North Brookfield Board of Selectmen denies drag show during Pride event on town common
NORTH BROOKFIELD - A battle is brewing in the town of North Brookfield over a Pride event and whether a drag show should be allowed as part of the celebration on the town common June 24.
"I think there's polarization taking place all over the country," said Maggie Motyka.
"It's just not something I feel should be done in public," said another resident Sal Branciforte.
In a 2 to 1 vote last week, the Board of Selectmen reversed itself from a vote in March, saying the Pride celebration could go on, but without the drag show calling it adult entertainment that requires a special permit.
"The majority of shows include sexual innuendo and include behavior that exaggerates all aspects of individual sexuality," said chairman Jason Petraitis.
The Rural Justice Network, which is sponsoring the event, disagrees saying people will see actors dressed like Disney characters such as Maleficent, making it a fun and family friendly event.
Susan Lyons with the group believes it's been blown out of proportion. "This drag show everyone is so worked up about is a small snippet of what the whole event is, and people need to respect other people's views," said Lyons.
The American Civil Liberties Union sent the town a letter calling the vote a violation of civil rights. "The rules are very clear that in public forums like the town common people need to be free to express themselves," said ACLU attorney Ruth Bourquin.
But Sal Branciforte sees it a different way. "If they want to have it anywhere else on private property, we can't stop that, we wouldn't have a problem then I would protest by not going," Branciforte said.
The selectmen's vote may not be the final word on the issue. The ACLU gave the board until next Wednesday to respond to their letter and is threatening legal action. "The dialogue happening is not positive and that makes me sad in North Brookfield," said Susan Lyons.
For now, the selectmen will only say they're consulting with their own legal counsel.