Is this the end of drag queen storytime events at schools?
An Ottawa elementary school has backed out of plans to host a drag queen storytime following parental push back.
An Ottawa elementary school has pulled the plug on a scheduled drag queen storytime, saying the event may not align with Ontario’s curriculum, despite having hosted similar programming in the past.
According to a letter sent to parents at Mutchmor Public School, the June 19 event was quietly cancelled as questions mount over parental pushback and how far equity and inclusion initiatives should go inside classrooms.
The school said the event was intended to promote literacy and themes of equity, diversity and inclusion, but administrators ultimately decided those themes would instead be incorporated into regular classroom activities aligned with curriculum expectations.
Earlier correspondence to parents had announced that drag performer Adrianna Exposée would return to the school for a second appearance, describing the event as an age-appropriate literacy activity focused on “love and celebrating our differences.”
Exposée told CTV News said that the cancellation resulted from parental pushback, while the school’s letter cited concerns regarding curricular alignment.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has not said whether the cancellation reflects a change in policy on drag queen storytime events in schools or was an isolated decision by the school’s administration.
The cancellation comes amid an ongoing debate over the role of drag performers in elementary schools, with supporters describing the events as part of inclusive education and critics questioning their appropriateness and educational value.
Shannon Boschy, a parent advocate and school board trustee candidate in Ottawa’s Zone 10 Somerset, said the school’s explanation raises more questions than it answers.
“To suggest, as the school did, that there’s a lack of curricular alignment is exactly true. There is nothing in the curriculum that says there should be rainbow flags in kindergarten classes or promotion of LGBTQ+ agendas in classrooms at all,” he said.
“There is no curricular alignment with those policies that are held by school boards across the province.”
Juno News asked the board whether any new policies have been introduced regarding drag queen storytime programming and to clarify the curricular concerns that led to the cancellation.
The board was also asked whether parental pushback factored into the decision.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board had not responded.