Calgary police say a 36-year-old man is facing two charges in a hate-motivated crime.
Police say protesters disrupted a Reading with Royalty event early last month at the Seton Library in the city's southeast.
The family-friendly storytimes at public libraries are led by local drag queens or kings, and children are invited to dress in their best outfit, cape or crown.
Officers were called around 11 a.m. on Feb. 25 for reports that several people had aggressively entered a library classroom, shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs at the children and parents in attendance.
Derek Scott Reimer has been arrested and charged with causing a disturbance and mischief.
Reimer is also facing six counts of harassment under the city's public behaviour bylaw, with each count carrying a penalty of up to $10,000 or six months in jail.
"Calgary is a place everyone should feel welcome and safe, and free from harassment," Ryan Pleckaitis, the city's chief of community standards, said in a statement.
Police said hate-motivated crimes are those where an offender was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on personal characteristics of the victim. They don't result in additional charges, but can be entered as evidence if the person is found guilty and considered in sentencing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Police had previously provided the wrong date of the alleged offence.
