REPORT BACK ON THE APRIL 2, 2023, COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE ACTION IN SAINTE-CATHERINE

"Conspiracy theorists, the far right, and a few neo-Nazis got together to intimidate drags queens;
Standing shoulder to shoulder, the LGBTQ+ community and anti-fascists drew a line and resisted these despicable trolls;
In what has become a tradition, the far right found itself isolated at the far end of a parking lot…"

"...Barbada has hosted story hours since 2016 (and she has not been the only drag queen to do so), but it is only in recent years —and in a particularly apparent way in recent months— that a section of the local far-right-adjacent conspiracy theory milieu has had a bee in its bonnet about the issue, under the combined influence of the conservative evangelical right and the anti-protocol conspiracy milieu that coalesced around the so-called “freedom convoy.” This anti-drag hysteria is one element in a larger movement meant to demonize sexual and gender identity minorities, trans identities in particular, on the basis of a variety of conspiracy fantasies, including, for example, the “grooming panic,” “pedosatanism” (a key theme in the QAnon milieu), and, in some particularly extreme cases, the racist and antisemitic “great replacement” theory. This fundamentally far-right transphobic movement has, at this point, made legislative and institutional headway in the US."

"...labouring under the peculiar illusion that simply ignoring this movement will naturally lead to it dissipating and fading away. As we have often said, when it comes to fascist and fascist-adjacent movements, magic thinking doesn’t work...

...a bus chartered for the event arrived with around thirty community defenders, who brought snacks and coffee, festive costuming accoutrements, and a sound system. For the subsequent hour and half, the defensive bloc took on a festive, colourful, and irreverent quality, with comrades dancing in the street to popular songs and Disney classics, while the mortified anti-drag demonstrators remained trapped on their bit of sidewalk...

...a line is crossed when these conspiracy theory fantasies directly target our communities and compromise our security, whether in the short-, medium-, or long-term, and that is the line the anti-drag movement has crossed with its ridiculous panic, and it is absolutely essential to deliver the message that queer and trans communities will defend themselves in the face of this intimidation. There should be no doubt: if the queerphobes/transphobes persist in their demonization exercise, they will always come face to face with us. Queers bash back, darling. . ."

Great work ❤️🖤

https://montreal-antifasciste.info/en/2023/04/03/report-back-on-the-april-2-2023-community-self-defense-action-in-sainte-catherine/

#CallToAction #DragStoryTime #DQST #DragQueenStoryTime #DragDefence #LoveWins #Pride #ConvoyWatch #WhoKeepsUsSafe #CommunityDefence #FashWatch #FashWatchCanada #AlertaAlertaAntifascista #Reportback #Montreal

So far this month (March) we've seen anti 2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric accelerating on social media platforms with #Pride events being ID'd as targets from #GAG to our own #Christofascist #FlatEarther #ConvoyWatch folks.

Over the past 1-2 weeks, King 💩 Nico has made at least 5-6 anti-Pride posts on his Facebook alone. He's been making threats against Pride since at least March 4th. I think it's pretty safe to say that #PrideDefence will be necessary.

Also, dude, no one wants you to bow down. However sitting down & stfu about Pride and #DQST would be ideal 💡

On the plus side, someone will likely inherit another megaphone...

In addition to targeting #Pride2023 King Nico has also recently shared transphobic and quite graphic anti-trans propaganda (also on his #Facebook since the company does little to nothing to remove these posts).

At least one of these came from other far right media figures who once again put forward a #4chan hoax trying to frame trans people as if it were real.

The image circulating of a supposed "trans day of vengeance" is literally a reworded racist 4chan meme, but since these sh!tbags lack all creativity, they rehash and recycle the same nonsense repeatedly.

I won't reshare the more graphic one of the two that Nico shared. Just know that it involved body parts, Nazi experimentation, and claimed that the photos of genitalia were of children. It's still up on his Facebook because apparently that doesn't violate any community standards... 🙄

In a strange twist, the one that Nico shared on his Twitter :birdsite: apparently did violate their hateful conduct rule and he received a strike over that and temp lock until removed.

#CallToAction #LoveWins #Pride #Pride2023 #ConvoyWatch #WhoKeepsUsSafe #CommunityDefence #FashWatch #FashWatchCanada #AlertaAlertaAntifascista

Nazi Kevin Goudreau on-site in #PTBO

#CallToAction #DragStoryTime #DQST #DragQueenStoryTime #DragDefence #DragDefense #LoveWins #Pride #ConvoyWatch #WhoKeepsUsSafe #CommunityDefence #FashWatch #FashWatchCanada #AlertaAlertaAntifascista

#DragQueenStoryTime #DragDefence
Today March 16th at 1pm
#Woodstock, #Ontario Public Library

Protesters confirmed. Counters needed!

Anti #DQST ppl have been floating the idea of entering the library to disrupt the event and harass and photograph attendees.

#CallToAction #DragStoryTime #LoveWins #LoveIsLove #Pride #WhoKeepsUsSafe #CommunityDefence #FashWatch #FashWatchCanada #ConvoyWatch #AlertaAlertaAntifascista

#DQST, March 16th 4-6pm
The Ledge
31 Norfolk St. N
#Simcoe, #Ontario

Protesters confirmed. Counters & community defence are needed! The anti drag folks for this one have been vocal in their dislike and threats so be forewarned.

Threats on hunting people down, rampant homophobia, taking pictures of parents to accuse of abuse, and threats of burning people alive have been reported.

Local news has also picked up on this:
https://www.norfolktoday.ca/2023/03/15/134339/

#CallToAction #DragStoryTime #DragQueenStoryTime #DragDefence #LoveWins #WhoKeepsUsSafe #CommunityDefence #Pride #FashWatch #FashWatchCanada #ConvoyWatch #AlertaAlertaAntifascista #Haldimand #Norfolk