Thursday, January 26, 2023

Drag Queen Story Hour Cancelled in Toulouse

 

In recent days, the city hall in Toulouse has canceled readings to children by drag queens at a local library.

Faced with the indignation of a local group and a collective of associations, on Tuesday, January 24, the city hall of Toulouse took the decision to cancel reading workshops for children that were supposed to be animated by drag queens in a library.

"This choice of programming - which has not given rise to any approval or endorsement from elected officials - may destabilize part of the public. This is obviously not the will of the community," explained the city hall of Toulouse, in a statement published on Tuesday.

While a small group presenting itself on Instagram as a "community youth movement Toulouse and rooted" and called "French Fury" had launched a petition to cancel the event, the Toulouse City Council has taken the decision "in a bid to appease" to reorient the reading initially scheduled for February 18 "to accommodate only a major audience."

On Twitter, the collective "La Manif pour tous" was also indignant against these readings. "PARENTS, WAKE UP! This reading workshop in a Toulouse library for 3-6-year-olds led by two drag-queens has nothing educational, playful or aesthetic," it wrote.

To make things extra dramatic, the municipality says in a statement, "Some reactions may lead to public disorder." At the time a petition to stop the activity was started by one of the associations but has since been deleted.

However, Jean-Luc Moudenc, the mayor of Toulouse, intends to ask the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmain, "for the dissolution of the movement "French Fury", at the origin of the threats and the disturbance of public order."

The reading workshop was intended to "educate the young public about the difference, in a playful way," said city hall.

The Manif pour tous is the main group of associations behind the demonstrations and actions in opposition to the law opening marriage and adoption to same-sex couples in France.

Shanna Banana and Brandy Snap, two of the local drag queens have started a petition to make sure the events still take place that can be found here:

Liberté, égalité, fraternité - the national motto of France, we shall see.

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