Brandon trustees shut down LGBTQ 'hate speech' at board meeting

The Brandon school board is looking for ways to prevent hate speech by people addressing trustees at their meetings, the board chair said after a presentation to the board was stopped for veering off-topic and into anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Lorraine Hackenschmidt,who sparked a public outcry inMay when she asked that"transgender books" be removed fromschool libraries, was cut off from speaking about the "LGBTQ agenda" at the school board meeting in the southwestern Manitoba city on Monday.

"We are not going to tolerate hate speech in this building," board chair Linda Ross said at the meeting.

Trustees are looking at changing school board bylaws to prevent repeated delegations like Hackenschmidt's, in which LGBTQ community members are called sexual deviants and other derogatory terms, Ross told the CBC after the meeting.

The board has had discussions with the Manitoba School Board Association about changes and has requested a template for possible policies, Ross said.

"We have to put a stop to it if people are just saying the same thing over and over again without presenting new information," Ross said.

"Things like tonight, where people are just saying really hateful things, we have to put a stop to that."

The board agenda said Hackenschmidt had asked to talk about LGBTQ history in response to a request that it be taught in schools.

Hackenschmidt, who said she was "adamantly against the LGBTQ agenda," was given three opportunities to speak, but each time devolved into what the school board deemed hate speech.

Trustee Kim Fallis said Hackenschmidt should not speak because of the way she characterized the LGBTQ community.

"These are ... consenting adults that want to love who they love," Fallis said.

"They're not deviant because they choose to love somebody that maybe you don't agree with."

Trustee Jim Murray said Hackenschmidt's presentation was out of order because it was centred on discrimination against LGBTQ people.

"The Manitoba government is committed to creating a fostering, safe and inclusive learning environment for all children," Murray said.

"Manitoba's K to 12 education and early learning and child-care systems are based on the philosophy of inclusion, where every individual feels accepted, valued and safe."

This vision can only be realized by supporting and respecting the well-being and belonging of the entire learning community, including LGBTQ students, families, staff and teachers, he said.

A part of this is ensuring access to age-appropriate curriculum and diverse learning resources, he said.

Ross said it feels like the school board has been stuck on this conversation since an explosive May 23 school board meeting where trustee Breanna Sieklickisought to create a committee of trustees and parents to review books available in division schools especially those with LGBTQ content.

Sieklicki came to Hackenschmidt's defence at Monday's meeting, asking why previous presentations and delegations that she said discriminated against Catholicism and Christianity were not found out of order.

"I find it very interesting ... you find Miss Hackenschmidt's presentation discrimination and hateful," Sieklicki said.

"Discrimination happens at all levels, so why can people speak against a religion?"

In another presentation to the board on Monday,Mike Theriaultasked for fundamental faith-based education in all Brandon schools so students learn about different religions with an emphasis on Christianity, because the board has, in his opinion, fostered Christianphobia and anti-Catholic rhetoric and misinformation.

Theriault, who spoke in support of the book review committee at the May 23 school board meeting, called on the board to issue a public apology to all Catholics and Christians because, he said, they allowed hatred and misinformation to appear at recent delegations and public inquiries.

The Brandon School Division's code of conduct should be reviewed and made more inclusive of all religious groups, and trustees should receive cultural sensitivity training about religion, he said.

"Our board members need a much better grasp on how religion plays a role in society and Manitoba history, and this can only be done through education," Theriault said.

Ross said she doesn't think Theriault's accusations have any basis in fact.

"I think they're really grasping at straws," she said. "At some point, this just has to stop."