The owner of a Chicago-area bakery has been hosting a variety of special events at her suburban business since it opened last year.
“This is a family-friendly environment, and when we opened I vowed to always make it family-friendly,” Corinna Sac, owner of UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, told NBC Chicago.
As inflation costs rose, she said, those events became even more important for her business. That’s why she decided to host a drag brunch and performance on July 23 and turn it into an event for all ages.
“The intent was to take a fun event like a drag show and make it family-friendly,” she said, adding that she offered lower prices for children because they consume less food.
But what she didn’t expect was the reaction she would receive on social media, with many upset at the decision to allow children at the event.
Since she first publicized the event, which is now sold out, Sac said she has faced "nonstop harassment." Sac said someone walked into the bakery and spit on the cafe's display case, another person left a bag of feces outside the shop door and someone posted a letter on the business that read “pedophiles work here.” She even had someone report her to the Department of Children and Family Services, she said.
“I was scared this was going to ruin the business me and my husband have put everything into,” she said. “This business, this is my everything besides my children.”
Sac said local police have been "heavily involved" in the matter.
Despite the harassment and planned protests, Sac said the "Starry Night Drag Brunch" will go on as planned Saturday.
“If this is the hill we die on, we are going to die loud and proud," Sac said. "We have always fought for equality for everyone."