Elle Barbara posters defaced hate speech
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Elle Barbara posters defaced with anti-trans hate speech and threats

by Lorraine Carpenter

“Already we are getting death threats, rape threats, propos homophobes and slut shaming, which distracts from the fact we are taking up space as Black non-cis/het bodies in Montreal.”

On Tuesday, posters for the forthcoming dance show Ayibobo II: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie were defaced with anti-trans, homophobic hate speech and threats of violence.

The words “PÉDALE,” “PUTE,” “TUER CES MERDE,” “VIOL” and “TUEZ-LES” were scrawled on two posters on Mont-Royal Avenue. The Danse-Cité production (at la Chapelle Sept. 11–18) was conceived by Montreal trans musician, artist and organizer Elle Barbara, who commented on the violent and hateful nature of the vandalism of the posters.

“Can the poster be left alone for at least 24 hours before people start graffiti-ing hate speech on it? Already we are getting death threats, rape threats, propos homophobes and slut shaming, which distracts from the fact we are taking up space as Black non-cis/het bodies in Montreal, which is literally unprecedented. Wtf?“

—Elle Barbara

Elle Barbara posters defaced with anti-trans hate speech and threats

Olga Claing, the publicist for Ayibobo II: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie, was also disturbed and disappointed by the incident.

“In this era where inclusion is supposed to be in the spotlight, we can see with this kind of graffiti that society still has a long way to go.”

—Publicist Olga Claing

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by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.