🌈 On a Saturday morning one year ago, (perhaps for the fourth or fifth time in my life), this senior drove to the Peterborough Public Library, to help to remind people of the importance of acceptance.
It is always comforting to see that I am not alone in this. I immediately met a friend, (also a senior), and we spent the rest of our time holding each end of a 'Pride' banner. There were dozens of pro-library folks in attendance, brightly robed in rainbow colours, all there to cheer on Betty Baker, our local story-time performer.
I say "cheer on", but due to the group of protesters assembled, at times it felt more like we were there to create a protective barrier.
I was definitely one of the oldest there, old enough (I mused) to remember a much more tolerant and compassionate acceptance of all gender stripes, when I was Betty Baker's age, (fifty years ago), when 'Drag' conjured up images of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in 'Some Like It Hot' - good fun and clever performances.
What happened?
At the library, this time, things were a lot less tolerant. We could feel an uneasiness, a volatility, as the protesters moved among the supporters, and conversations became heated. Several times the police, who usually watch from a distance, moved in to defuse the pushing and shoving.
We library supporters were called unpleasant things. The angry teenager that I spoke to appeared to just want to be, well, angry. We heard "leave the kids alone", "drag shows are not for kids", "radical gender ideology is a lie", "boys are boys and girls are girls", "you should be ashamed of yourselves", and repeatedly, references to grooming and child abuse. The protesters' messages, perpetuating dangerous myths and disinformation, made it all feel a bit unsafe. And if it felt unsafe to these Pride-flag-waving retirees, what about the drag performers, trans youth and gay couples in our community?
Here are the facts:
Drag Story Time is for families with small children.
The books that Betty reads have themes of friendship, emotions, differences, inclusion, respect, kindness.
Betty Baker is a kind, soft-spoken, beautiful human being.
So, I will go again and again and again, if needed. I'll wear the t-shirt and wave the flag, because I want to celebrate a diverse and inclusive Peterborough, where differences are respected, where kindness rules, and where kids are allowed to hear stories that reflect that.
