Thug who hurled transphobic, homophobic slurs at kids defies court ban from LGBTQ+ events
Right-wing groups have been targeting drag queen performers in the US. (The Boston Globe via Getty Images/Erin Clark)
A Canadian man charged with hate-motivated crime after shouting homophobic abuse at a drag story hour has refused a court ban ordering him to stay away from the LGBTQ+ community and their events.
Derek Reimer has been accused of shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs at children and parents who attended a Reading with Royalty event on 25 February at the Seton public library in Calgary.
It is alleged that the offences were motivated by bias, prejudice or hate, US sources report.
The 36-year-old faces criminal charges of mischief and causing a disturbance, as well as six harassment charges, with each offence carrying a penalty of up to Canadian $10,000 (approximately £6,000).
Failure to pay can result in up to six months in jail.
‘Impossible to satisfy’
In court last week, Reimer was granted bail of $3,000 under the condition that he stay away, in-person and on social media, from LGBTQ+ community members and not attend or go within 200 metres of any queer events.
Reimer refused to be bound by the conditions of the court ban and was remanded in custody.
On Monday (6 March), his lawyer, Ben Allison, put the case over another week and told Judge Karim Jivraj, his client felt the conditions are “impossible to satisfy” and signing them would be “inviting a breach”.
What happened at the Reading with Royalty event?
The alleged homophobic offences took place at Seton public library in Calgary just after 11am on 25 February, when, according to the police, Reimer and others “aggressively entered a library classroom”.
They are accused of “shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs at the children and parents in attendance, scaring the children while causing a disturbance and subsequently refusing to leave”.
Following the incident which resulted in the court ban, it was announced that Southwood Library was postponing its Reading with Royalty event that had been planned for last weekend.
“We remain committed to our partnership with Calgary Pride and will reschedule the event once we can be sure that we can provide a safe and fun environment for kids and families that wish to attend,” a spokesperson for the library said.
The incident echoes anti-drag protested that have taken place across the US and the UK.
The case will return to court on 14 March.
