A Carlow drag show planned for the Seven Oaks Hotel on May 26 has been cancelled following an online abuse campaign.
Drag queens Kara Kalua, Sofia Good and Coco Ri were booked to perform. This week, TNT Promotions, the company organising the event, confirmed that they had cancelled it.
It was later revealed that organisers and the venue allegedly received multiple complaints about the event. The hotel and production company stated that the majority of complaints they received expressed concerns over children being in the audience, despite the fact that the event was strictly for those over 18 years of age.
A statement from the promoter can be read below:
''TNT promotions shared on social media that 'We would like to shine some light on the cancellation of the drag queen event on the 26th of May in Carlow. This was due to no fault of ours or the hotel's. It was purely down to online abuse and threats that both TNT promotions and the hotel received. Our number one priority at any of our shows is to make sure that everyone involved is safe which led to this decision. It's a sad day in the world we live in that an event like this can't go ahead. This event was always an over-18s event. It was an event for people to come enjoy themselves. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Coco Ri a drag queen booked to perform at the event stated in twitter.
AdvertisementA venue I was working for at the end of the month in carlow got a few messages about this event with regards to kids being present at 9pm…
You cancel this: But don’t cancel this: pic.twitter.com/pMbNz41C9c
— Coco Ri (@Cockorigh) May 8, 2023
nbsp;
Having run similar shows in other counties across Ireland beforehand, this is the first time the promoter has had to cancel an event due to online harassment.
This safety concern is reflected in recent statistics released by An Garda Síochana in March of this year which reveal a 29% increase in reported hate crimes & hate-related (non-crime) incidents in 2022.
Speaking on the report, Assistant Commissioner Hilman added: ”These statistics of incidents reported to An Garda Síochána in 2022 with a hate motive build on the baseline figures published for 2021. The level of reporting has increased overall. While it is disappointing that any incidents occur which have a hate-related motive, it is positive to see more victims coming forward to An Garda Síochána and reporting their experiences.”
Assistant Commissioner Hilman further highlighted that "We all need as a community to consistently highlight and call out discrimination and hate where it occurs. I urge any person who has experienced or observed prejudice to come forward and report those incidents to us. I can assure people that complaints will be dealt with thoroughly and professionally.”
The incident has sparked a broader conversation online about safety for the LGBTQIA+ community in the South East of Ireland.
WATCH: Drag artist Maura Darragh on the cancellation of a drag show in Carlow and the importation of American culture wars here #TonightVMTV pic.twitter.com/tHJrKPzdMw
— TonightVMTV (@TonightVMTV) May 10, 2023
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
