Elora drag queen show organizers hopeful for conflict free night despite online pushback
A drag queen show in Elora will continue Saturday night as planned, despite organizers saying concerns were raised after online comments targeted the event.
The Elora Distilling Company is hosting and organizing the show called "Winter's a Drag”, but organizers say they aren't expecting any protestors, and have turned down an offer from police to attend the event out of caution.
“It is a little bit sad that we’re talking about this in 2023,” Mark Anderson, owner of Elora Distilling Company said. “I grew up through the 80s and 90s when it was a different time, and I think a lot of us thought we were kind of past that, but it turns out there are still some people out there.”
After it was announced online earlier this month, the company’s Facebook page was inundated with what they describe as hateful and threatening comments.
Once word spread about the online reaction, organizers said the support from the community has been overwhelming.
Since then, they said they haven't received any more concerning messages and said they feel comfortable going ahead with tonight's show without having officers on scene.
“As soon as we started making a little bit [of] public awareness and having some media exposure, we had a huge upwelling of support from our community and lots of positive feedback through social media. We sold out the event almost immediately,” said Anderson.
Despite the optimism for a positive and conflict-free event, organizers said they will not hesitate to reach out to police if they feel it is necessary.
Before the performance began, a few protestors showed up outside the business to voice their concerns with a drag queen show.
“Cross-dressing is something that is prohibited in the bible, and so we are just voicing our concerns for the way things are going in our country,” one protestors told CTV News.
At least one counter-protestor showed up.
“I wanted to come here and say: 'come on, you protestors, live and let live. What is your problem however anybody wants to dress?’” the counter-protestors told CTV News.
The protesters took off before performances began, and the show continued on without a hitch.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into a 'grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.