“At least the vandal signed his work,” said Pastor Huizar.

South Bay Pentecostal Church Executive Pastor Amado Huizar is a man willing to fight for what he believes in, which is why he protested Chula Vista’s decision to host a Drag Queen Story Hour in its public library. It’s also why he kept on protesting even after vandals spray painted satanic words and images on his church. But he’s also a disciple of Jesus Christ, who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” And so he was both surprised and gratified when drag queens Raquel-Ita and Barbie Q used part of their time onstage at the Story Hour to reach out and affirm his right to disagree with them and everything they stood for.

“In the video of the event, I saw that they read from this book about how it’s okay to be different,” said an emotional Huizar. “And one of pages said, ‘It’s okay to get mad,’ above a picture of a skunk - something that stinks, the way sin and depravity stinks in the nostrils of God. And another page said, ‘It’s okay to say no to bad things,’ which is what I’ve been doing for weeks now. The picture on that one was of two fish looking at a fishhook — a lure, just like these drag queens are luring our children into a life of degradation and perdition. For these sinners to reach out and bless me even in their hour of triumph — I can’t tell you how impressive that was. God bless you, Raquel-Ita and Barbie Q. I mean, He’s gonna damn you eventually. But in the meantime, God bless you.”