FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A drag show planned for a Forsyth County park has been canceled after organizers said they got several threats.
The show was advertised as a “family fun” event, but many neighbors said it would be inappropriate.
The organizers told Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins that they learned of several threats and the venue reported them to investigators, but so far no one has been charged or arrested, but organizers decided to call it off because they didn’t feel safe.
The show was scheduled for this weekend. Organizers said they received threats and hateful messages accusing them of promoting child abuse.
“About mid-March, things started to get intense. I started getting emails to not come, they do not want a show like this here,” one organizer said asking only to be identified as Mrs. Ivana.
Ivana said most of the threats have been circulating online and on social media.
“We heard about hate groups that were coming. We heard churches bought tickets just so they could come and protest,” Ivana said.
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Rep. Rich McCormick also took to social media to create and promote a counter family event on the same day and time saying, “This is in response to the lewd drag queen performance next weekend.”
A local activist group is now speaking up and rallying for change.
“Do you think that contributed to the pressure to cancel?” Rawlins asked Melissa Clink, Democrat Congressional Chairman for District 6.
“No. I think the threat of violence,” Clink said.
The organizer said they have held multiple family drag events at locations around the county in the past, but this is the first time they have faced any backlash from the community.
“I think the organizer did the right thing on this because he had to cancel this time just because of the outrage and that the other side had the ability to take this narrative and turn it into something that it wasn’t,” Clink said.
Organizers are now in the process of refunding all of their ticket sales. Meanwhile, a local activist group is speaking up and rallying for change.
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