Casey Council cancels five-week long Art of Drag workshops following ‘vile’ online threats to performers and organisers
A month-long Melbourne drag workshop has been cancelled after “vile and deeply disturbing” threats from right-wing Christian groups.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A month-long suburban drag workshop has been cancelled after organisers reported receiving vile threats from right-wing Christian groups.
The Art of Drag was set to kick off on Wednesday at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren where teens and young adults aged 12-25 could learn skills in drag-styled hair, makeup, fashion and performance.
The event was to be hosted by professional drag kings and queens, including Belial B’Zarr, Linh Uendo, Holly Pop, Lilium and Randy Roy.
However, Casey Council pulled the event after receiving a backlash in the “interest of community safety”.
Casey chief executive Glenn Patterson said the council acting “in consultation with Victoria Police had decided to cancel the Art of Drag workshop series”.
“This decision in no way legitimises or validates the actions or statements of individuals, activists or protest groups,” he said.
“Casey is committed to promoting opportunities for engagement, advocacy, events, safe spaces and partnerships that support our LGBTQIA+ community, and doing so with a duty of care, especially when young people are involved.”
The council’s director of community life, Callum Pattie, confirmed that a “small number of residents raised the issue of the workshops and their disapproval in a discussion with the CEO.”
In an Instagram post announcing the cancellation of the event, drag artist Belial B'Zarr said the council’s decision “was not made lightly”.
“The threats from this group are vile and deeply disturbing,” they said.
“These include threatening and harassing phone calls, emails and even physical intimidation.”
On the Bunjil Place website, the page promoting the event now says: “Unfortunately this event has been cancelled. All current ticket holders will be contacted via phone.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the decision had “ultimately been made by the council”.
“After a risk assessment was conducted involving several partners and agencies, the council made the decision to cancel the event,” the police spokesperson said.
Negative comments online labelled the workshops as “evil”.
“Casey Shire hosting and promoting this wickedness to our community and children in Narre Warren,” one post read.
Other drag performers have come out in support of Belial.
In a post to Instagram, listed performer, Lilium, said they had also been “very excited to be a small part of this series of creative workshops for queer youth”.
“We’re just a bunch of artists trying to cultivate a sense of community we wish we had when we were kids,” they said.
“It’s been met with intense backlash and threats of violence resulting in the cancellation of the workshops for the safety of the community.”
“I stand with Belial. This is not an isolated incident and will continue to embolden these people and the frightening anti-trans rhetoric that is becoming mainstream.”
Freida Commitment, a drag performer from Casey, also spoke out about the online hate.
“Having grown up in Casey it would have changed my entire world to know there were people like me represented in my community,” they said.
“It could quite literally save someone’s life just to know they’re not alone and not hated.
“If you consider yourself an ally of the LGBTQIA+ please do anything you can to show some love.”
This isn’t the first time the drag community has been targeted by hate groups.
The Herald Sun reported in October last year that a family friendly youth festival in Moonee Ponds was hijacked by a dozen neo-Nazis, who protested during a drag performance at Queen’s Park.
Belial B’Zarr was one of the drag performers expected to perform at the event before the protest, believed to be from the National Socialist Network, founded by neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell.
