An event teaching acceptance and inclusivity to children took an unexpected turn when a small group of protesters stormed into the St. Catharines Public Library, unleashing a torrent of hateful rhetoric.
On Saturday, fewer than 10 protesters made a scene in the downtown library branch during a scheduled Drag Queen Storytime. The protesters abruptly entered the program room during the morning event, screaming and shouting profanities in front of the young children and accusing attending adults of pedophilia and grooming.
There were about a dozen children in the room accompanied by parents or guardians, along with library staff and storytime presenters.
According to a parent in attendance, one of the protesters attempted to speak with their child directly, saying to the child that the event’s presenter was a “sexual predator” and a “rapist.”
The protesters were immediately met by event security and police responded quickly after being called. The protestors left the library about 10 minutes after law enforcement arrived. After the protesters were removed from the library’s premises, the program continued without further interruption.
The Drag Queen Storytime event was led by Pride Niagara Ambassadors Ophelia Queen and Kamin. Both drag performers have experience and training in child & youth care and have hosted several drag storytime events before.
Ophelia Queen described the protestors’ actions in the public library as “nothing a child should have to encounter.”
“There was a small group of people, grown men and women, yelling profanities in front of young children, filming them on livestream, and trying to impose fear in a room that was meant to be a safe space for children to engage in a fun event that promotes literacy development,” said Orphelia Queen.
“For me, this was my first time being up close and personal with this and it shakes you to your core,” said St. Catharines St. Patrick’s Ward Councillor, Robin McPherson, who attended the event.
“There is a lot of misinformation, a lot of homophobia, transphobia, in the community and you have some loud voices putting information out that is completely inaccurate and completely wrong,” said McPherson.
McPherson said there is a misconception that children are being indoctrinated when they are just being taught to be accepting of everyone regardless of differences.
McPherson said the backlash to events like Saturday’s is born of misunderstanding, fear and unwillingness to accept people for who they are.
“I remained calm and Pride Niagara folks did an amazing job keeping everybody calm, but that kind of hatred, it shakes you and I don’t understand where it comes from,” said McPherson.
Among the protesters were some high-profile alt-right conservative members of the St. Catharines area. Some of the protesters were photographed wearing red “MAGA” hats and other American accoutrements.
One online commenter who attended the event said: “I went with my kids to this event, and walked right past them [protestors], and had a good talk with my kids about how we ignore bullies. Even grown-up ones.”
“It was nice to see that the event had a relatively large turnout of parents and children wearing rainbow colours in support. The performers did a wonderful job.”
Orphelia Queen said the swift and collected police response allowed for the event to continue as expected.
“The library staff dealt with the situation with grace and courage and made sure we could start the storytime on a positive note by having a dance break to ‘Banana Phone’ by Raffi,” said Orphelia Queen.
Orphelia Queen and Kamin went on to read three children’s picture books: “What if…”, “Be Who You Are” and “Be A Bridge”. This was followed by some singing, dancing and a Q&A session. The books read are about acceptance, caring, kindness and the power of imagination.
Orphelia Queen said that not all the books read are “inherently queer.”
“[Be A Bridge] for instance doesn’t mention LGBTQIA2S+ literature, but demonstrates what it looks like to be welcoming to all [your] peers,” said Orphelia Queen.
St. Catharines Public Library has held similar events in the past, but nothing like what happened Saturday has occurred before, said Holly Jones, manager of programming and promotions.
“In 2022, we hosted a drag storytime in partnership with Pride Niagara, it was a great event… There were a few people in the community who showed up, but they peacefully protested on the street, and it went off well,” said Jones.
“I’ve been proud of how other community members have stepped up to defend and speak in favour of this program.”
Orphelia Queen expressed their pride in the parents, describing them as “the pillar of love and community in Niagara.”
“No one should have to experience that level of hate. Their courage to stay and stand up for what is right is extremely admirable, so thank you to the parents,” said Orphelia Queen.
The St. Catharines Public Library’s website describes Saturday’s storytime event as “a family event for ages 10 and under and their caregivers that teaches deeper lessons on diversity, self-love and an appreciation of others.”
Regarding the children’s reaction to being read to by a drag performer, Orphelia said, “the children don’t really care if you have on a dress or a wig, they usually are just excited to tell you about their new shoes, or their cats or dogs.”
McPherson said she hopes to speak with the library board and council about implementing future changes to prevent disruptions like Saturday’s.
“Some lessons have been learned today and it’s incumbent on the council to push for those policies to make sure we’re not just ticking boxes… but we’re able to manage policies,” said McPherson.
“The idea of people screaming and yelling and saying awful things in front of kids just wanting to go to storytime… we must do better when it comes to that and the staff at the library did a great job.”
Orphelia Queen said the protesters’ goal “isn’t to protect children,” rather it is to impose fear and express anger towards what they don’t like. Ultimately, the protest didn’t succeed.
“They didn’t rain on our parade. We had an amazing storytime with Pride Niagara and the St. Catharines Public Library, the kids all had a blast, and the parents got an opportunity to show their kids what it looks like to be loving and accepting.”
“Drag Queen Storytime is about embracing the childhood imagination and giving children (big and small) glamorous, positive and queer role models without shame,” reads the library’s website.
For more information on fun and inclusive library events in St. Catharines, go to myscpl.ca. More information about the protest can be found here: The Standard.
Small group of screaming protesters interrupt Drag Queen Storytime at St. Catharines library
