Tensions flare outside Ottawa school board meeting amid gender and washrooms discussion
Tensions flared Tuesday night outside an Ottawa school board meeting as trustees heard delegations about gender and washrooms in schools.
More than 200 people were turned away from the meeting after several speakers signed up to discuss transgender students' use of washrooms.
Many of those people rallied outside the board office during the meeting, with police forced to separate the two sides. Many brought signs reading 'Trans rights are human rights,' and other messages in support of transgender students.
The controversy began when parent Nick Morabito signed up earlier this month to speak at the board. In his remarks, he began raising the issue of transgender students using girls' washrooms. An OCDSB policy gives students the right to use the washroom they feel the most comfortable with.
Trustee Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth cut Morabito off and called his remarks transphobic.
Morabito was back at Tuesday's board meeting, speaking along with several other delegations.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Despite the clashes outside, the meeting itself was calm. The board put measures in place for safety, including limiting space to 75 members of the public, banning signs and erecting dividers separating the public from the trustees.
"It's much more likely for a trans woman to get assaulted in a washroom especially if they are forced to go to a men's washroom," said Phoebe Qiao, a trans woman. "If they're concerned about young girls potentially getting assaulted in restrooms, then they shouldn't force people like me in with cis men."
Morabito says his issue isn't about trans rights, but rather about washroom safety.
"They need to retrofit the school bathrooms, they need to come up with private floor-to-ceiling stalls they need to do something to make it more amenable to all the students rights," he told CTV News before the meeting.
The OCDSB says 95 per cent of its schools have gender neutral washrooms.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.