Experts are concerned about a rise in hate for Quebec’s drag queens, while the activities of one of these artists must take place under police surveillance.
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“Drag queens have no place in our schools. Your place is in companies over 18 years of age! Let’s oppose,” reads a poster that has been circulating on social media for a few weeks.
A demonstration will be held on April 2 outside a library in the town of Sainte-Catherine where drag queen Barbada is hosting a story time for children.
The demonstration is promoted by conspirator François Amalega Bitondo, who became known for his opposition to health measures during the pandemic.
Photo from François Amalega’s Facebook account
A handful of people came to disrupt Barbada’s activities in Westmount last weekend.
“We see more and more hate speech [envers les drag queens au Québec]communicated directly via social media,” says Pascal Vaillancourt, Director General of the Interligne organization.
His observation is shared by David Myles, director of the Research Laboratory on LGBTQ+ Cultures, INRS.
A few people including Mr Amalega Bitondo disrupted a Barbada history lesson at a Westmount library last Sunday. Images circulating on social media show that Montreal police had to intervene.
This isn’t the first time this type of activity has sparked controversy. Saint-Laurent Borough elected officials decided in July 2022 to cancel a Barbada story for fear of the issues discussed there.
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“Shocked” by the holding of the Sainte Catherine rally, members of the LGTBQ+ community decided to organize a counter-protest.
Organizer Jules Lessard claims drag artists and upset trans people plan to attend.
“Any discussion against drag queens is a bit of an attack on the LGBTQ community in general,” he said. […] It has no place in Quebec.
Photo Olivier Faucher
Jules Lessard, a member of the LGBTQ community, organizes a counter-demonstration in Sainte-Catherine. Sunday.
Contacted by Le Journal, the city of Sainte-Catherine said the activity would take place under police surveillance in response to the planned demonstration.
“We find it unfortunate that some people want to disrupt the event […]. We therefore ask people to respect their parents’ choice,” said Communications Director Amélie Hudon.
“We believe this activity will allow children to learn more about tolerance, diversity and acceptance of all people,” she added.
The Barbada artist preferred to decline our interview request.
Worrying Numbers
- According to GLAAD, an association that defends LGBTQ+ rights, at least 141 incidents of threats or protests against drag events occurred in the United States in 2022.
- GLAAD also noted “increasingly violent” speech and incidents throughout 2022.
- While a majority (58%) of Americans oppose laws restricting drag queen performances, 39% say they are in favor, according to a recent poll.
- Domestically, Statistics Canada found that hate crimes targeting sexual orientation increased 64% nationwide between 2019 and 2021.
A social problem for the American right
The rise of hate against drag queens in Quebec coincides with the war that the American conservative right is waging against these artists with laws in several states.
In our southern neighbors, the debate about the visibility of drag queens has been raging for some time.
Tennessee became the first state to enact laws against these artists in early March, banning their performances in public places and anywhere children could see them.
More than a dozen other Republican-controlled states, including Kansas and Texas, have proposed similar legislation, which his supporters believe is necessary to limit children’s access to entertainment they deem inappropriate.
These are laws “hyper homophobic and transphobic to ensure drag queens have no contact with children,” denounces Pascal Vaillancourt, director general of the Interligne organization.
The increase in intolerance towards these artists that he observes in Quebec (see text opposite) could, in his opinion, be inspired by the south of the border.
Rupaul and Madonna fight back
This war on drag queens has sparked controversy in recent weeks as artists like Madonna have spoken out in support of these artists.
Rupaul, producer of the popular TV drag queen contest that bears his name, has called on his fans to vote in the next election to unseat those elected behind those laws.
David Myles, director of the INRS’s LGBTQ+ Cultures Research Laboratory, also believes that what we live here is influenced by this American debate.
“The movement coming out of the United States is a rise of the right using any means available to try to limit the rights of LGBQ+ people,” he argues.
A “counterattack”
Mr. Myles also argues that this phenomenon is a reaction to a renewed popularity of drag queens.
“[Elles] are becoming more and more visible, partly because these people use social media. […] It’s really because there’s a new visibility, so it’s kind of a backlash.”
“I think it shows a poor understanding of children’s psychosocial development. We know that children start asking questions about their sexuality from kindergarten and even before that,” concludes the professor.
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