By Eleanor Wilson
A local drag queen has spoken out against the cancellation of a recent beginner drag workshop series which was due to be held at Bunjil Place throughout April and early May.
Brenda Bressed, AKA Bryce Gibson, who grew up in Endeavour Hills and still lives in Casey, believes other steps could have been taken to protect the drag performers from alleged threats made by “alt-right and Christian groups”, without cancelling the event entirely.
The free five-week workshop series, The Art of Drag, was aimed at teaching interested young Casey residents drag skills in hair, makeup, costume and performance.
It was cancelled by the City of Casey two weeks ago “in the interest of community safety” after a series of threatening phone calls, emails and physical intimidation were allegedly made by individuals and groups dissatisfied with the nature of the event.
City of Casey chief executive Glenn Patterson said The Art of Drag was cancelled “after careful consideration, consultation with our community partners including Victoria Police and in the interest of community safety”.
But Mr Gibson, who has been a drag artist for the last four years, called the cancellation “really disappointing”.
“It was going to be a really good thing for young people in Casey, especially to have something completely different and something for them to have an outlet to express themselves and to use their creativity in a very safe and comfortable environment,” he said.
“There are definitely other steps that could’ve been taken to protect the performers and I think more steps should have been taken and protections put into place so that the event still could’ve gone on.”
“Despite the reason for the cancellation, the groups that wanted to shut it down, they’ve taken this as a win and the drag community has taken a loss.“
He feared that young people who had signed up to attend the event could now be feeling “more vulnerable and alone”.
But Mr Patterson said the axing of the event “in no way legitimises or validates the actions or statements of individuals, activists or protest groups.”
“Casey is committed to promoting opportunities for engagement, advocacy, events, safe spaces, and partnerships that support our LGBTIQA+ community and doing so with a duty of care, especially where young people are involved,” he said.
Connotations that drag artists are predatory or try to influence children into the LGBTIQA+ community “couldn’t be further from the truth” Mr Gibson said.
“It’s the complete opposite,” he said.
“All we are trying to do is create the spaces and the events that we wish we had growing up in the City of Casey.”
The cancellation comes just weeks after tensions flared as pro-transgender rights and anti-transgender rights activists took to the streets of Melbourne’s CBD.
Following the protests, which was attended by a group of neo-nazis who performed a nazi salute on the steps of Parliament, the Andrews Labor Government announced almost $1 million
in funding to support LGBTIQA+ organisations.
The $900,000 package will support eight LGBTIQA+ organisations across Victoria to help respond to additional demand caused by the incident.
The funding is set to go to essential services at initiatives including Transgender Victoria, Queerspace, Rainbow families, Switchboard, Zoe Bell Gender Collective, Thorne Harbour Health/Equinox, Transcend and Mind.
The package will boost counselling and family therapy, referrals and peer support to ensure LGBTIQ+ Victorians, their families and carers can get the support they need, authorities said.
“Trans people routinely endure abuse, violence, and discrimination in the name of free speech, and the past week has caused further trauma for an already vulnerable group. Trans people deserve better, and this funding will help organisations to provide crucial support, safety, and care,” said equality minister Harriet Shing.
Ms Shing also denounced the efforts of the protest groups who contributed to the cancellation of The Art of Drag event.
“Events that are open to young people of all genders and sexualities, provide safety and celebrate diversity send a powerful message to young people that it is OK to be themselves,” she said.
“This message is so important when we know that stigma and discrimination contribute to young LGBTIQ+ people often experiencing poorer mental health than others their age.
“We condemn any efforts to make LGBTIQ+ Victorians and allies feel unsafe for being who they are, including LGBTIQ+ performers and young people.”
