Ontario Pride organizers call out misinformation circulating ahead of weekend events
CBC
Pride organizers in southwestern Ontario are on heightened alert and continuing to work with police and private security firms, as an image of a flyer circulates online suggesting drag queens give lap dances to children.
"I have confirmation that people have received physical copies in their mailbox," said London, Ont., drag performer and Wortley Pride vice president Galaxy Rose.
"It says we are offering lap dances for children and accepting tips from children and that is obviously untrue," Rose said. "My stomach dropped because this obviously is an attempt to deter people from attending our events."
On Saturday, Wortley Pride is hosting a free outdoor drag queen storytime at it's pride event.
"At least 12 (flyers) have been [collected] around the perimeter of South Secondary," Rose said.
CBC News has not spoken to anyone who has received a physical copy of a flyer, but an image of it has been widely circulated online.
The Middlesex County library is also warning patrons of what it calls "fraudulent and defamatory information" circulating about an upcoming drag storytime at the Strathroy library. It said that the event is family friendly and stresses that it's no-contact and no-cost.
"It feels to a lot of us that we're going back in time to a period of history that we'd rather not go back to," said Rose.
At last year's Wortley Pride event, police charged a man following a disturbance at the event. Organizers say a man in a white truck continuously laid on the horn, and at some point got out from his vehicle and physically confronted people.
This year, pride organizers like Rose said they are prepared.
"We have definitely spoken to the police, said Rose. "We have spoken to the police chief. We have spoken to our diversity officer. We even have private security.
We have done everything in our power to ensure that Wortley Pride remains a safe space," they said.
"London police will be in attendance to ensure the event is safe and inclusive," said Cst. Matthew Dawson of the London Police.
"Pride organizers right across the country are having an extra level of conversation with their local police enforcement, with private security because there is this rise of hate," said AJ Adams, president and board chair of Stratford-Perth Pride.
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