A recent poll found that while Quebecers are divided on drag shows for kids, the majority believe such activities should not take place without the consent of parents.
The Leger poll commissioned by the Conservative Party of Quebec comes amid an ongoing debate in the province on whether drag shows for kids should be held in public schools, libraries and daycares.
50% of those surveyed said they had no problem with drag activities for children, while 38% said they opposed the matter.
There is however less support for using taxpayer dollars to fund such events. 46% of those surveyed say they are fine with public dollars going towards drag shows for kids, while 42% oppose it.
The poll also indicates that the majority of Quebecers side with parental rights, as 59% of those surveyed say drag shows for kids should only take place with the consent of parents.
The survey shows that men were more opposed to the drag shows for kids than women, who, along with post secondary students and those who hold university degrees, were more supportive of such activities.
The appropriateness of drag queen story hours in public venues continues to be debated in Quebec.
Back in April, the province’s national assembly gave unanimous support to a left-wing motion denouncing opposition to drag shows for kids after a drag story time in the Greater Montreal area faced protest.
Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime then started a petition against drag shows being held in public libraries, schools and daycares and called for greater parental rights. His petition has received over 40,000 signatures.
Duhaime also interviewed a father during one of his livestreams, who claimed his five-year-old daughter was subjected to a drag queen in her kindergarten class.
Several prominent Quebec media figures have since come out against drag queen story hours, with some calling drag queens sexual, and others implying that they are caricatures of women.
Duhaime says the result of the Leger poll “shows that the population of Quebec shares our position. It is up to parents to choose. Not the government.”
Duhaime also took aim at the province’s elected officials for coming out unanimously in favour of drag shows for kids, saying “there is no evident social acceptability, there is no unanimity.”
“The government and the opposition are completely wrong in making decisions without consulting the population.”
The discourse on drag shows of kids in Quebec has differed from the rest of Canada, where the activity has been condoned by some Conservative politicians and promoted by the legacy media.
The Leger poll was conducted between April 21 and 23, and 1006 Quebec residents were surveyed. 75% of respondents said they did not have kids, while 25% did not state their gender or refused to answer the poll’s question.
