GORHAM — A children’s storytime event at the Baxter Memorial Library on Saturday ended in a physical confrontation and police intervention after a local man attempted to force his way into a private room where a drag performer was reading to families.

The event featured Bryan Spaulding, a Gorham Pride organizer performing under the name of Letta the Queen. He read a handful of gender-affirming books to a dozen kids and their parents inside a private room in the library that was rented by Gorham Pride.

The presence of a drag queen reading to young children in a public building drew roughly 50 protesters and counterprotesters playing music, blowing bubbles and carrying hand-lettered signs outside the main entrance to the library. The volatile debate eventually moved inside the library walls.

Opponents of the event, led initially by local resident Ann Adams, argued that the performance was an inappropriate use of public space. Adams worried children may stumble on to Spaulding’s other professional persona, “Letta Dicken,” who she said was “highly sexualized” in online spaces.

Protesters, some traveling from as far away as Hancock, carried signs with slogans such as “Kink isn’t for Kids.” Supporters blew bubbles and carried rainbow umbrellas and signs reading “Mind Your Business” and “Trans Love.” Sometimes they talked to each other, but mostly they shouted.

The situation escalated when Ted Adams, a Gorham resident unrelated to Ann Adams, tried to enter the room where the reading was underway. Gorham Pride volunteers had closed the doors to the rented space, limiting entry to parents and children to prevent disruption.

“I wanted to see what was going on a couple hundred feet from my house in a public building I paid for with my tax dollars,” Adams would say later, after the incident. “Why draw the shades and block the doors? I have a right to know.”

Bystander video captured a heated exchange as Adams tried to push past organizers. “We’re going in,” Adams is heard saying on the recording. “No, do not even think about it,” replied organizer Heather Robinson, who is also the newly elected chair of the Gorham Democrats.

As the struggle intensified, the video, which was shown to a Portland Press Herald reporter less than 15 minutes after it happened, recorded shouts of “Don’t touch me” and “Get off me” before the camera was jostled and the recording ended. (See the video below.)

A male organizer involved in the scuffle, who requested anonymity, alleged that Adams grabbed him by the neck, shook him, and threatened his life after the recorded had ended. “It got really crazy, very quickly,” the organizer said, noting he was shaken but “okay.”

Police officers stationed at the library’s main entrance intervened and led Adams to the parking lot. Sgt. Ted Hatch of the Gorham Police Department said Adams was not under arrest, but had been removed to prevent further incidents.

Adams denied the allegations of physical threats or assault, claiming it was organizers who had initiated the contact. “They pushed me first as I tried to go into the room,” he said.

Hatch noted Adams had already received a verbal warning earlier in the day after he cursed at a counter-protester for blowing bubbles at him. He said authorities will review witness statements, bystander footage, and library surveillance video to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

Spaulding left the library out a street exit, got in a car and left before a reporter could ask him any questions about the event. It was unclear if he or any of the families who attended the event even knew about the incident.

Spaulding is the 2025 recipient of EqualityMaine’s Alan Lindquist Young Leader Award. He said his passion for mentoring queer youth was born out of his own experience growing up queer in a small Maine town where there weren’t many other people like him.

Warning: this video contains explicit language.