Protesters met by counter-protesters outside all-ages drag brunch

Despite protests happening outside, an all-ages dragbrunch eventwent ahead as planned Sundayin southeast Calgary.It happened the same day a similar plannedevent nearby was cancelled, with organizers citing threatening phone calls.

Supporters of thedrag brunch at The Attic in Inglewood bundled up to brave the frigid cold, as temperatures were around 20 C. Some of them stood outside to face off with people who opposed the all-ages drag show.

After a heated exchange with one protester, Shane Chick said it was important for people to come together to support the LGBTQ2S+ community.

"They're literally stepping on our rights. This is our safe space," Chick said. "This is where we come to feel safe. This is where our kids are now coming to feel safe. This is where our community has always come to feel safe, so when they show up, it threatens that safety, and it's shown deadly consequences before, and so we're here to prevent that."

The number of protesters outside The Attic amounted to around a dozen people, and they were met by at least twice that number of counter-protesters.

Police also responded to the situation, although the service said no citations were issued, nor were any injuries reported.

Fear of violence

The protesters outside The Atticcarried signs that accused attendees of "exposing" children to drag performances and "adult themes."

The protestwaspart of a greater backlash to drag events catered to children.

In recent years, libraries in Canada and the United Stateshave hosted dragstory hourevents for children with the goal of fostering a greater sense of inclusion.

'Creating safe spaces'

Sarah Soroka is the manager of Vegan Street Tacos, which is located underneath The Attic. The restaurant became a place forsupporters of the all-ages drag show to take refuge from the cold.

"Being a queer person myself, obviously, this is something that's very near and dear to my heart: creating safe spaces, inclusive spaces, things that incorporate our culture and the things that our community is really proud of," Soroka said.

The Calgary Police Service said it's investigating the threats made against the other brunch, which was planned at the Royal Canadian Legion in Forest Lawn.

Organizers of that event said that they'd received threatening phone calls earlier in theweek and opted to cancel the show over safety concerns.

No specific threats were reported againstThe Attic's all-ages drag event, police said.

James Demers, one of the supporters of The Attic show, saidit's disappointing but not surprising to see people come out opposed to them.

"All of us have a family member like that, all of us have experienced this at some point or another," Demers said. "What's disappointing is people like that are so easily manipulated. It's sad that they feel left out of community, but they've made that choice themselves."

Inside The Attic, the all-ages drag brunch, titled Waffle-y Cute, was a far cry for the commotionoutside. Patrons inside the packed restaurant cheered as performers, including children,put on a show.