LGBTQ2S+ advocates raise concerns about Ottawa school trustee candidates
Standing in front of Robert E. Wilson Public School in Ottawa, Shannon Boschy did not mince words.
"Biology exists. We are sexually dimorphic, we are either male or female biologically, but we are teaching in schools that that’s not the case; that we make up gender and that’s extremely damaging," Boschy said.
"The belief that boys can become girls and girls can become boys is not a belief shared by the majority of society," Boschy added.
Boschy, an Ottawa Carleton District School Board Trustee candidate for Zone 6, is one of two candidates being criticized by LGBTQ2S+ advocates for alleged transphobic remarks on social media.
The other candidate receiving backlash for her tweets is Chanel Pfahl, an OCDSB Trustee Candidate in Zone 8.
Both candidates frequently speak out against gender-affirming medical care, such as puberty blockers and transition surgery.
"These views are harmful on adults who are transgender. I can’t imagine the impact that will have on OCDSB students who are trans," Christian Wright, the lead coordinator of Rainbow Ottawa said.
Both Pfahl and Boschy tell CTV News Ottawa they do not believe gender identity should be taught in Ottawa schools.
In an emailed statement, Pfahl wrote, "'gender identity' is a pseudoscientific concept which harms kids — especially the gender non conforming kids with some level of gender dysphoria, who are most susceptible to it."
But transgender activists say teaching gender identity and creating safe spaces for students is crucial to their wellbeing.
"Transgender youth need affirmation, they need love, and they need care to be successful; to be happy," they added.
The concerns come as a major American hospital says it is facing online attacks for providing gender-affirming care.
Boston Children's Hospital says it has faced a "large volume" of threats of violence for offering that kind of care.
Boschy has previously tweeted questioning the care the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario provides to children with gender dysphoria.
Health experts refute the criticism, saying children with gender dysphoria are at a greater risk for mental health complications, like suicide and depression; adding the care they provide is vital.
"We can make the lives of these kids and the families by giving them the care they need, other people can mind their business. It’s not their kid," Dr. Jason Brophy, an Infectious Diseases Physician at CHEO said.
"We should be talking about these topics in school, it doesn’t make sense to say that we shouldn’t, because the harms that are being talked about aren’t there, but the harms of not talking about it are," Brophy added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton attacked in prison
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.