CHARLIE HURT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ANALYSIS.
YOU MAY REMEMBER, IN THE DEEP
RECESSES OF YOUR BRAIN, THAT
CREEPY SHOP TEACHER IN CANADA
WHO DECIDES TO SEXUALIZE THE
KIDS IN HIS SHOP CLASS GETTING
THEM INVOLVED IN HIS WEIRD
FETISH.
THE GUY USES THE NAME CALO
LEMIEUX, AND SHOWS UP TO CLASS
WEARING GIGANTIC PROSTHETIC
BREASTS, EMULATING JAPANESE
PORNOGRAPHY.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SCHOOL
BOARD HAS DEFENDED THIS GUY.
A PARENT JOINS US TO EXPLAIN.
SURE APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON
TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE BRAVERY
TO MAKE YOUR POSITION PUBLIC.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ABOUT THIS
SHOP TEACHER?
>> WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME,
TUCKER.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST IN
THIS.
WHAT WE’VE DONE, WE’VE ASKED THE
BOARD TO ESSENTIALLY DO THREE
THINGS.
WE’VE ASKED THEM TO APPLY THE
STUDENT DRESS CODE TO THE
TEACHERS, BECAUSE ONE DOESN’T
EXIST FOR THE TEACHERS.
IN OUR VIEW, IT’S ILLOGICAL AND
ABSURD THAT THE TEACHERS WOULD
BE HELD TO A LOWER STANDARD THAN
THE STUDENTS IN TERMS OF THEIR
ATTIRE.
SECONDLY, ONCE WE’VE ESTABLISHED
WHAT THAT STANDARD IS, IF THE
SCHOOL BOARD IS CREATING
EXCEPTIONS FROM THAT STANDARD WE
WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT
THOSE EXCEPTIONS ARE.
THEN THIRDLY, WE WOULD LIKE THE
SCHOOL BOARD TO CEASE AND DESIST
FROM INTERFERING WITH THE RIGHT
OF THE PARENTS TO DISCUSS THIS MATTER.
THEY’VE REPEATEDLY DONE THAT IN
SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETINGS SINCE
THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
>> Tucker: THIS REVEALS THEIR
PRIORITIES, MUCH MORE INTERESTED
IN PROTECTING THIS GUY’S SEXUAL
JOURNEY THAN THEY ARE WITH THE
KIDS.
SHOULDN’T THEY BE CONCERNED WITH
THE KIDS THAT GO TO THE SCHOOL?
>> I DO AGREE WITH THAT.
THIS IS AN ISSUE ABOUT GENDER
IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION.
HUMAN RIGHTS BY THEIR NATURE ARE
COMPLEX, BUT GENDER IDENTITY AND
EXPRESSION ARE RELATIVELY NEW
GROUNDS INTRODUCED INTO CODE IN
2012. WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
JURISPRUDENCE OR DIRECTION FROM
THE TRIBUNAL OR COURTS.
THEY’VE TAKEN AN OVERLY RISK
AVERSE APPROACH TO THIS ISSUE.
THEY HAVE A DIVERSITY INCLUSION
MANDATE, AND AS A PERSON WITH
STUDENTS IN THOSE SCHOOLS, I
COMMEND THAT.
I APPRECIATE IT.
HOWEVER WHAT THEY’RE MISSING,
WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS,
PARTICULARLY GENDER IDENTITY AND
EXPRESSION, CONTEXT IS
IMPORTANT.
THERE’S A DELICATE BALANCING OF
INTERESTS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN
HERE.
I DON’T THINK THEY’VE DONE THAT
APPROPRIATELY.
AS YOU POINTED OUT, TUCKER, I
THINK THE CONTEXT THAT THEY’RE
MISSING HERE IS THAT THIS IS A
SCHOOL.
THESE ARE CHILDREN.
THEY’RE ADOLESCENTS.
THEIR MATURITY IS STILL
DEVELOPING.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK
THERE’S EXTREME VIEWS TAKEN OF
THIS AS WELL, WHICH SAYS THAT
TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS DON’T
HAVE ANY RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT’S AN EXTREME
VIEW.
THE PARENTS THAT I REPRESENT,
THE PARENTS THAT SUPPORT THEM,
ARE BEING LABELED AS
DISCRIMINATORY OR BIGOTED.
THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
IT POLARIZES US.
WHAT WE NEED IS A CONSTRUCTIVE
APPROACH, CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOG,
AND COMMON SENSE ON THIS ISSUE.
>> Tucker: YOU’RE NOT GOING TO
GET CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOG IF NO
DIALOG IS ALLOWED, IF PARENTS
AREN’T ALLOWED TO TALK.
I HOPE AT THE VERY LEAST YOU WIN
THAT BATTLE AND GET FREEDOM OF
SPEECH BACK.
I APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON.