Canada: Court Rules Calling Drag Queens “Groomers” Does NOT Fall Under Protected Speech
The Ontario Superior Court ruled that calling drag queens “groomwers” does not fall under protected speech and “do not constitute expression on a matter of public interest.”
The Counter Signal reported:
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled that referring to drag queens as “groomers” does not fall under Canada’s protected speech laws, setting up potential defamation lawsuits against anyone who uses the term.
The ruling comes in the case of Rainbow Alliance Dryden et al v. Webster, where Justice Nieckarz determined that such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes and do not constitute expression on a matter of public interest.
Justice Nieckarz ruled that “It is reasonable to conclude that the suggestion that … drag performers are ‘groomers’,
