Pride Month has started off with another LGBTQI event in Victoria being cancelled – the Rural City of Wangaratta on Thursday announced it had decided to “delay” the Rainbow Ball scheduled for this weekend after threats from far-right and neo-Nazi groups.
Since the start of this year, over 10 LGBTQI and Drag Storytime events scheduled to be held in Melbourne and other towns in Victoria have been cancelled or postponed after being targeted by right-wing groups.
A rag-tag group of far-right figures, neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers have been targeting queer events in Victoria, abusing local council staff and issuing online threats to organisers of the events and drag performers.
The Rainbow Ball for LGBTQI youth organised by Rural City of Wangaratta’s Youth Services was to be held at the Wangaratta Turf Club on Saturday. The event was being held as part of the Pride Weekend in Wangaratta from June 2-4, 2023.
In a statement, the Rural City of Wangaratta said it had decided to delay the event “for the safety of event participants due to the event being targeted by groups with radical views.” The Council has not said when the postponed event will be held.
Mayor Dean Rees revealed that there had been “some confronting commentary around the Rainbow Ball circulated on social media” after the event was advertised.
Read the article by Shibu Thomas in the Star Observer.