CHICAGO — A far northwest suburban bakery has received a stream of harassment after selling tickets to a family-friendly drag show scheduled at the shop on Saturday, while protesters and counterprotesters plan to rally outside during the show, according to the owner and police.
Corinna Sac, owner of UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, planned what she said is a fun and child-friendly event, replete with costumes, dancing, breakfast food and a celestial theme. Sac, a baker, opened the shop with the goal of creating a space for everyone, she said. The space holds live music, poetry slams and other community events.
The backlash against the drag show in the McHenry County town was seemingly centered on the show being open to children, Sac said. People called and emailed the store voicing concerns. Some called workers at the bakery pedophiles. They insulted Sac as a mother, she said.
“Other people who haven’t been exposed to this need to learn about it and be more accepting,” she said.
UpRising limited the ability of the public to post on its Facebook page, and more than a dozen reviews on the bakery’s Yelp page were taken down for violating terms of service.
Someone left a sign on the door that said, “Pedophiles work here,” Sac said. Another person came into the store and spit into the bakery case.
Another time, a bag of feces was left outside, she said.
People also called police to report the drag show, according to a news release from the Lake in the Hills Police Department. It investigated and found no violations, the release said. It also subsequently investigated threats to the bakery.
Despite the harassment, Sac plans to go ahead with the drag show on Saturday. She is also planning a second one on Aug. 7 and possibly more in the future. Saturday’s show has sold out.
She is expecting both protesters and counterprotesters outside the bakery on Saturday, but said the groups have worked with the Police Department to protest in a designated area.
In its news release, the Police Department said it is aware of protests and counterprotests planned for Saturday.
“We are taking measures to ensure that everyone has the right to engage in peaceful protest,” the release said. “However, we wish to remind everyone that under no circumstances will the police department tolerate a disruption of this event or any activity that disrupts the peace.”
A Lake in Hills police spokesperson did not return calls from the Tribune.
Sac said the show is “very, very family friendly” with no nudity or explicit content. The event, called “Brunch at Night,” features well-known local performers.
“The worse thing is a high kick, possibly, or someone doing the splits. That’s about it,” she said.
In the wake of the backlash, there has been an outpouring of support from the community, Sac said. LGBT organizations and some pastors and ministers in the area have organized to support the bakery.
Patrick Murfin, social justice chair at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, said the backlash against the event was discouraging. He put information about supporting the bakery in the church’s newsletter this week.
“Up until the late ‘80s and early ‘90s , it was dangerous to be out in McHenry County,” Murfin said. “But there has been so much progress since then.”
Though he said there is sometimes local pushback against Pride events and LGBT organizations in the area, he hasn’t seen the level of vitriol experienced by the bakery.
“This particular event, the opposition to it, seems ... to be being orchestrated by certain far-right elements to exploit the moment,” he said.
Crys Squires, president of Woodstock Pride, an organization based in the nearby suburb, said the group has also marshaled support for Sac and the bakery.
“The whole community and group really rallied around the bakery,” Squires said. “We’re just really trying to shower the bakery with as much support.”
Like Murfin, Squires also felt that the community has made progress in recent years — and was disappointed to see the level of nastiness spewed at the bakery. Woodstock Pride has hosted drag shows locally that have received some backlash but not to the same extent.
“I think one big takeaway from this whole thing is that while there is still negativity and people who maybe do not support the LGBT community, there are also a lot of people that do, and those people are standing up,” Squires said.
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