City council encourages participation in kids' Drag Story Time

City council jumped tonight to defend a children's Drag Story Time after a social media post attempted to organize "a small protest" Saturday at James L. McIntyre Centennial Library.

Councillors voted unanimously to "support Drag Story Time hosted by Sault Ste Marie Public Library and encourage the community to attend and participate in this event."

A motion introduced by Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo declared that "Sault Ste Marie city council proudly embraces our diverse population, including our budding drag community."

"Literacy is encouraged from a young age and libraries are a place of learning and expanding one’s mind."

"Teaching diversity and inclusivity is encouraged from a young age," stated the motion, which was seconded by Ward 2's Lisa Vezeau-Allen.

The event is planned at the downtown library on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m.

"Join us for a fun time of stories and a craft, featuring drag king Luke Gore-Shadow and drag queen Fortune Favours as our guest storytellers," said an official announcement Monday on the library's Facebook page.

As SooToday's Alex Flood reported on Sunday, a local resident has been using social media to advise his colleagues at the Unity Centre (the former Sister Mary Clare Catholic School on Glen Avenue) that he was "planning small protest for next Saturday regarding the 'Drag Story Time' at the East Street library.”

“Let the kids be kids," his post stated. "No gender benders please.”

Coun. Caputo thanked city staff for rushing her resolution onto the council agenda at the last minute.

"This is something that's really important to me," she said.

"I think it just unifies people to be able to do what you want. My daughter and I will be in attendance at the library. She will happily have a story read to her by a drag queen or king." 

"We support that community so much because, in their acceptance, they're also teaching me how to accept further things," Caputo said.   

"I just look at hate-mongering and things that fester. I think it starts out with two protesters or two haters. And then the next year it grows to four and six and eight, and so on." 

"This motion's really put forward to hopefully grow love throughout the community." 

Coun. Vezeau-Alllen recounted how the first Drag Story Time was presented by author and activist Michelle Tea in 2015 in San Francisco, "with the intent of embracing literacy and diversity."

"Everyone knows that I'm really about diversity and understanding differences."

"Exposure to differing cultures, personalities, family models - all of those things - it's really important for us as a community, and I think it's a really wonderful thing."

"If my kids were younger, I'd be going myself," Vezeau-Allen said.

"I think this is just testament to what we can achieve as a community. We do have a budding drag community, which I think is really wonderful and drag performers are absolutely amazing."

"We're all just families of people and libraries are gathering places for all people," she said. 

"I would just support what both of you have said," added Mayor Matthew Shoemaker.

"I think that the library is a place of expanding your mind and learning... of the diversity of how others live." 

"It's not about everybody has the same lifestyle and everybody has the same choices. We want all our young kids - I think all of us in this community - to know about acceptance and inclusivity and acceptance of that diversity. And this is a great way to expand the minds of those who are learning those things."

"I support this and hope it is a great success on Saturday," the mayor said.

Meanwhile, an event posted Monday on Facebook was encouraging members of the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community and allies to similarly gather at the downtown library from 10 a.m. until noon Saturday, carrying signs with suggested slogans like "More Glitter, Less Bitter," "Freedom Is For Everyone” and “First Time at a Library?”

In an unrelated matter, city council also agreed Monday to refer a request to rename Snowdon Park to the city's parks and recreation advisory committee.