Children’s drag camp supporters gather outside Vancouver theater after reports of threats against staff
Supporters of a children’s drag camp gathered outside a theater on Vancouver’s Granville Island on Tuesday after event organizers said they had been targeted by threats.
Carousel Theater For Kids is hosting a summer camp in which children can use “drag as a tool for artistic creation,” according to a statement from IATSE Local 118 (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees of the United States and Canada).
According to the union, the theater’s staff and members have been “bombarded with hate speech” and have faced “threats of physical violence”.
It called for members to gather outside the theater on Tuesday, the first day of the four-day camp, to form a “united front against those who would harm anyone in our theater community.”
According to the theater, the camp is open to children in two age groups — seven to eleven and twelve to seventeen — who are interested in expressing themselves through clothing, makeup and performances.
IATSE said a group called Action4Canada had come to the theater to present “false legal documents” and a petition with thousands of signatures.
In an email to CBC News, Action4Canada shared a liability statement that the group says is “not a legal document at this time” but is intended to inform theater management of potential liability.
“In this case, it is both illegal to sexually exploit and harm children,” the email said.
Legal experts have questioned the value of liability statements, with a University of British Columbia law professor telling CBC News in 2021 that such documents appear to be nothing more than assertions of what someone believes to be the law.
Action4Canada confirmed that it has submitted a petition to the theater on behalf of the initiator.
The group said it has no knowledge of threats against the theater and does not condone threats or acts of violence.
Vancouver police said they are aware of the protests and officers are monitoring the situation “should anything criminal happen”.
Jocelyn Macdougall, chairman of Carousel’s board of directors, said the theater has had to spend an additional $30,000 to $40,000 to cover costs related to security, cybersecurity and crisis communications.
“We’re a very small theater company,” Macdougall said. “We are very good at creating excellent programs for children. We are not adept at dealing with hate.”
Davey Calderon, an eight-year drag performer, attended Tuesday’s event to express his support for theater staff offering drag as a tool for creativity.
“For us, it’s about, we’re here and we just want to live our lives,” Calderon said. “Having that opposition, having bigotry against us and the community is not healthy for a society.”
