Editor’s note: This story contains an image that some viewers might find offensive. Read at your own discretion.
Inappropriate and hateful cards were scattered on the sidewalk in front of OutSaskatoon and Saskatoon’s Sexual Health office by an anonymous sender Thursday morning, claiming drag story time is the same as BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) activities.
“It’s like attacking someone on the internet,” said Caitlyn Cottrell, executive director of the sexual health office. “It’s an anonymous way to spout bigotry and hatred, (rather) than having to go against someone one on one.”
The cards, with the headline ‘ball gag story hour’ showed inappropriate photos of people wearing leather masks and claim that drag story hour is being used in libraries and schools to show BDSM activities to children.
“Storytellers using the art of BDSM to read books to kids in libraries, schools, and bookstores!” read the card.
“BGSH captures the imagination and play of the power fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, entertaining, and unabashedly queer role models! In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid moral restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves!”
The paragraphs were copied from a drag story hour organization website and then altered by the anonymous sender.
The original paragraphs read: “It’s just what it sounds like! Storytellers using the art of drag to read books to kids in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves!”
The staff at the sexual health office said drag story time is an opportunity for community members to present themselves in drag and connect with youth through storytelling.
“Queerness does not immediately equate to sexuality,” Cottrell said. “You may be queer, but you may never have any sexual desire as you may with being heterosexual. That’s one of the things that baffles me the most. It’s not an agenda, it’s just a life.”
She said the organization has had issues with hate from the public before, but nothing this directed.
Cottrell said the staff felt demoralized and that acts such as this certainly change the morale in the building.
“We spend a great deal of our time trying to decrease stigma, to increase understanding, to connect different parts of the community so they can understand the queer community is not a threat. It can feel like the work that we do is for nothing. At some point, it becomes not the queer community’s responsibility to educate. We want to exist and not have to spend significant portions of our lives educating other people so we can be comfortable in our own lives.
Cottrell said that drag story hour is specifically geared toward young people and is presented in a safe way with appropriate language.
“This fear around grooming by the queer community is not a legitimate fear,” said sexual health educator Delilah Kamuhanda.
“We know that grooming is happening, and it is not happening from drag queens the way that people are talking about it. Actual grooming is happening in peoples’ homes with people that they know, with people that have positions of power that are likely to be diminished or misunderstood by the adults in young people’s lives. So those actual fears are being forgotten about and neglected by misinformation and false fear.”
Cottrell confirmed the organization did not report the incident to the police as a hate crime and it is not considering more security measures.
Saskatoon Police said incidents like this should be reported and can be assessed by the hate crime unit.