McLean Voters Elect Progressive Slate Over Gorka in Drag Queen Story Time Controversy

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Northern Virginia voters have elected a progressive slate of candidates to a community center board after a controversy over a drag queen story hour.

The normally low-key elections Saturday for three slots on the McLean Community Center Board attracted attention after complaints that the center co-sponsored a “Drag StoryBook Hour,” in which drag queens read books about gender fluidity to young children at a local library.

Among those defeated in the election was Katharine Gorka, a former Trump administration official and wife of Trump loyalist Sebastian Gorka. She cited her opposition to the story hour as a top issue for her at a candidate forum earlier this month.

The winning candidates in Saturday’s election — Kristina Groennings, Anna Bartosiewicz and Ari Ghasemian — had endorsements from Democrats.

The board did not publish the candidates’ margin of victory.

The community center board oversees a budget funded by a real-estate tax surcharge on property in the McLean area, one of the wealthiest areas of the country.