A school trustee in Chilliwack has come out swinging against sexual orientation and gender identity policies.

Barry Neufeld posted a long statement on his publicly-accessible Facebook page, saying 鈥淚 can no longer sit on my hands. I have to stand up and be counted.鈥�

He called the new efforts by the Ministry of Education to create tolerance for all sexualities 鈥渢he latest fad鈥� that has turned into a 鈥渨eapon of propaganda鈥� for gender theories.

鈥淎t the risk of being labelled a bigoted homophobe, I have to say that I support traditional family values and I agree with the College of paediatricians that allowing little children choose to change gender is nothing short of child abuse,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淏ut now the BC Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools.鈥�

He ended the post by saying if this is what Canadian values are becoming 鈥渃ount me out,鈥� and that he鈥檇 rather live in 鈥淩ussia, or Paraguay, which recently had the guts to stand up to these radical cultural nihilists.鈥�

Neufeld also posted a meme that compared parents in 1997 and 2017. In the 1997 image, a dad yells at his son that he can鈥檛 get his ears pierced. In the 2017, a mom consoles her son who says 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 supposed to be a girl.鈥� The mom says 鈥淥kay, sweetie. We鈥檒l start hormone treatment immediately!鈥�

The post instantly drew criticism, along with some praise, from others.

Patti Bacchus, a former Vancouver School Board chair, also called for a resignation on Twitter.

Trustee Neufeld needs to apologize and resign. His colleagues need to censure him and send a strong message.

鈥� Patti Bacchus (@pattibacchus)

Amoung the most notable critics was Morgane Oger, a trans woman who ran for an NDP seat in the last provincial election.

鈥淵ou ought to be ashamed of yourself,鈥� she scolded. 鈥淕iven your position in leadership, you should know better than to quote a widely discredited pseudo-science source in order to publish hateful material against a minority group. At the very least, consult the credible sources that are widely available to you. The UBC faculty of Nursing has done excellent work on anti-trans bigotry.鈥�

She added that there are laws to protect people from the very type of comments he posted, including sections 7(a) and 7(b) of the BC Human Rights Code.

Neufeld鈥檚 post is at odds with a by the B.C. School Trustee鈥檚 Association, which says in part: 鈥淎s stewards of public schools and their students across our province, it is important that we speak out against intolerance and prejudice in any school district or community in British Columbia. 鈥� Embedded in that is the responsibility of upholding of each and every student鈥檚 and staff member鈥檚 right to a safe and inclusive environment, where they can express themselves without fear of discrimination or harassment.鈥�

The BCSTA contacted The Progress to express that Neufeld鈥檚 opinions are his own, and do not align with that of the BCSTA.

At least one parent asked Neufeld to resign as a trustee in light of the post.

鈥淚s it safe to assume that you are stepping down as Trustee?鈥� asked Jared Mumford. 鈥淎nd if so, when will you submit your resignation to the board?鈥�

As for the school district, superintendent Evelyn Novak says they will continue working with the board on inclusion. When asked for comment on Neufeld鈥檚 public post, Novak said the board approved changes to policy back in October 2016, regarding safe schools, to follow revised legislative requirements for the BC Charter of Human Rights and Freedom and the BC Human Rights Code.

The regulation statest that: 鈥淪chools are expected to establish a code of conduct that is consistent with board policies and regulations, the BC Charter of Human Rights and Freedom, the BC Human Rights Code and provincial standards. In establishing and maintaining a school code of conduct schools are required to: Communicate in language appropriate for the student audience the prohibitions against discrimination as set out in the BC Human Rights Code (race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and age).鈥�

Novak added, 鈥渇uture discussions with the Board will include SOGI and our continued work on inclusion.鈥�

The District鈥檚 Parent Advisory Council鈥檚 chair, Justine Hodge, also noted that the post 鈥渋s in direct contradiction of The Charter of Rights and Freedom, The School Act, The BC School Trustees Association, and his own policy manual.鈥�

鈥淗is comments promote the exclusion and isolation of a growing subset of children, including those with same-sex parents,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he fact is we have transgender students and staff in our schools and it is his duty to ensure a safe and positive learning environment for all. The Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council鈥檚 mandate is to represent all parents, including those in same sex marriages or with children who have chosen genders. For that reason, the Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council does not agree with or condone Mr. Neufeld鈥檚 comments.鈥�

The BCSTA, and the Chilliwack School Board Chair have also been contacted for comment on this emerging story.

Neufeld isn鈥檛 a sole voice against SOGI policies. In Surrey, a group called Parents United Canada is filing an 鈥渦rgent鈥� human rights complaint after it was told it could not rent the Bell Performing Arts Centre for a rally next month to inform parents about efforts to stop a curriculum program called SOGI 123.

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And in Abbotsford recently, about 150 people attended a meeting to rally opposition to policies meant to make LGBT students feel safe and welcome in Abbotsford schools.

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Barry Neufeld鈥檚 entire statement:

鈥淥kay, so I can no longer sit on my hands. I have to stand up and be counted. A few years ago, the Liberal minister of education instigated a new curriculum supposedly to combat bullying. But it quickly morphed into a weapon of propaganda to infuse every subject matter from K-12 with the latest fad: Gender theory. the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) program instructs children that gender is not biologically determined, but is a social construct. At the risk of being labelled a bigoted homophobe, I have to say that I support traditional family values and I agree with the College of paediatricians that allowing little children choose to change gender is nothing short of child abuse. But now the BC Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools. Children are being taught that heterosexual marriage is no longer the norm. Teachers must not refer to 鈥渂oys and girls鈥� they are merely students. They cannot refer to mothers and fathers either. (Increasing numbers of children are growing up in homes with same sex parents) If this represents the values of Canadian society, count me out! I belong in a country like Russia, or Paraguay, which recently had the guts to stand up to these radical cultural nihilists. https://c-fam.org/鈥�/parents-defeat-gender-ideology-paraguay/鈥�

jpeters@theprogress.com
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