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Galaxy Cinemas confirms to Castanet that a private screening of The War on Children – a film that has been described as anti-2SLGBTQIA+, has been cancelled.
Michelle Saba, vice president of communications for Cineplex confirmed the cancellation in an email to Castanet.
“We have made the decision to cancel the private screening out of respect and in support of Pride Month and the 2SLGBTQI+ community,” said Saba.
News about the screening broke earlier this week, when local lawyer with Lawyers against Transphobia Kylie Walman sounded the alarm over the movie being shown. At the time Walman said she wanted to bring attention to the theatres decision not to cancel the screening.
“I am reaching out to bring to your attention an issue that I think needs immediate media attention. The issue is the Cineplex theatre in Vernon BC renting their venue to a group called Freedom Network to a show a film called “The War on Children”,” said Walkman in an email to all local media.
“The film is clearly anti-2slgbtqia+ and anti-transpropaganda and is being shown during Pride Month.”
She said she wrote to Cineplex to bring the issue to their attention and ask them to cancel the booking. The theatre company originally said it was not their role, “as a film exhibitor, to censor content.”
Walman spoke to Castanet about the new decision to cancel the screening and said she’s very happy about the decision to cancel the film.
“I think it’s really important, given the current issues around anti LGBT, anti trans, what I would call, a movement,” said Walman.
“We can’t be complacent right now. We have to speak up, because if we don’t, there are people on the far right who are organizing and our rights, our basic human rights, are at risk.
She said the most vulnerable people in society, particularly queer and trans youth, mental health and lives are at risk.
“If important, gender affirming care is taken away from them. It’s their lives that are at risk, and we just can’t ignore it. It’s bleeding into Canada, from the US, I would say, to a large degree.”
War on Children is described as a documentary by IMDB, it’s tagged as both LGBT and conservative on the film site.
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