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Police response questioned after drag event prompts false allegations

A "drag storytime" event in Dryden became the target of false allegations that organizers say Ontario Provincial Police took surprisingly seriously.
Wiggins Productions Dryden
Performers and attendees Dryden's Dragged me to Dryden Drag Show. (Wiggins Productions)

DRYDEN – An event involving drag performers went off without a hitch at the Dryden Public Library over the weekend, but not before prompting false allegations and a police response that's being questioned by event organizers.

Catherine Kiewning, chair of the Rainbow Alliance Dryden, helped organize an event in which drag performers read children's stories at the library.

She said that prompted a Red Lake man to call the library to complain the LGBT group was “grooming” children. The man proceeded to file a complaint to the Dryden OPP detachment, she said.

Kiewning is questioning why the OPP apparently took the complaint – which she likened to hate speech – seriously, reporting an OPP officer came to her workplace to question her, arriving at her place of employment while she was in the middle of a meeting.

The false association of LGBT and transgender events with "grooming" is a common homophobic trope, she said.

After investigating, the “grooming” allegations were reported false and the investigation was closed by Dryden’s OPP detachment, the force said.

“There was a call for service that the officers received that someone thought was concerning, so the officers responded and investigated that concern,” said Provincial Constable Brittney Bembeneck, a communications officer with the Dryden OPP,

Bembeneck also confirmed the investigation was closed and no charges were pending.

As to why the OPP felt it necessary to approach Kiewning at her office, Bembeneck said she wasn’t able to provide comment.

Kiewning said the incident left her intimidated and perplexed.

“I was pulled out of a meeting," she said. "A co-worker knocked on my door and I was told there was an officer here to speak with me. So, I left my meeting abruptly,”

She said she informed the officer the complainant had raised concerns over a specific performer who was not, in fact, associated with the library event.

The complainant apparently took issue with that performer’s stage name, “Jack Doff,” she said. The performer was scheduled to perform at a separate, adult-oriented event, the Drag Show at The Centre on Sunday, which had been advertised on the Rainbow Alliance's social media accounts.

The Drag Storytime was headlined by Mz. Molly Poppinz and Lady Fantasia LaPremiere, according to promotional materials.

Kiewning noted the Drag Storytime event was designed to be child-friendly, while the drag show was advertised for a 19-plus audience.

Kiewning told NWOnewswatch the OPP officer took her statement, but also offered a suggestion about future marketing for their events.

The officer told Kiewning the OPP would inform the complainant that his allegation was false. However, the man continued to call the library and The Centre to complain about the drag events, she said.

The continued allegations have resulted in Kiewning seeking legal advice. “We are approaching this as a hate crime and we are going to be taking action,” she said.

Kiewning said the group is still assessing how to follow up on the incident with police.

"We would like to address the way it was handled by the OPP," she said. "I’m not sure if there will be strict action taken against them. We obviously want to have a good relationship with the police force, but we also recognize that the way things were handled wasn’t exactly the best way they could have been.”



Clint Fleury

About the Author: Clint Fleury

Clint Fleury is a web reporter covering Northwestern Ontario and the Superior North regions.
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