Social media users shared posts online claiming that Milwaukee Judge Brett Blomme, who is charged with possession of child pornography, was the president or leader of the ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’. This allegation is misleading: Flowers was the former president and CEO of Cream City Foundation, an LGBTQ + organization that was a fiscal sponsor for (but not involved in the running of) Drag Queen Story Hour, a project which, according to its website, involves drag queens who read stories to children in libraries, schools and bookstores, so that ‘children are able to see people who face rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they please, where to dress really is’.
Examples can be seen here and here. One description of one report reads: “The whole drag queen concept is about sexualizing young people. It has nothing to do with ‘inclusive’.
On March 17, 2021, the Department of Justice in Wisconsin issued a statement stating that Judge Brett Blomme, the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, is charged with seven counts of possession of child pornography.
Prior to being elected as a judge, he was chairman of the Milwaukee City Zoning Appeals Board and president and CEO of the Cream City Foundation, according to local news reports here and here.
CURRENT CITY OF CREAM
Cream City Foundation is an LGBTQ + organization that mobilizes philanthropic resources by offering scholarships and supporting non-profit organizations, according to an archived version of the approximately pages archive. Ph / krLuW. On the same page, Gary Balcerzak is listed as president and CEO.
According to Blomme’s LinkedIn page here, he left his post at Cream City Foundation in August 2020. A statement rejecting Blomme’s actions on the foundation’s website creamcityfoundation.org/ also refers to Blomme as his “former CEO” “.
The content on the Foundation’s website was removed on March 18, 2021, except for the statement on the home archive.ph/Zwl2P.
DRAW QUEEN STORY HOUR
Prior to the removal of content on the Cream City Foundation’s website, the foundation did archive a page with a description and sponsorship payments for Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), archive.ph/g7Hzp.
Jonathan Hamilt, executive director of Drag Queen Story Hour, told Reuters in an email that Blomme had never held a position at the Milwaukee chapter of DQSH and that Cream City Foundation had served as the fiscal sponsor for the chapter. .
“Cream City Foundation does not influence the content of our programming, and Brett Blomme has never held a position in DQSH Milwaukee, nor has it directly participated in the planning, organizing or hosting of any of our events in our Milwaukee chapter or at national level. , ”Said Hamilt.
Cream City Foundation allowed the chapter to give and receive funds as a non-profit organization, but DQSH Milwaukee, according to Hamilt, cuts all ties with the foundation.
“Drag Queen Story Hour is an organization dedicated to creating safe inclusive spaces for children and their families,” Hamilt added. “All our drag storytellers in the network need to do background checks.”
VERDICT
Misleading. Milwaukee Judge Brett Blomme, who was arrested on child pornography charges, was the former CEO of Cream City Foundation, which was a fiscal sponsor for Drag Queen Story Hour.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.