In the heart of Canada’s prairies, Saskatchewan has emerged as an unexpected front in the cultural clash over drag performances and LGBTQ+ visibility. Drag Story Hours—family-friendly events where drag performers read children’s books to promote inclusivity and diversity—have become a flashpoint for tensions across the province.
Protests targeting these events have escalated in recent months1 2 3, forcing many to confront an unsettling question: how did something as joyful and harmless as a drag queen reading stories to children become a battleground for far-right agitation?
The Battle over Drag Story Hours
In Saskatoon, a recent Drag Story Hour at the Nutrien Wonderhub erupted in chaos when protesters arrived in force. The scene turned volatile when one protester allegedly brandished bear mace, forcing police to step in and maintain order. Just days earlier, in Yorkton, demonstrators stormed a Drag Queen Story Time at Coles bookstore, shouting, “Leave our children alone.” Security guards were needed to ensure the event’s safe completion.
What’s happening in Saskatchewan is not an isolated phenomenon. Across Canada, Drag Story Hours have increasingly faced hostility from conservative groups echoing the anti-drag rhetoric spreading across the border from the United States. In provinces like Alberta and Ontario, similar protests have targeted libraries, bookstores, and community centres, underscoring a growing and organised backlash against LGBTQ+ representation.
Why Drag Story Hours Matter
At their core, Drag Story Hours are celebrations of diversity and self-expression. They invite children—and their families—to explore concepts of gender, identity, and inclusion through stories and performances that prioritise acceptance.
Critics, however, mischaracterise these events as “indoctrination” or “inappropriate,” weaponising fear and misinformation to stir outrage. These accusations are not new but represent an enduring strategy of equating queerness with harm—a harmful stereotype LGBTQ+ activists and allies have fought to dismantle for decades.
The push to shut down Drag Story Hours is about more than just these specific events. It reflects a broader cultural battle over LGBTQ+ rights, queer visibility, and the values Canada claims to uphold.
Canada’s Cultural Shift: A Tipping Point?
Canada has long prided itself on its reputation for progressivism, but the backlash against Drag Story Hours is a stark reminder that anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is not confined to other nations. Increasingly, Canada is witnessing the importation of far-right tactics aimed at undermining queer rights.
The protesters in Saskatchewan, for instance, draw from a playbook seen across the U.S., where drag bans and laws restricting LGBTQ+ rights have gained significant traction. These efforts often exploit anxieties around children to justify broader campaigns of exclusion.
In response, Canadian municipalities have begun to push back. Calgary recently passed a bylaw prohibiting protests within 100 metres of libraries and recreation centres4, a direct response to escalating aggression at drag events. While this move marks a victory for LGBTQ+ safety, it also signals the need for communities to step up in defence of inclusion.
We’re here to show kids that it’s okay to be different, that they’re not alone, and that there’s joy in self-expression.
A Surge of Solidarity
While the backlash is troubling, it has also galvanised a wave of support for Drag Story Hours and queer performers. In Parkhill, Ontario, for instance, a motorcycle group formed a protective human chain to shield a Drag Story Hour from anti-drag protesters, highlighting the growing determination to counter hate with solidarity.
Drag performers themselves have spoken out about the importance of these events. “We’re not here to harm anyone,” one Saskatchewan drag artist said. “We’re here to show kids that it’s okay to be different, that they’re not alone, and that there’s joy in self-expression.”
These acts of resistance are not just about preserving Drag Story Hours—they’re about defending a vision of Canada where queer voices can thrive without fear of erasure.
What’s at Stake?
The backlash against Drag Story Hours in Saskatchewan and beyond reveals a deeper struggle over Canada’s identity. Are we a country that embraces inclusion, or will we let fear and misinformation dictate whose stories are allowed to be told?
For LGBTQ+ Canadians, this question isn’t rhetorical—it’s existential. Drag Story Hours may seem like small, local events, but they represent something much larger: a challenge to the systems of exclusion and prejudice that persist even in so-called progressive nations.
TML’s Takeaway: By standing with drag performers and queer communities, Canadians have an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to equality and diversity—not just as buzzwords, but as values worth defending.
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/saskatoon-drag-event-protest ↩︎
- https://www.globalnews.ca/yorkton-drag-event-protest ↩︎
- https://www.thestar.com/canada-drag-event-support ↩︎
- https://www.calgaryherald.com/calgary-library-protest-law ↩︎