The ABC has scrapped a planned drag storytime event citing "hateful and offensive" backlash.
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The national broadcaster had invited families from the LGBTQIA+ community to be involved in the filming of a drag storytime event at a Sydney library for its Mardi Gras coverage.
The ABC is the official broadcaster for the upcoming 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
A call out by ABCQueer content lead and journalist Mon Shafter in the closed Facebook group Rainbow Families Community said the event would be held at Rockdale Library.
"The ABC is filming a drag story time event for the 2024 Mardi Gras broadcast, and is looking for children between ages 3-5 to take part," the post said, including an email address for those interested.
One Facebook page which shared a screenshot of the post claimed it was part of the ABC's "queer woke agenda" and was "forcing" children to watch drag queen shows.
More than 150 people shared the post and left comments describing the events as "grooming" and "evil".
The page encouraged its followers to use the email provided to complain and later celebrated news the event had been scrapped.
In a statement the ABC said the event would no longer be held at Rockdale Library and it was considering how it could be hosted safely.
"The ABC condemns the hateful and offensive response we have received from some individuals in response to the call out for this event," the statement said.
"The ABC invited families from within the LGBTQIA+ community to participate in a Drag Queen Story Time event which would be filmed as part of our Mardi Gras coverage.
"These events are designed for families and are regularly held in public spaces."
The statement said the ABC's partnership with Mardi Gras aligned with its Charter obligation to reflect all Australians.
The backlash follows campaigns in the past 12 months to cancel the events, which are often held at local libraries and involve drag performers reading books to children.
In early 2023 the cancellation of about 15 drag storytime events sparked action from the LGBTIQA+ community in Melbourne who formed a group of "angels" to protect families attending the events and show public solidarity.
