Kelowna Pride joins calls to cancel comedian’s show

Kelowna Pride is calling for Prospera Place to reconsider hosting a comedy show this week after other venues already cancelled the events for the offensive and demeaning nature of comedian’s act.

Ben Bankas has already seen a handful of other stops on his “I Said What I Said” tour cancelled, and the Kelowna Pride Society said they are both disappointed and alarmed Prospera Place is allowing the show to go ahead, March 19.

His act often puts queer and non-caucasian people as the butt of his jokes and recently his comments about a woman killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis spurred six Minnestota venues to cancel his events.

“We are witnessing a dangerous normalization of rhetoric that dismisses trans lives, mocks queer grief and erodes respect for Indigenous and immigrant communities,” Kelowna Pride vice-president Candace Banks said in an open letter. “When this rhetoric is amplified in large public venues, it does not remain abstract. It shapes attitudes, emboldens hostility and contributes to real-world consequences.”

iNFOnews.ca reached out to Prospera Place and its operator Oak View Group for comment but hasn’t received a response.

Along with the six shows cancelled in the US, other Canadian tour stops have also been cancelled, including two in Ontario, one in Nanaimo and another in Cranbrook.

“We refuse to accept the normalization of comedy that punches down at those who are already vulnerable,” Banks said.