Drag king speaks out after “threats” and backlash cancel drag storytime: “It was quite scary”

Willy SmacknTush said drag was "the gateway to discovering my own identity".

Drag performer Willy SmacknTush has spoken out about being fearful after “threats” and opposition from Destiny Church forced his drag storytime event to be cancelled, as it could not be conducted safely.

The Drag StoryTots event, set to be held in Upper Hutt, will not be rescheduled. Instead, SmacknTush intends to livestream a drag storytime session on Facebook at the same time the event was due to take place.

Upper Hutt director of community services Mike Ryan has previously said the council was “unable to ensure a safe and welcoming environment,” following feedback on social media, during meetings, and from emails and phone calls.

The now-cancelled event had been slammed by Destiny Church. Earlier this week, leader Brian Tamaki warned if the event was not shut down, he would instruct his supporters to shut it down.

In an interview, Hannah, who performs in drag as Willy SmacknTush, said it had been “an awful week,” and comments had been “really disappointing and quite scary.”

“Doing an event like this, there’s always the possibility of the wrong kind of people getting hold of it and kicking up a fuss,” Hannah said, adding a change in the political climate has made events like this more public.

“What I was not prepared for was the personal attacks,” Hannah said. She alleged there had been violent threats made against her and drag persona Willy SmacknTush.

She set the record straight about drag storytime, saying the only difference between it and other story-reading events were that the person doing it is in drag: “The performances are a bit sparklier, and they have a bit more makeup on.”

Hannah said discovering drag was a “gateway” in discovering her own identity in the queer community. Being Willy SmacknTush was an “art form”.

People in the LGBTQ+ community had gotten in touch with Willy SmacknTush following the backlash saying they felt “unsafe,” and were fearful of what people might do to them.

Tamaki posted to social media site X this morning, outraged that Finance Minister Nicola Willis was following the drag performer on Instagram.

Willis replied to the comment, saying “No need to be jealous Brian. I’ll follow you on Instagram too if you’ll give lipstick and boas a go.”

No need to be jealous Brian. I’ll follow you on instagram too if you’ll give lipstick and boas a go.

— Nicola Willis (@NicolaWillisMP) June 25, 2024

Hannah hoped the livestreamed storytime, in which her character Willy SmacknTush will read books in drag, would be “eye-opening” to those who had opposed the original event.

“They will see a silly little man reading books in his couch.”

Destiny Church has been contacted for comment.

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022, and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform, and transport.