Drag events, including rescheduled ice performance, pop up across Calgary

It took more than a month, but the show eventuallydid go on.

Drag on Ice, an event originally scheduled for Feb. 10 during Calgary's annual Chinook Blast festival, was postponed due to safety concerns surrounding protests and demonstrations at the time.

On Saturday, performers finally took to the ice at the Henry Viney Arena.It was one of several events happening at morethan 40 venuesacross Calgary that dayto stand in solidarity with the drag community.

"It just shows thatwhile there are vocal opponents, they are a minority. Especially when you're in the online world, their voices seem ubiquitous," said Karla Marx, adrag queen and one of the organizers of Saturday's ice performance.

"But then you come out to an event and you see who shows up, how many people show up."

Marx recalled riding a float during the Calgary Pride Parade last year where, she says, thousands of people were outside in "sweltering heat" supporting and cheering others on.

"I will always keep that memory," she said.

Among the venues that held a pop-up event on Saturday was local pub Ship and Anchor. Fostering a welcoming environment is something the business saysit holds to a high regard.

"It's always been a place that we've tried to keep safe, inclusive. That goes for not just our staff, but our regular customers are people we treat like family. Theirsafety and comfort and inclusivity within this environment is very important to us," said Nick Lake, a floor manager at Ship and Anchor.

"A lot of people whowalk through our doors, they continue to come through these doors in particular because of why we uphold that."

Across the country in recent months, protestorshave ralliedagainst various drag events the most vocal of whom includemembers of alt-right groups.

Following demonstrations at a drag event held at the SetonLibrary, the City of Calgary passed a safety bylaw in March titledthe Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw that prohibitsprotests within 100 metres of an entrance to a recreation facility or library.

The city also updated an existing street harassment bylaw to further address ongoing concerns about the safety of the 2SLGBTQcommunity.

"There's a lot of people who are interested in promoting hatred instead of inclusivity," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. "What we've got in Calgary is a point in time where the folks in this city are saying, 'We're not down with that, we don't appreciate that.'"

Both bylaws areset to be discussed again later this month.