Local reaction to a planned June 16 presentation featuring a drag queen performance at the Plamondon Festival Centre has caught the attention of province-wide media.
Hosted by a publicly-funded community radio station in Plamondon, the presentation will feature "Lady Tenderflake", a bilingual drag queen performer who explains her act as "a playground of absurdity - a compendium of wonderment." Comments on Tenderflake's social media pages describe recent performances as "wonderful", a "belle surprise" and "fabulous".
While specific negative comments to the planned show have not been sourced, organizers say there has been feedback.
Edmontonian Gilbert Drapeau takes on ther persona of "Lady T", the stagename the performer goes by for shows and presentations across North America. This week, Drapeau blasted the reaction to the planned show on Lady Tenderflake's social media page. In the posting, Lady T defended her rights as an artist and member of society, against the "blatant hate we have been and continue to be victim of."
According to Lady Tenderflake's biography, as a performer, "she has produced over a dozen pick up shows in Edmonton. She also writes and produces professional training for the Alberta College of Social Worker, the ALIGN Association of Community Services, the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada and the Government of Alberta where she has produced three times her training From Acceptance to Inclusiveness." Tenderflake's performs in English and French. She also has some Spanish and sign language knowledge.
Edmonton media were alerted to the local issue and were expected to be in the Plamondon area over the weekend.
The June 16 show was part of the wrap-up to Francophone Week. The hamlet of Plamondon is one of only four Alberta communities recognized as being officially bilingual.
