On Tuesday, two delegates with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) decried so-called “transphobic candidates” running to become school trustees. Any member or group in the OCDSB community can apply to be a delegate.
In reality, a slate of several candidates has stepped up to steer the school board away from the radical left and prevent children from being exposed to harmful gender ideology.
“Multiple transphobic candidates are running for school trustee positions across the (OCDSB). If these candidates are elected, they may introduce discriminatory policies which could without a doubt harm the transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming communities in these schools,” alleged delegate Amy Tessler.
Tressler’s proposal to stop said trustees was to put “protections in place” across the entire school board to crystallize gender ideology policy.
Delegate Christian Wright also called on the board’s executive staff to take “immediate action to enact and solidify policies” including maintaining the privacy of gender identity, funding for gender ideology groups and more.
At least two candidates have signed on to represent various positions by the group Blueprint for Canada – launched by concerned parent Peter Wallace after witnessing the far-left progressive takeover of Canadian school boards.
True North reached out to Blueprint for Canada for a response to the allegations that candidates were “transphobic” and seeking to put gender-diverse students in harm’s way.
“This debate is rooted in a fundamental disagreement around the ideological narrative of a ‘transgender child’. Children may naturally claim all manner of identities while growing up but do not in our view, have the life experience, brain development, or maturity to claim any manner of gender identity at odds with their biological sex which should be taken seriously by adults,” Blueprint told True North.
“We are aware that a small number of children suffer from gender dysphoria. Whether we are talking about the gender dysphoria seen historically (mostly affecting very young boys) or the gender dysphoria seen today (mostly teenage girls), these individuals need compassion. They do not need medicalization, drugs, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries based on highly flawed data that doesn’t show benefit.”
In response to the claim that the organization harboured so-called transphobic sentiments, Blueprint said the allegation was “inappropriate and is a lie.”
“One trustee candidate running on our platform for the OCDSB, Chanel Pfahl, is lesbian herself, and our platform has received enthusiastic support from many others who fall into this group. We believe mutually respectful dialogue would be more productive and professional than insults and name-calling, especially from elected representatives,” said Blueprint.
“The newly elected OCDSB board will be entirely within its rights to create new policies and revise any existing policies if they feel appropriate. As democratically elected representatives this is entirely within their mandate.”
OCDSB candidate Pfahl told True North that name-calling was a common tactic for those seeking to silence opposition.
“Just as people who speak out against the illiberal “anti-racism” doctrine are labelled “racist”, anyone who takes issue with gender ideology gets labelled transphobic or homophobic. You’d think that a lesbian would be immune from accusations of homophobia, but that is not the case,” said Pfahl.
“Most people know by now that name-calling is simply an effective way to squash dissent and avoid having to think up rational arguments. Anyone who actually makes an effort to understand my views will see that my intentions are good – I am looking out for the best interest of the kids.”
As exclusively reported by True North, the OCDSB has implemented several policies that have parents in the district concerned. A 2021 guide on gender identity for teachers directs staff to accommodate students who wish to use change rooms with the opposite sex based solely on their “self-identification.”
Additionally, staff are told to “not share” a student’s gender identity with their family members or guardians.
“School staff shall not share a student’s trans or gender diverse status with family members or guardians without explicit permission of the student. A student’s gender identity will only be disclosed to another person on a need-to-know basis,” the guide writes.
“Changes to official records do not require consent from parents/guardians/caregivers/guardians; however, legal guardians of a student have the right to access the student’s records.”
