By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com
A local pastor appeared for a second time before the Lee County Board of Commissioners last week to implore them to ban so-called “drag queen” shows at any location within the county.
The board’s membership, however, showed little appetite for taking any action.
In October 2023, Pastor Thomas F. Booher of the Heritage Reformed Presbyterian Church addressed the commissioners the day after he, his father, another church member, along with several masked persons sporting Nazi and Confederate gear showed up at the Sanford Yoga and Community Center in Jonesboro to protest what was billed as a “drag queen story hour.”
This time, Booher and his father, Thomas C. Booher, requested to speak to the commissioners about that same event of 11 months ago. Although the Yoga Center has an event scheduled for September 22 called “Impersonations,” its advertisements make no references to children being invited and there is no apparent connection with the show and the request of the Boohers to be heard by the Lee County Commissioners.
Booher’s father, a ruling elder at the church, said his group circulated a petition after appearing before the commissioners in 2023 asking for the adoption of a county ordinance to prohibit drag shows, particularly those that were open to children. The petition received about 265 signatures. Booher said human government is based on the precepts contained in the Old and New Testaments, and that ignoring those teachings could result in God “cursing” a community.
The younger Booher reminded the commissioners of last October’s story hour, but he was unable to definitively say what took place inside the Yoga Center. He mentioned some of the burlesque performers by name and made references to photographs contained on their Facebook pages, but Booher only went so far as to say that the performers “quite possibly read” or “likely read” children’s books to those who attended that might have encouraged them to become transgender. Because he didn’t go inside to see the program, his knowledge of what went on was limited largely to a handful of photographs that were posted on Facebook pages.
Booher, who voter rolls show lives in Harnett County, questioned whether the Sanford community would allow children to visit an establishment in order to read books that would “groom and bring them into this same depraved lifestyle.” There is no mention of another “drag queen story hour” on the schedule of events posted on the Yoga Center’s Facebook page or website, but Booher continued to make last year’s event the focus of his remarks.
He speculated aloud whether allowing children to read books like “Calvin” would encourage children to “transition without even the evident knowledge of their parents,” and said he heard complaints at last year’s Sanford Christmas Parade from an unspecified number of people who objected to the presence of a float sponsored by some of the drag queens that he said participated in last year’s story hour.
Booher directly charged the Yoga Center with being behind what he considers to be an evil lifestyle being forced upon children.
“The Sanford Yoga and Community Center targets children to bring them into a confused, harmful LGBT lifestyle that often promotes self-harm by taking medicines or injections that damage their bodies and destroy their mental health,” he said.
He went on to accuse Hugger Mugger Brewing and other unnamed businesses of “aiding and abetting these organizations that seek to spread these harmful LGBT lifestyles” and to express his disdain that Lee County continues to allow drag queen shows despite his calling the issue to the attention of the commissioners almost a year ago.
There have been no documented or even alleged cases of child abuse at any of the drag shows hosted in recent years by Hugger Mugger and the Sanford Yoga and Community Center.
As they did last year, the Boohers asked the commissioners to adopt an ordinance banning drag shows and other forms of “adult entertainment” across the county, as well as banning places like the Yoga Center where these ticketed events are being held behind closed doors, even if they are available only to adults who pay to gain access to them.
Republican Commission Chairman Kirk Smith suggested to the Boohers that they might wish to consult with local legislators, Rep. John Sauls and Sen. Jim Burgin, about whether a potential may exist for a change in state law about the duties of communities to regulate adult entertainment. Smith also recommended they take their petitions to the Sanford City Council, the unit of government with more direct authority over matters like this one.
The chairman made the same recommendations last year, and the Boohers didn’t publicly approach the council. The result was the same this year. The two were not in attendance on the following night, September 17, when the city council met in regular session.
perfect example of low intelligence leadership…and being very generous, I assume most likely 70-90 IQ’s at most… (like those in legislative/judicial areas)…they have chosen to pick ( a one out of every thousand NORMAL people with decent beliefs) sexual perversion drag deviants, over the moral character of those who are not obscenely perverse…but, that comes as little surprise…look in the oval office…a three time loser as a national leader…and the fools who put him there, are now embracing this three time losers choice as the nations new leader…(that mentality in itself is warped beyond comprehension)…we want from a beautiful nation under these low iQ authority figures, to a sewer of filth and depravity…using drugs, sleeping where they are not allowed on property of others, urinating, defecating, drinking like the drunks they are in front of children, taking major felony criminal acts and calling them misdemeanors, giving what should be no bail felonies a own recognizance release, allowing felony destruction of property a misdemeanor, letting those who commit major violent acts of disturbing the peace with violence as a misdemeanor, letting those who commit incredibly large sums of shoplifting go free without charges, simply because the store says DO NOT get INVOLVED…(and that makes the stores policy itself a felony act as an accessory to the crime itself), etc. and etc. and etc. with no end in sight…democrats have turned this nation into a sewer of third world depravity…and let us not ignore the most obscene and twisted events of PROTECTING those felonious immigrants, both legal and illegal, plus extra privileges for blacks who commit crimes…one is 14% of this nations population and the other is 22% of this nations citizens… yet, they commit 72% of all criminal acts in this country…two groups combined that are only a tad bit over a third of our population, committing almost two and a half times that percentage in crimes…and the democrats want to protect them, more than law abiding citizens… and their poor helpless children are dying at alarming rates every day…these professional welfare scabs do not want children…only the benefits in extra food stamps are all children mean to them…that way, the more food stamps, the more they can sell to get money to buy nonsensical bling…and no one cares when you see them shop with carts full of noodles only… how in hell is a baby going to have proper nourishment, when all they get are noodles and bread?…but even more twisted, is the fact our low IQ authority figures ALLOW these children to be raised in the corrupt households…what do you expect when these two groups are the worst of this nations population, in felonious criminal behavior?…what else can their children see and learn, than what is warped character and mentality of mommy and daddy doing all of it wrong?!……….give these babies a REAL chance at life…put them in homes where they can learn to be wise and strong, and a great work ethic (no more weak useless pathetic welfare trash)…what the hell can make this nations IQ any lower than what it already is????? – more democratic leadership (very laughable) —–
That is a lot of buzzwords to say you’re scared of anyone who isn’t a cis straight white man or woman.
A b
Rev. Booher is a faithful man, thankful for him and his church. The tolerance of gross perversion in our state is an offense to God and a shame to our people.
God not real brother grow up
Praise God for Rev Booher for speaking for righteousness and against the sexualization of our children. It’s sad that the Lee County board was so gutless as to not care about the children being groomed.
The same people who decry Drag Queen story hour, are the very same people who complain about being canceled for expressing their religious bigotry. If you as a Christian have the right to say what ever you want, as part of your first amendment right, then Drag Queens have a right to express themselves as well. This: Not for thee but for me, bs is why a lot people dont take Conservatives seriously. Do better.
Thank God Brave Men Are Not afraid to speak out & stand up for What’s Right in America & Are Not Afraid to Tell everyone About GOD LOVE !
Hey man, I was there tonight. There were no children gobbled up & in fact there were no children there. Quit projecting your perverted minds into others. Pretty sure there is a bible quote about that….
I didnt know drag queens were brave enough to visit our little town of crumbling bricks. You know what I do know about? The homeless that stand on our streets, begging for change. I know about the on going opioid epidemic in this town, that tears families apart. I know that the items that are stolen the most out of the store I work at are baby items. All these things make our town far more sad and worrisome than an event you can totally opt out of going to if it offends. I know that this town likes to brag about how God fearing it is, while ignoring these things. It’s easier to complain and parrot than to do any actual ministry. To better the children, we build mega churches that charge an extortionate amount of money in school tuition, but ignore those in our community who need help and God’s love most. God is needed in this town in so many ways, and there are so many untouched opportunities to spread the gospel of Gods love. If pastors used their platform for these types of issues, our town would probably flourish. But no, youre right, drag queens are the problem.
Personally, I don’t the words of a man who stands with Nazis and Traitor sympathizers are worth giving much thought. Once you’ve associated with them, everything you have to offer is tainted by their influence.
Plus, in the immortal words of Damian from Mean Girls, he doesn’t even go here.
Maybe what is needed is a fence across NC 87 to keep the Harnett County out of Lee?
Everyone will face God and give an account for their decisions. It’s hard to convince people of that but soon enough they will figure it out first hand. Repent and be saved…the end is near.
Why does the omniscient God need us to give an accounting. He already knows. That would make God a sadist.