, together with the Madison Heights Arts Board, organized the event for Sunday, June 7th at 1 p.m. at Madison Heights Civic Center Park. Both boards received unanimous approval to host the event in January.
"The Arts Board, however, did not learn about the inclusion of Drag Queen Story Time until April 2026. In the weeks that followed, City Council received several emails and concerns from residents, which led to the special workshop meeting held last night.
"City Council deeply appreciates the time, creativity, and dedication that volunteers have invested in planning this event. Our discussion focused on ensuring that all programming aligns with the expectations of a public, family‑friendly space—especially since we were unaware of the performance's content. Because the event is advertised as family-friendly, I felt as though it was important to be fully aware and up to date on every aspect of the event so we could be sure the event would be appropriate for every citizen in attendance. Because we were unaware of what the performer had in mind, I decided to vote to pause Drag Queen Story Time for this year. I would be open to discussing a performance like this in the future; however, at this moment, we cannot ensure total confidence that the performance would be family-friendly.
"This decision was not made to single out or diminish the LGBTQIA community. I value the contributions and presence of all members of our community. My concern was solely about maintaining consistency and clarity around what is presented at a family‑friendly event, and I would apply the same standard to any programming that raised similar questions."
Stoloff says the outcome was heartbreaking for those who worked to put the event together.
“Hearing from our elected officials, it almost takes on its own home within us of hearing we are also a danger or we aren’t appropriate to be around kids," Stoloff said. “Ultimately, I think it's just hurtful.”
The Arts and Pride festival is still scheduled to take place at Civic Center Park in Madison Heights this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., where arts and crafts, music, food trucks, karaoke and T-shirt decorating will still be offered.
Meanwhile, Black has a new gig this weekend, performing at a drag brunch at Sidetrack Bar and Grill in Ypsilanti this Saturday, where she has added a story time to the performance.
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