The band wrote in their Twitter post: “They say it’s innocent. They say it’s just about inclusion and acceptance. They say no one is trying to confuse, corrupt or sexualize children. They lie.”

One of these @LibsofTikTok drag events highlighted was story time drag queen from san lorenzo librarythe very one Chu saw interrupted by a barrage of hate.

Although the thread has since been deleted, it has amassed over 4 million impressions. The thread was removed from view in Germany by Twitter, and the @libsoftiktok account was temporarily locked for “abuse and harassment” by Twitter and asked to delete the thread, the organization said in its newsletter. KQED has contacted @libsoftiktok and will update if they provide feedback.

The event raised concerns in the wider LGBTQ+ community in the Bay Area. Sister Roma, of the San Francisco-based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, said it was a reminder to the community to be vigilant.

“It just goes to show that even though we’ve made such great strides in our community and in the trans community, there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Roma said. “We can never be satisfied with the accomplishments we have because, as we have seen with the potential overthrow of Roe V. Wade, any of our rights can be swept away with the stroke of a pen. So it is important to stay alert, stay involved, stay awake and stay motivated, protect what we have and keep fighting for our rights in our community.”

Chu did not say whether he would press charges against the men who stormed his book reading.

But, he said, “no word can adequately capture the immediacy and dread [you] feel when [you] realize that there is no buffer between [you] and these men. They’re probably armed and you’re completely defenseless.”

Despite this fear, Chu later came out of the back office and finished her reading to the children. The book he read is called “Families, Families, Families!” by Suzanne and Max Lang, about various families represented as cartoon animals.

“Some children have two fathers. Some children have one mother,” reads the book, featuring families made up of only grandparents, single fathers or step-siblings. “If you love each other, then you are family.”

Chu read every word.

That night he couldn’t sleep. He still felt in fight or flight mode, a visceral sense of panic.

“But,” he said, “I’m just glad I finished the story.”

KQED’s Kate Wolffe and Annelise Finney contributed reporting for this story.