The popular Barbada will finally be able to hold its story time in Saint-Laurent libraries this fall. The drag queen met with the mayor and elected officials of the Montreal borough on Monday to explain the activity to them and reassure those who had some concerns.
“I was able to talk to them about the themes that I tackled with the children, give them examples of stories that I usually read. I answered their questions, their concerns. We had a good conversation, very respectful. […] I feel a greater openness on the part of the elected officials of the borough now that we have been able to talk to each other, ”said Sébastien Potvin, alias Barbada, in an interview with The duty Monday noon, as he left his meeting with elected officials.
Barbada will therefore be able to do its story readings on November 5, as planned, at the libraries of Vieux-Saint-Laurent and Boisé.
The borough confirmed the news a few hours later. “Saint-Laurent Council will always encourage and respect art and creativity, in all its forms. This is why we are happy to have been able to discuss with Barbada during an enriching meeting for all”, declared the mayor of Saint-Laurent, Alan DeSousa, by press release.
The borough also took advantage of this meeting to hoist the rainbow flag, symbol of the LGBTQ + community, and thus mark the start of Pride week in Montreal.
Reluctance
Recall that at the beginning of July, the drag queen Barbada had learned with astonishment of the cancellation of her two hours of storytelling in Saint-Laurent due to “reluctance” of certain elected officials of the borough, whose council is mainly made up of members of the party. Together Montreal.
Sébastien Potvin had immediately suggested a meeting to be able to explain his approach to them in detail.
In interview at To have to, the borough mayor, Alan DeSousa, then denied any reluctance within his team, citing instead internal discussions on the treatment of inclusivity in Saint-Laurent libraries. “The board that I chair was open to dealing with these subjects, but it wanted […] know how these subjects which are highly delicate could be treated”, he had underlined, showing himself “very open” to the idea of meeting Sébastien Potvin.
In the process, residents of the borough had launched an online petition demanding, among other things, the return to the programming of story readings by Barbada. More than 600 people had supported the initiative.
Present on the Montreal art scene since 2005, the drag queen offers her activity story time since 2016 in various libraries, bookstores and daycares. His readings had never been cancelled. At the beginning of June, his visit to the Dorval library had led to a wave of hateful messages on social networks, but the event had indeed taken place, under the presence of the police.