When children showed up to the Moncton Library Saturday afternoon they weren’t initially met with their favourite book, but instead dozens and dozens of people. Two groups of protesters flooded the library entrance in response to the event with two very different messages. Tommy Des Rosiers was there in support of the event, calling the two performers his friends. “I don’t even know what is the problem with this,” he said. “This is just … I’ve been saying this, I don’t know how many times, it’s wild. It is wild that we have to be here, that we have to fight for this, there’s so many other problems other than someone reading a book to children.” Another group gathered against the event were seemly out numbered about 3-1. “We want to spread awareness,” said Jeremy Gibson. “We want to bring this to the parents’ knowledge. Parents deserve a right to know what their kids are being pushed on in school and the parents deserve a right to know what are on these public library shelves where a three-year-old can reach it.” He says the group protesting against the drag queen reading is pointing at a bigger issue, and isn’t against the pride community. “I’ve been supportive of the gay community for a decade,” he said. “My aunt is proud gay and she’s happily gay and I’m glad to see her happy. But when you’re going over the parents’ heads and this stuff is being flooded into our schools, it’s being flooded into the curriculum labelled as SOGI123 and CRT and parents are unaware of this and parents that are asking these questions are being silenced and that is not right.” SOGI123, an educational program that provides schools and teachers with ready to use materials to educate and facilitate inclusion, understanding, respect and safe learning, is not used in New Brunswick schools, according to the program's website. CRT (critical race theory) is an academic idea that racism is systemic in institutions that serve to perpetuate white dominance in society. For the most part, the dueling protests remained peaceful, with just a few words shared between the two groups. Around 30 people were calling out concern with around 100 shouting support. “We don’t even have to teach them about inclusivity or what is gay or queer or whatever, it’s just being exposed to different things in life is not a bad thing, it never has been, never will,” said Des Rosiers. Meantime, a similar story in Halifax on Saturday as well. “Derogatory words were used,” explained drag artist Mya Foxx. “We were called child abusers, you know sexual deviants you name it. There was a number of different things bordering on hate speech.” Uproar on social media this week forced police to standby during a fundraising event that featured drag artists face painting and book reading for children. “So the types of things that you may see at midnight on a Saturday night in a club for an adult audience is completely different from a drag performance or a drag queen story time that is catered towards children,” said Foxx. Both the event in Moncton and Halifax garnered a lot of social media attention leading up to the events on Saturday both filled with hate and support. Although there was a small police presence in both cities, the events took place without incident.
