A children’s center canceled a planned drag bingo fundraiser after receiving backlash from the community. The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester announced it was canceling its scheduled “all ages” drag bingo, which was scheduled for August 17. The Center noted the event had “been at the center of challenging and emotional conversations.” “The decision to cancel the event was not made lightly,” it said in a statement. “It was based on a number of complex factors and concerns, including the potential for the conversation around the event to overshadow our core focus: the children and families we serve. We serve them with compassion, dignity, and respect. We deeply value the support of individuals and groups who share our commitment to building a safer, more inclusive community.” One user called the Center’s initial decision to allow the event a “stunning betrayal.” “Let’s be absolutely clear:

This was never about ‘inclusivity,’” he wrote. “It was about boundaries — boundaries that matter when you’re working with vulnerable, traumatized children. Your decision to host, defend, and then vaguely walk back this event signals a stunning betrayal of your mission and the families who trust you.”

The event was to be conducted through a third party, Drag Me to the Stage. Drag queen Ed Popil, known as “Mrs. Kasha Davis,” was the set performer and said he learned of the cancellation from the Advocacy Center’s interim CEO, Mary Whittier. “We found out the event was canceled from a phone call from Mary Whittier, the interim CEO, saying there was some backlash, that there was some misunderstanding that it was ridiculous, on her part she felt as though it was ridiculous,” he said. While understanding the pressure faced by the Center, Popil said he believed opening a dialogue would have been a better solution. “Obviously any conversation can turn into a heated discussion, but to sit at a table and discuss what these opinions are or what this information is, I think would be very valuable,” he said. Popil later donated his earnings from some other shows to the Center.

In a later post featuring Whittier, the Center appeared to be somewhat apologizing for the cancelation. “While we acknowledged the pain, anger and disappointment that we caused to many in our community—and in particular our LGBTQ+ partners, allies and supporters—a critical component and the most important element of that message was missing, which is our apology for the hurt we caused to the LGBTQ+ community. On behalf of The CAC of Greater Rochester I am deeply sorry. Our decision to cancel the event—and how we handled it—caused harm to people we wholeheartedly support, welcome and align with. I take full responsibility,” noted Whittier. The statement vowed the Center would adjust its 3^rd party event policy, although the exact details of what those changes would be remained sparse.