Ontario high-schooler suspended for belief in biological sex stages protest against 'all ages' drag queen story hour in Ottawa

There were lively scenes outside the National Arts Centre in Ottawa Wednesday as a group of people protesting a “family friendly” drag queen story time event were met by a large counter-protest of LGBTQ+ activists.

Members of the group Save Canada, as well as other concerned Canadians, staged a protest outside the “all ages” event, which featured drag performers Cyril Cinder and China Doll. Josh Alexander, one of the organizers of the protest, told The Post Millennial he believes drag is inherently sexual and his issue is not with the LGBTQ+ community, but with children being exposed to such performances.

“My group, Save Canada, decided to throw together an event when we were notified that the NAC was allowing a drag show for kids,” said Alexander, who attempted to watch the event but was escorted from the venue by police. Alexander is also currently not allowed to attend his Catholic high school after expressing his religious belief that there are only two sexes was deemed "detrimental to the physical and mental well-being" of transgender students.

“Drag is an inherently sexual event,” he said. “They deny that, but when I asked why I was being removed, why I couldn’t continue to see what was going on, they had no answers.”

Alexander was later arrested for unknown reasons. 

The large crowd of rainbow-clad counter-protesters, many of whom waving rainbow flags and holding signs with messages such as “Hate Is Not Welcome Here” and “Defend Trans Joy”, were singing, dancing, and chanting slogans.

A woman attending the protest with the man repeatedly asked police why her friend was being arrested, suggesting they were “arresting somebody for speaking their mind; speaking God’s words."

One local Ottawa man told The Post Millennial he was compelled to take to the streets because he thinks children are too young to be exposed to such events.

“The drag shows start from age 3 and up, and we’ve seen the books they’re reading,” said the local who wishes to remain anonymous. “Perhaps for age 11 or 12, or 14 even, but we think kids are too young for these things.” 

The protester stressed that he is not anti-LGBTQ. “It’s just about the children,” he said.

Another protester, a member of Fighting for the Freedom of Canada, traveled from out of town for the event and expressed similar sentiments. She told The Post Millennial that she has nothing against drag, that she has never protested an adult drag event, but that she does not “support exposing these little children to what they should not be seeing.”

Drag king Cyril Cinder, one of the performers reading to children at the event, has a public Instagram displaying several photographs with explicit sexual content.