Thug who abuses children defies court ban on LGBTQ events

A Canadian charged with a hate crime after shouting homophobic abuse at a drag story class has rejected a court ban ordering him to stay away from the LGBTQ+ community and its events.

Derek Reimer has been accused of using homophobic and transphobic slurs at children and parents who attended a royalty-free reading event at the Seton Public Library in Calgary on February 25.

The crimes are alleged to have been motivated by bias, prejudice or hatred, US sources report.

The 36-year-old faces criminal charges of mischief and causing disturbance, as well as six charges of harassment, with each offense carrying a fine of up to CA$10,000 (about £6,000).

In the event of late payment, there is a risk of up to six months in prison.

“Impossible to Satisfy”

Last week, the court awarded Reimer $3,000 bail on the condition that he stay away from members of the LGBTQ+ community in person and on social media, and not attend or be within 200 meters of queer events approaches.

Reimer refused to be bound by the conditions of the court ban and was taken into custody.

On Monday (March 6), his attorney Ben Allison postponed the case for another week, saying Judge Karim Jivraj his client believed the terms were “impossible to fulfill” and signing them would constitute “a violation”.

What happened at the Reading with Royalty event?

The alleged homophobic offenses happened just after 11 a.m. on Feb. 25 at the Seton Public Library in Calgary, when Reimer and others “aggressively entered a classroom in the library,” according to police.

They are accused of “swearing at the children and parents present with homophobic and transphobic insults, startling and disturbing the children and then refusing to leave”.

Following the incident that led to the court ban, it was announced that the Southwood Library would be postponing its Reading with Royalty event scheduled for last weekend.

“We remain committed to our partnership with Calgary Pride and will reschedule the event once we are confident that we can provide a safe and fun environment for children and families who wish to participate,” said a library spokesman.

The incident echoes anti-drag protests that have taken place in the US and UK.