A protest and fight broke out outside a pub in Eugene, Oregon, during a drag queen storytime event adding to the growing list of attacks against drag events and the LGBTQ community across the country.

The event featured an 11-year-old performer as the guest of honor at Old Nicks Pub on Sunday, The Register-Guard reported. There were roughly 200 protestors and supporters outside the pub some armed . Several hours into the demonstration of the drag story hour, authorities said a fight broke out between the two groups, where rocks and smoke bombs were briefly thrown. The Eugene Police Department responded to the outbreak by shutting down the street.

The incident hardly stands alone. Drag queen story time events across the country have faced threats and attacks from hate groups this year, fueled by displays of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and a myriad of GOP legislation targeting queer kids .

These protests are absolutely ridiculous, especially because these people claim to be supporting children, Emily Chappell, owner of Old Nicks Pub, told HuffPost. [The protestors] have been manipulated by a targeted hate campaign in this country whose agenda is demonizing queer people and spaces in support of anti-LGBTQ legislation they want to push through this fall. Its sad, really.

Drag Story Hour (DSH) is a nonprofit organization that uses drag as a traditional art form to promote literacy, teach about LGBTQ lives, and activate childrens imaginations, Jonathan Hamilt, executive director of DSH, told HuffPost. It started in 2015 with drag queens reading to children in libraries and has since expanded to include literary and creative programming for children led by drag queens all over the world.

Republicans have routinely expressed disapproval and intentions to ban drag queen storytime events, claiming they expose children to sexually explicit material. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in June that the states child protective services should investigate parents who take their kids to drag shows , calling them not age-appropriate. That same month, Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) echoed similar opinions in a tweet , likening the events to perverted sex shows.

Hamilt countered these conservative beliefs by explaining that the organization has received praise from parents and teachers.

Lets be clear: DSH provides age-appropriate programming, and we routinely receive praise from parents and educators who are delighted that we offer children safe spaces to express themselves and support one another, he said.

Chappell said her pub has held other LGBTQ-friendly events and drag queen story hours, noting that they have positively impacted queer youth, making them feel safe, seen, and supported by the community.

I have gotten hundreds of letters from people who support us, saying our events make their child feel safe and secure in a world that wants to demonize being gay, Chappell added.

She credited conservative beliefs about the sexualization of drag queen story time to an overall lack of understanding of drag.