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Drag Queen Bingo canceled in Howell after community backlash

Howell Melon Festival
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(WSYM) — Drag Queen Bingo scheduled in conjunction with the Howell Melon Festival has been canceled after community backlash and critical comments of the event went viral on social media.

Related: Drag Queen Bingo causes Howell city leaders to cancel annual festival then compromise with no alcohol

Bradley Haas, who is the co-director of Beauty Beyond Drag Productions, made the announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“We have made the decision for the safety of ourselves and our performers to cancel Drag Queen Bingo at the Howell Historic Theater … it is very unfortunate that this event has been overly politicized both by the far right and the far left,” Haas said.

Haas added, “the whole situation grew into a monster that we were not expecting.”

The Melon Festival has been held for 60 years, with the exception of last year due to COVID-19.