A Dunedin Pride event went ahead smoothly, despite the presence of several protesters both online and in person. ‘Rainbow Stories with Miss Annie’ was held at the Dunedin Public Library on Saturday, March 9, attracting a significant amount of publicity due to online protests prior to the event. Speaking to Critic Te Ārohi after the event, the local drag performer Ann said that they expected hate and that, in the end, the way the queer community rallied around them in support made the event even more successful.
Ann told Critic that “the purpose of Rainbow Stories with Miss Annie was to provide a family-friendly, children-centred event as part of Pride Month with Dunedin Pride, especially because age-appropriate diversity events are hard to come by in Ōtepoti.”
When the event was announced by the Dunedin Public Libraries, the massive attention it received was an even split of enthusiastic support and intense hate. The public Facebook post had 730 reactions and 229 comments, with a 267:235 split of love and angry reactions.
And then the announcement was reposted to Dunedin News. To those unfamiliar with the inner circle of hell that is Dunedin News, it’s essentially a local Facebook page where boomers flock to be mad about things. Students are often the butt of it. At the time of writing, there are 708 comments on the repost accusing the event of being “grooming”, “lefty bullshit”, and “woke agenda-pushing” by “radical queers”.
After witnessing the hate that the post attracted, the library commented: “We’re excited to be hosting rainbow story sessions in support of Dunedin Pride. Age-appropriate books have been chosen to be read to the audience, and focus on different family units, kindness, love and the many diverse friends and family members that audiences may know. Our libraries and DCC facilities, including social channels, are safe and inclusive spaces. Open to all without judgement. However, we do not tolerate discrimination across our channels. For this reason, we are closing commenting to this post. Kā mihi and happy pride.”
Critic Te Ārohi attended the event. There was a group of around ten protestors outside the front doors of the library, which were flanked by two security guards stationed as part of a health and safety plan that Dunedin Pride, the library, and Ann planned in advance. One protestor commented to Critic that they were there to protest the “indoctrination” of kids: “Let kids be kids.”
In response to the hate that the event attracted, Ann said, “Considering the current political climate, I was fully expecting bigoted backlash from ill-informed individuals. As the hate came in, that only motivated me more and more to make a spectacular event out of spite.”
“My response to the protestors is, put politely as possible, ‘Go to hell’ [...] Drag story time is not indoctrinating children. It's a learning experience for them to further engage with the world around them, and know that it's OK to be themselves, no matter what that is.”
Kids were doing just that at the rainbow story session, dressed in bright colours, sequins, glitter, and face paint. They were clearly enamoured by Miss Annie, crying, “Oh NO!” in unison to the dramatic narrative of Frog and Toad (gay icons), oblivious to the tense atmosphere around them. During the event, one protestor, who had been spotted lurking around the periphery and trying to record, was escorted out of the room by security. He was later seen reporting back to the protestors downstairs.
Despite this, Ann said they thought that the “atmosphere inside the library was absolutely wonderful. LGBTQ folks of all ages turned up, and all the children were so polite and engaged the entire time.”
They considered the event to be a smashing success. “Considering the turnout, and feedback I've received from parents who brought their children, I would say the event was an astounding success. I already have families asking me when the next one will be!”
“The positives have vastly outweighed the negatives in this situation. And if anything, the hate has only drawn MORE positive attention to my career. I've made more connections in the Aotearoa drag community in the past week than I have in my entire 10-month drag career so far.”
“Ultimately, I am an entertainer and a very versatile one at that,” said Ann. “I'm not going to stop entertaining a specific age group just because some backward-thinking morons lack critical thinking skills.” Ann has been actively involved in the revitalisation of the drag scene in Ōtepoti and can be found at @Ann.Arkii on Instagram