THE BATTLEFORDS — Months after the Dekker Centre, North Battleford's performing arts centre, was inundated with calls from congregants of a local church demanding that the Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser for Battlefords branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association be cancelled, residents of Battleford took to the streets to support the event on April 15.
“After seeing the negative pushback from some people in the community, I thought it was really important to send a message that diversity is supported and that kind of hateful energy being directed at the event was inappropriate,” demonstration organization Kelly Waters said to the News Optimist/SASKTODAY.ca at the April 15 demonstration on the steps of the Dekker Centre.
“It's a fundraiser for mental health, for goodness sake. That's just wrong. I'm not okay with it ... that hateful energy is not OK. Everyone should feel safe and welcome,” Waters said.
“We're just sending out a message of love and support to the people of the Dekker Centre,” Bobbi Sue Thompson, president of Battlefords Area Pride, said voicing concerns that the workers at the Dekker Centre have been forced to take the brunt of the hatred.
“The ones that they're yelling at, they're working here, they had no choice. They didn't make the decisions, but they get the c**p for it," Thompson said.
“We're just here to send a message of love and peace. We're just here to send out a positive vibe.
"We have to show that we're not about hate, that's not what this community is about. We're about being inclusive and loving," Thompson added.
In February, when pastor Keith Klippenstein of Territorial Drive Alliance Church asked his congregants to “ring up the Dekker Centre” and ensure that their voices were “seasoned with salt,” dozens of people called the Dekker Centre to voice their complaints about the event.
The Dekker Centre then released a press release, followed by the City of North Battleford in support of the event.
City of North Battleford Councillor Bill Ironstand was also present at the demonstration to voice his support, not only as a councillor but as a citizen of the Battlefords.
"I think the Dekker Centre and the community really stepped up and showed our true colours. We know that our community isn't about hate and racism, and an outpouring of support for events like this is huge,” Ironstand said.
Some demonstrators even drove in from Saskatoon to voice their support of the event.
“We've had drag protesters show up at our events … I was one of the first in-person drag story times at the Saskatoon public library, and we had some haters show up, and we just really need to show some solidarity with drag performers in our community,” drag monarch Killa Watt said.
“... some of my drag performer friends in Calgary had their shows rushed, you know like the different types of threats are escalating. It's also (against) our queer and trans community. We just need to make sure we're checking in on our communities,” they said.
Funds raised by the sold-out fundraiser event for Battleford's branch of CMHA will support mental health in the Battlefords, Saskatchewan and Canada.
