(Updated: According to the website bcsogi.ca, a fourth candidate, Peter Sutherland, is running as an anti-SOGI candidate, though he is not part of the “slate.”)
Of the candidates who have put their names forward for the board of education, three of them are running as an unofficial slate.
The group opposes SOGI 123, a set of resources the Ministry of Education has made available to public schools more inclusive, welcoming environments, especially for LGBTQ+ children. Vanessa MacLean, Manfred Hack and Andy Beaudin have committed to run for school trustee.
RELATED STORY: Campbell River school trustees support SOGI
“This non-mandatory set of resources has been put in place in School District No. 72 while community concerns are not being listened to,” says MacLean, a local parent. “It clearly over-rides parental rights and we believe our current school board has failed us and all our children by not having a clear procedure for vetting specific resources.”
The candidates says the school board “snuck” the controversial program into all local schools. They say it is neither proven nor scientific and has “infiltrated” all course content from kindergarten to Grade 12 from math to gym. Another concern is the ability for parents to be able to remove children from any content dealing with SOGI 123.
The candidates also are concerned that some school trustees across the province have disclosed they voted for the program but didn’t understand the full extent of its ideology and now regret their decision.
“We have heard from parents, school staff and trustees across the province who have expressed the same unease and frank disbelief that resources this radical could be imposed on children with very limited input from parents,” says Christian McCay, a local Campbell River parent who has been vocal in his opposition to SOGI. He notes the video I’m Just Anneke as a recommended resource for Grade 6 and up, which highlights children changing their sex.
“Schools should be a safe and inclusive environment for all children,” says Hack. “It is also vital schools respect all views and remain politically neutral. This program promotes a very distinct ideology that goes far beyond bullying and inclusiveness.”
Some of the resources suggested are not appropriate for children, the candidates say, such as one asking a kindergarten/Grade 1 child to draw a picture imagining how their family would be better with two moms or two dads rather than the family that they already have.
The three candidates say the resources teach children they can be boys, girls, either or neither depending on how they “feel.” SOGI 123 suggests policies that tell teachers to ask their students their preferred sex, gender, name and pronoun. If the child doesn’t want parents to know then the school keeps them in the dark.
“So what you have is a set of resources, such as the book I Am Jazz encouraging young children to explore their gender identity paired with policies that exclude the parents if they become confused,” says Beaudin.