PIE Day embraces the art of drag

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This article was published 12/03/2025 (240 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This Saturday is “PIE Day” in Brandon — and as the name suggests, there will be pie.

But there will also be a celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, says Rev. Doug Neufeld from Trinity United Church.

“It’s about equality for all — everyone should be respected equally, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Neufeld said. “PIE stands for public, intentional and explicit.”

This year’s PIE Day will be held in the auditorium of Knox United Church, with a 10 a.m. start.

Local drag performer Flora Hex is scheduled to make a presentation on the art and history of drag, host a workshop for those curious about how to be a drag artist, and stage a performance with another member of the House of Hex.

Flora Hex is the persona of Brandon’s Ryan Flannery.

“This event is a bridge between people who know nothing about drag, and people who love it already. So hopefully, everyone will get something out of it,” Flannery said.

PIE Day is presented by Knox, Trinity and Forrest United Churches. They are part of the Affirm United initiative within the United Church of Canada. Neufeld said that means they have policies that support same-gender marriage, are welcoming to all, and have a mission statement that follows those beliefs.

“We’re a voice to stand up and say this is a safe space,” Neufeld said, adding, “because for some reason there are Christian groups that are so passionate about victimizing the LGBTQ community, with an interpretation of scripture that really is archaic and not of the current time.”

There is no admission to attend PIE Day, but donations will be accepted, with 100 per cent of the money raised given to the Sexuality Education Resource Centre (SERC) for youth planning.

Lunch will be provided for participants of the workshop between 10 a.m. to noon.

“Then at the end of the day after Flora’s workshop and history of drag presentation, we will have a big pie feast with all the donated pies” Neufeld said. “I’m sure you’ll see every kind of pie you can imagine.”

The morning drag workshop is geared toward people who are 13 years of age and older, said Flannery, who offered the first gem of knowledge — that the visual statement of being in drag is only a fraction of what drag is all about.

“My personal definition of drag is the act of basically putting on an alternate persona other than how you would conduct yourself in your everyday life. And I would describe everyday life as who you are when you are by yourself, your authentic self,” Flannery said.

The workshop will be centred around empowerment, he added, giving people opportunities to learn about themselves, and helping them develop “what that persona might look like to them.”

“We’ll have some fun learning power poses in our physical self and our mental self, and maybe do a runway walk, some dancing and some lip syncing,” he said.

The afternoon session, scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, will focus on the history of drag, which at one time, Flannery said, reflected what was going on in the world.

“It really was — in the most positive sense — a rebellion against negativity,” he said.

“Drag is sometimes a little bit pigeon-holed as one thing, so I’m going to talk about how it hasn’t always been called drag. It was just a common occurrence in society, culture and spiritualism.”

Flannery will be conducting all his presentations as Flora Hex, including the finale, which will feature three songs and a duet with a House of Hex drag artist.

The educational piece that Neufeld hopes people take advantage of during PIE Day is the opportunity to spend time with others who may not be in their regular circle of friends or acquaintances.

“I think there a lot of people who have never met someone who might identify differently,” Neufeld said.

“It’s really significant to have interaction and conversation with members of our 2SLGBTQIA+ community who are on the receiving end of being victimized, to get a feeling for what they experience and how they just want to live their lives honestly, as they understand themselves to be.”

The local event is not to be confused with another event called Pi Day, which is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14. They eat pie and talk about the value of pi, which means if you divide the total distance around a circle by the diameter, you will get the same number: 3.14159.

For more information about Brandon’s PIE Day, call Knox United Church at 204-727-6975.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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