Queer community alleges Budweiser Gardens' security gender policed washrooms during RuPaul's Drag Race event

Budweiser Gardens is under fire after attendees claimed the venue's contracted security gender policed the bathrooms during a RuPaul's Drag Race show in London, Ont.

“Their presence at queer events should be doing only and solely protection for and of those queer people, not policing them,” said Courtney Conquers, a drag artist who attended the 'Werq the World 2023' show on Aug. 19.

Members of the queer community said those who presented as cis-gendered men were stationed outside both binary male and female washrooms.

“Went to this event last night, literally had security guards outside the men’s bathroom yelling, ‘No females in the male washroom,’ it was so disgusting,” wrote @Strawbracha on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The post added, “The lineup for the women’s ended up going into the concession area, the men’s stood empty. People ended up missing parts of the show despite empty washrooms because they were being guarded.”

Conquers said security allegedly was going to kick out anyone who they deemed did not present as suitable or did not present as their assigned gender at birth, as well as those who challenged the policy.

“The security force went from zero to 100 saying ‘If you question our policies you are out,’ and they tried to remove them from the venue of a show that they had paid to be at, even though their approach was not combative, and they were frankly completely in the right,” said Conquers.

Budweiser Gardens General Manager Brian Ohl took to social media Monday morning, to personally apologize to anyone who had a “tarnished experience.”

He acknowledged through an investigation that the events did occur and spoke to CTV News London about the venue’s next steps.

A promotional posted advertising for the RuPaul's drag Race 'Werq the World 2023' tour at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont. (Source: Budweiser Gardens/X)

“Education is probably the biggest thing,” said Ohl. “We will be sitting down with [the vendor] tomorrow and getting from them exactly their perspective [of] what transpired, and how they missed our directives. Going forward, we already do training for our staff, and we're going to include all of our third party vendors.”

With a large social media presence, and a background in advocacy for gender equity in drag contexts, Conquers has been reaching out to the venue on behalf of those involved.

“It's blatant transphobia,” said Conquers.

Conquers added, “A drag event, even in a place like London, Ontario is primarily marketed toward queer people and queer inclusivity and there are going to be trans people there and they're going to be people that don't fit into the gender binary. They were just trying to have a good night and mind their business, so people were upset.”