Ensemble Montreal refuses to comment on drag queen Barbada
The drag queen Barbada hosts a youth program on Tou.tv.
The Ensemble Montréal party does not wish to comment on the activities for children organized by Barbada de Barbades, a well-known drag queen, while the Saint-Laurent borough has put a brake on the reading of a tale. For her part, Mayor Valérie Plante spoke out against the cancellation and signaled her support for Barbada.
Several months ago, Sébastien Potvin, known as drag queen Barbada from Barbados, was approached to host a story hour at the heart of the borough's fall program. Mr. Potvin frequently organizes this type of activity and even hosts a youth program on Tou.tv. Le Devoir however reported that the elected officials of Saint-Laurent would have canceled the event, due to “a questioning about the treatment of inclusivity within [the] libraries” of the borough. .
The elected officials of Saint-Laurent are all part of the Ensemble Montréal formation, former party of Denis Coderre. Contacted by MetroOn Wednesday, Ensemble Montreal declined to comment on the Barbada case or the hesitation over the presence of drag queens in children's activities.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has signaled her support for Barbada on social media. She said “there will always be a place for drag queens in our libraries and venues.” According to the mayor's office, Barbada has already held activities in other boroughs, including Ville-Marie, which reports directly to Ms. Plante.
Meeting desired
In the meantime, Sébastien Potvin n&rsquo did not say his last word. On Monday, he requested a meeting with the elected officials of Saint-Laurent in order to preserve the session.
“I would have liked to be able to speak to them before it came out in the media to explain to them what to answer to people who might want to express their dissatisfaction with such an activity, explained Sébastien Potvin to Métro on Tuesday. Often, these people have never been present during my readings of tales and do not know what it is about.”
Controversy
< p>This is the second time in a short time that the drag queen has sparked controversy. In June, she suffered a wave of hatred on social networks in connection with an activity organized at the Dorval library as part of the national month of Pride.
This “abnormal” activity, even “ disgusting”, would influence the sexual orientation of the young public, according to the comments left by several Internet users. So much so that the City of Dorval has decided to block comments under the publication. Unable to comment on the post, citizens started posting comments about it under other library posts, and even issuing threats in private messages.
The activity was nevertheless held, with the presence of the Montreal Police Department to ensure everyone's safety. “We decided to continue the activity because we believe in values such as inclusion and acceptance of everyone,” commented the communications officer for the City of Dorval, Sébastien Gauthier.
Barbada de Barbados has been presenting storytelling sessions in libraries for five years.
