It's been a busy few days for organizers of a 'Drag Storytime' in Sault Ste. Marie after learning someone was planning to protest the event this weekend at one of the library branches.
"I got a message from some Sault Pride volunteers … sending me a screenshot of the post talking about protesting the story time and Sault Pride made their post about that," said organizer Ashley Aikens-McIntosh.
“This all happened Saturday night -- within 48 hours the amount of support has been overwhelming.”
The post comes from an individual who has connections to the Unity Centre, which also protested COVID-19 mandates and the vaccine.
Since the post, Aikens-McIntosh said she's been pleased to see the number of people stepping forward to help.
"Drag performers from other cities, I've had general members of the public, parents, members of the LGBTQ community, members of the ally community flooding my inbox with what can we do to support you," she said.
It's not their first performance at the library. They've performed at the Centennial branch before, so it's unclear to them why this time was any different.
Drag storytime started seven years ago and has since dramatically increased in their popularity. Aikens-McIntosh said the closest comparison she can think of is something similar to Mrs. Doubtfire.
It was a way for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to advocate inclusivity and acceptance.
Creators started it to provide diverse role models within the community.
"I've done some drag storytimes before, online during the pandemic and they never really got this big," said Rebekah Gwynn, another performer.
"The attendance was usually pretty low, there was never any negativity around it so it was only known in a few select spaces. But I got my drag start in Hamilton, where a lot of the queens have gotten similar reactions there. Someone had to postpone a drag brunch because someone brought a weapon."
"I got pretty nervous. My determination to attend never swayed," they continued.
"This just solidifies the reason why we have to do it … we're not teaching kids anything. We're not pushing ideologies. It doesn't surprise me but it does disappoint me that people could be against something like that."
The support has spread to all facets of the city including Sault Ste. Marie council, which passed a motion to support the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library's programming and the inclusion of drag storytime.
The motion, which was introduced by Coun. Angela Caputo, passed unanimously.
Sault Ste. Marie Public Library released a statement in support of the organizers and the Pride Community, writing, in part:
'BASELESS ALLEGATIONS'
"Most arguments against Drag Storytimes contain baseless allegations and are born from ignorance about the topic. The best way to combat this is through education and by exposing the public to the variety of diverse peoples, cultures and values that make up our community. This is what a Drag Storytime is designed to do."
CEO Matthew MacDonald said these events are about diversity and inclusivity, two of the library's strongest values.
"This protest is being held by a group that purports to stand for freedom, but in fact is promoting intolerance, in contradiction to the very definition of freedom,” said Sault Pride, in the statement it issued on its Facebook page.
“Some of the performers involved and many attendees are members of our larger Sault Pride community and identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ or allies. We stand with them in the face of this display of hatred and intolerance and we draw from it the resolve to continue being the queer-positive, inclusive presence that Sault Pride has come to be in the 10 years we’ve been holding Pridefest in Sault Ste. Marie, while we remind ourselves that there is still so much more work to do."
CTV News also reached out to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, which said it’s reaching out to all parties. Police are aware of the social media posts and said it will be monitoring the situation.
Organizers are planning to go ahead with the event.
While they say lots of progress has been made in combatting homophobia and transphobia, Aikens-McIntosh says there's always more work that can always be done.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
As the federal government looks to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., an eastern Ontario mayor says his city needs more help from Ottawa to deal with the influx of asylum seekers arriving through irregular crossings like Roxham Road.
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
A majority of Canadians have seen a mistake on their grocery receipts in the last year, according to a new survey conducted by Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.
The quick thinking and immediate actions of two people are credited with possibly saving the life of a Midland councillor after he collapsed at a meeting Wednesday evening.
Investigators with York Regional Police issued Canada-wide warrants for two men who they say are involved in the Richmond Hill attack on Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before she was allegedly abducted.
An Ontario man said he was shocked when his truck was stolen not once but twice, and the second time it was taken he was surprised to discover he was no longer covered for theft.
Ottawa residents are being told to expect road closures, transit delays and heightened security in the downtown core today, as U.S. President Joe Biden continues his visit to the capital. CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you need to know about President Biden's second day in Ottawa.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.
The ‘Catch the Ace’ jackpot is still up for grabs in Hagersville. There was no winner Thursday night so the total prize money is now an estimated $1,526,067.
The resurrection of Zellers is officially underway with the Cambridge location opening its doors to eager shoppers who lined up ahead of the store's official reopening.
The new provincial budget features items specific to southwestern Ontario, including a new English public elementary school in London, Ont. that will serve 556 students and include 88 licensed childcare spaces.
A young Strathroy, Ont. man believes there's a promising way forward in the effort to fight his disease. But, he's being told, right now, that path isn't open to him. Friends and family are stepping up to try and make a case for Kyle McPhee to receive immunotherapy treatments.
After a year-and-a-half without, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says it’s narrowing in on hiring a permanent chief medical officer of health.
When the permit to construct a replacement span for the Ambassador Bridge expired in the summer of 2022, many thought that would bring an end to a 20-year saga of boarded up homes in the city’s west end.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
For the first time, the owner of a building in Old Montreal has responded to questions about the fire — through his lawyer — addressing allegations that the building was unsafe.
The political class at the National Assembly has condemned the 'violent' and 'hateful' remarks that columnist Gilles Proulx allegedly made about Quebec solidaire MNAs during Richard Martineau's show on Qub radio in recent weeks.
The Tim Houston PC government remains firm in their promise they'll fix the health-care system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous government before.
Potato farmers on Prince Edward Island are taking the federal government to court due to the decision to restrict the movement of P.E.I. seed potatoes.
Manitoba First Nation police have arrested a man connected with a shooting on March 19 on Long Plain First Nation that resulted in the community going on lockdown.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has cited an energy company for causing a series of earthquakes, including the largest recorded tremblor in the province's history.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has cited an energy company for causing a series of earthquakes, including the largest recorded tremblor in the province's history.
Following a court appearance Thursday, a B.C. woman facing more than 20 charges – including manslaughter – in connection with alleged druggings of men who used escort services was remanded into custody.
The man killed in West Vancouver earlier this week was a retired urologist who was involved in several legal disputes over valuable real estate, CTV News has learned.
