Towards a ban on demonstrating near drag queens?

Ontario’s NDP introduced legislation on Tuesday to ban protests near places where drag queens perform, following protests that escalated in British Columbia and Quebec on Tuesday.

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Christine Wong Tam, who works on 2SLGBTQI+ community issues for the NDP and uses the pronoun iel, has introduced a private member’s bill to ban all forms of bullying within 100 yards of a place considered safe for the community. The law will also protect the venues where drag queens perform.

Anyone violating this ban could face a fine of up to $25,000, Christine Wong Tam detailed while presenting her bill in Queen’s Park.

Christine Wong Tam says there is a need for action to protect community members from “anti-2SLGBTQI+ extremists” who “specifically target drag queens”.

This bill was introduced with the support of several drag queens who traveled to the Ontario Legislative Assembly for the occasion.

The ruling Progressive Conservative Party opened the door to the idea of ​​examining the bill, but did not go any further.

On Sunday, a demonstration and counter-demonstration gathered about 200 people in Sainte-Catherine, on Montreal’s south coast, on the occasion of a children’s story reading by drag queen Barbada.

A duel of insults broke out on both sides, in which three people were arrested and one wounded.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly adopted a resolution introduced by Quebec Solidere stressing that “cyclists should not, under any circumstances, face violent insults, intolerance and hatred for their participation in the reading of children’s stories.”

On Saturday, another protest between opponents and advocates of drag queens escalated in Vancouver, prompting police to release two videos of the suspects slapping their face.