BC Conservative Leader John Rustad used his first question in the province’s legislature to advance parents’ concerns about gender ideology being taught in schools.
“Thousands of British Columbians, many of them from minority communities, have been protesting against SOGI 123 which was originally introduced by the B.C. United Liberals,” Rustad said last week. “Parents are concerned about the sexualization of their children in this NDP government’s education system. Will the minister admit that SOGI 123 has been divisive, an assault on parent’s rights and a distraction on student education?”
SOGI 123 is an acronym for sexual orientation and gender identity.
Premier David Eby welcomed Rustad as the new leader but said his opening question “was not an auspicious start.” British Columbians have bigger concerns, such as housing, healthcare, cost of living and drug addiction, Eby claimed.
Eby accused Rustad of using the authority of his office to “feed the fires of division in our province and bring a culture war to British Columbia.
“It is not welcome,” Eby said.
“It is outrageous that he would stand here and do this. He sees political advantage in picking on kids and families and teachers and schools who are just trying to do their best for kids who are a risk of suicide honourable chair. Shame on him, choose another question.”
On Wednesday, Conservative MLA Bruce Banman followed up on the issue by reading a sexually explicit passage from a book that is currently in B.C. public schools and available to children in the sixth grade.
The lines read from the book, which Banman referred to as “deeply disturbing, degrading language” were so offensive that the Hon. Speaker Raj Chouhan stopped him and said, “please do not use that language.”
Banman apologized for his use of profanity and asked to retract his statements but asked the NDP premier why this book and others like it were available in British Columbia’s public schools.
Education Minister Rachna Singh answered Banman by affirming that “the resources that the teachers are imparting, that teachers are teaching are age appropriate and they are appropriate.”
On Thursday, Eby called the BC Conservatives line of questioning on gender ideology “distressing,” saying that in under a week “already they have so badly degraded the state of debate” with “culture war distractions.”
“It didn’t serve the United States well,” said Eby.
