Whenever there is a drag storytime in southwestern Ontario, Sista Patricia Derouin and her band of ‘Guardians’ are likely there. ‘When I heard that there was trouble at the drag story times and the right-wing people were attending them and harassing the drag queens, I thought, well, I gotta go,” said Derouin, 72, the creator of the Drag Storytime Guardians/Guardians in Action. That group has more than 1,000 members province-wide who protect drag performers, families and children from anti-LGBTQ+ hate. The group was formed after a confrontation at a children’s event in Parkhill, Ont. where her Windsisters motorcycle club stepped in to fend off angry protestors. CTV News London was there and captured the encounter. “It was a horrific, horrific show in Parkhill,” said Derouin. “They attacked us verbally, they interfered and they tried to get into the story time. It is performers dressed up reading stories to children, and their obsession with that is unbelievable. And I, I still don’t understand why people are so obsessed about us.” Her group of Guardians often surround the performers during story time when they are at their most vulnerable. “I’ve dealt with a lot of hatred in my day, and one of the biggest and worst events I can remember was a story time in Ingersoll, Ontario, where the Guardians were there and they had their flags and the kids could come in peacefully despite the disgusting signs from the haters. It was pretty scary,” said drag performer Mrs. Chastity Cage. “We were literally surrounded by haters within the library themselves, holding up signs all around us. The Guardians slipped in between and created this entire barrier around.” For her activism, Derouin was recognized by the community as the Grand Marshal of the 2025 London Pride Parade. “It’s a lifetime achievement,” said Derouin. “I’ve been a activist my entire life. My parents, my family were all in service. I retired from serving the homeless community. I’m a full-time queer activist and it was a job that was made for me.” A proud butch lesbian, Derouin encourages people to celebrate who you are every moment of every day. During Saturday’s drag story time at Victoria Park, there were the usual few protestors, but she believes her group has made life a lot easier and safer in the past few years for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. “I don’t back down and they [protestors] know that I do not step back,” said Derouin. “We’re here to support our community and I’m going to stand right in front of you and I’m not moving. They know that and it makes them a little bit nuts.”
