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**Legal Advocacy Win: Court Finds Use of “Groomer” Slur Against Drag Performers to be Defamatory Hate Speech
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A decision from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in a case that Egale Canada intervened in < [link removed] > has found that online posts calling drag performers “groomers” was hate speech, and that the posts “fostered disinformation and hate.”

The decision resulted from two cases (Rainbow Alliance Dryden et al v. Webster and Crichton et al v. Webster). In both cases, Mr. Webster made posts accusing drag performers of being “groomers”, and in the Rainbow Alliance Dryden case, these baseless allegations were also made against the local 2SLGBTQI community organization, Rainbow Alliance Dryden (RAD).

Posts included screenshots of news articles about planned all-ages drag event that included the performers’ names and faces. Horrifying comments were left under the post, including violent threats against the drag performers. In response, the performers and RAD sued Webster for defamation.

Egale intervened in the cases < [link removed] > , to provide the court with the necessary context to understand the impact of accusations of child grooming and sexual abuse against 2SLGBTQI people. The homophobic and transphobic equation of 2SLGBTQI people and allies with child abusers and pedophiles has been used to stoke fear and hatred against our communities for decades.

In a win for 2SLGBTQI communities, the court has found that Webster’s posts were defamatory, and that they were hate speech. That Webster acted as a “common bully,” and that the posts “fostered disinformation and hate.”

The court decision noted that “aggravated damages are warranted to denounce Mr. Webster’s conduct.” Webster has been ordered to pay $380,000 in damages.

This is an important decision that comes at a time when 2SLGBTQI people are facing unprecedented levels of hate, harassment, and violence fueled by the spread of misinformation and disinformation. As a previous decision < egale.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Egale-Canada-News-Release-Dec-18-2023.pdf > in the Rainbow Alliance Dryden case found, the term “groomer” is a slur used against drag performers that is “rhetoric based on hurtful, and hateful myths and stereotypes.”

This case shows that by standing up for 2SLGBTQI rights together, we can prevent hateful myths and stereotypes from taking hold in our communities so that we can create a Canada where everyone can feel safe and thrive.

**2SLGBTQI communities need our support
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Cases like this are a stark reminder that Egale's work in fighting for the rights and freedoms of the 2SLGBTQI community and combating mis- and disinformation is needed now more than ever. And we need your support to do this.

Join our Monthly Donor Circle today < [link removed] > to ensure that the work that we do continues to be lasting and impactful. Together, we can create a Canada, and ultimately a world, where every person can achieve their full potential, free from hatred and bias.

Egale Canada

120 Carlton Street, Suite 217 | Toronto, Ontario M5A 4K2

416-964-7887 | [email protected] < [email protected] >

Egale works to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQI people in Canada and to enhance the global response to 2SLGBTQI issues. Egale achieves this by informing public policy, inspiring cultural change, and promoting human rights and inclusion through research, education and community engagement.

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