A drag queen who participated in a reading programme for children sad that despite receiving death threats, he will continue to read to children.
The backlash Matt Cavan, also known by his stage name Cherrie Ontop, has received after participating in a storytime event in Belfast on Sunday has given him “even more fire in [his] belly for events like these,” he claimed.
He claimed that after receiving death threats and being referred to as a “paedophile” online, he was forced to contact the police.
Nevertheless, Matt promised to keep reading to children while dressed as a woman because he wants Northern Ireland to have a better culture where it is acceptable to “wear a dress and still be a boy,” something he was “terrified” to do as a young boy.
The 33-year-old was participating in Drag Queen Story Hour UK, which is managed by Aida H Dee impersonator Sab Samuel and has recently drawn criticism.
Parents Against Grooming organised a group of protesters who came to the event on Sunday and carried signs that said, “Leave those kids alone.”
Asserting that those “hating on drag queens reading stories to kids” have forgotten that pantomime dames have always been men and that this has never been a problem, Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long tweeted her support for Cherrie Ontop.
According to Matt, he has received “a massive amount of support,” and the negative response has only strengthened his belief in the significance of the occasion.
He said: ‘I want to make Northern Ireland a better society for young people. A better society that I grew up in where I was terrified that I was gay. I was terrified that I maybe wanted to wear a dress and still be a boy.
‘The books that I choose are all about acceptance and equality and diversity.
‘People think that I was trying to brainwash children. I don’t really understand that because for me, being a gay person is not a choice, and it is nothing that can be forced upon you.’
The Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast, which hosted the event, shared the positive feedback that they had received for the event.
One attendee said: ‘Cherrie is a wonderful storyteller and teaches an important message in a way that is easy for children to understand. What a fun way to spend a Sunday!’
Another parent added: ‘Absolutely fabulous event. The stories were so lovely, my kids (9, 6) were mesmerised from start to finish, as was I.’
This summer, Drag Queen Story Hour UK will tour the country, holding up to 70 events in 20 different locations, including Bristol, Cornwall, Oxfordshire, and Portsmouth.
A protester was detained last Thursday during conflicts between tour opponents and fans in Bristol, which have also caused controversy in the past.
Belfast protests over the event on Sunday also resulted in police calls.
Anti-event protesters stated it was them who called the PSNI after the force released the following statement: “Officers remain in the area and monitored the protest. No offences were detected, however police subsequently received a report of a hate incident in the area.”
Last week, The MailOnline revealed that librarians had been instructed to refer to drag queens as “pantomime dames” in order to mislead demonstrators and enable Drag Queen Story Hours to proceed as scheduled.
The 27-year-old organiser Sab Samuel said he is determined to carry on with his library tour and that providing visibility for LGBTQ+ youths is “saving lives.”