Darlene Leblanc made her way to Wentworth Park to protest the Drag Story Time event that was being held as part of Cape Breton Pride.

Ms. Leblanc had a sign at her table that was filled with free toys for children. The sign said, “Don’t Drag Our Children Into Your Lifestyle.”

Now, the purpose of this event was not to recruit children to become drag queens; it was to entertain children with performances of stories.

What the Sam Hill are those bears up to?

Ms. Leblanc was confused on this point. (I wonder what she thinks of the teddy bear sleepovers at the library? Are those bears really promoting a life of eating blueberries and putting a fright into hikers in the highlands?)

The sign that said “our” children is meant to tell the drag queens that they are not part of this “our.” And if we are to make our communities inclusive, we shouldn’t tell some people that they do not belong in it.

And there is something sinister in the sign, the drag queens are accused not of being who they are but of trying somehow to make children into who they are. As a society, many of us believe that inclusivity is a worthy goal, that we are better when we do not point at people who we see as different than ourselves and tell them to stay away from children.

It  is not cool to do this. And it is fine for The Post to point out that the event was unmarred by the protest and that “Love is Louder.”

David Delaney, in the Cape Breton Post, had this to say, in Ms. Leblanc's defence:

“Concepts of inclusivity, diversity and tolerance have been appropriated by our political class to occupy a very narrow and segregated classification. Step outside the opinions of this spectrum and expect a torrent of abuse from political, academic and media sources. It is as if this narrow band think it is their mission to protect those that are relegated to group status with each group member sharing identical views on all subjects.”

Huh.

Mr. Delaney appears to be quite agitated over The Posts coverage of the small protest at the drag queen storytime event.

I believe that his opinion can be boiled down to one sentence: “Some of us want to tell drag queens that they, because of who they are, should not perform stories before an audience of children, and we believe that it is unfair for us to be told that this is an unkind and illogical act.”

Yes, Ms. Leblanc has the right to voice her opinion. And others have the right, and probably the obligation, to point out that her opinion is based in something closer to fear than logic.