Move afoot to ban LGBTTQ+ books from Brandon schools

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2023 (874 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — A pair of Brandon School Division trustees applauded a presentation Monday seeking to ban certain books that feature LGBTTQ+ content from its libraries.

At the BSD board meeting, Lorraine Hackenschmidt (who identified herself as a grandmother and former school trustee) advocated for the creation of a committee that would review books discussing gender identity and sexual health issues — and potentially remove them from school shelves.

She linked the discussion of books with transgender themes to the sexual grooming of youth and pedophilia — a common religious conservative argument against queer content.

After the presentation, BSD trustees Breeanna Sieklicki and Calistus Ekenna applauded Hackenschmidt’s presentation.

Sieklicki implored attendees to support Hackenschmidt at the next scheduled meeting May 23, when the board is to discuss the proposal at greater length.

On Tuesday, Brandon Pride denounced the presentation in a statement posted on its social media platforms. The advocacy organization called for local allies to reach out to BSD trustees with their opposition and encouraged them to also attend the next meeting.

“The crude and false impression presented last night that books containing queer and transgender content are promoting pedophilia or a harmful agenda is sad, frustrating and very alarming,” the statement reads.

“Much of the language used during this presentation is the same hateful rhetoric that we have been hearing recently from the USA, in states that are passing laws to limit and ban gender-affirming care and how drag artists can perform.”

Reached by phone, school board chairwoman Linda Ross declined to comment ahead of the May 23 meeting.

The gallery of the BSD’s boardroom was filled to capacity for the Monday meeting, with trustees remarking there hadn’t been that many visitors in a long time.

Hackenschmidt introduced herself as not being a doctor, lawyer or psychologist, but a concerned person who has “done research on the subject of the LGBTQ ideology, the type of books in our school libraries on this subject and the effect that they might have on our children and grandchildren.”

At the meeting, she quoted a 2019 release from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, calling for the creation of a new framework to spur action toward the removal of online photos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Though the release is specifically about images of children being sexually assaulted or abused — which Hackenschmidt acknowledged — she then asked about the impact of content featuring gender identity discussions.

“Where are they getting the idea that they are in the wrong body?” Hackenschmidt asked. “This is a dangerous path our children are being enticed to go down.”

She also quoted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s views on LGBTTQ+ issues. Orban’s party has banned the depiction of homosexuality or gender reassignment in media targeted to those 18 and younger.

Hackenschmidt provided examples of books she believes are harmful, including: Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, by Jazz Jennings; Toni Morrison’s 1970 novel The Bluest Eye; and Katie Rain Hill’s Rethinking Normal: a Memoir in Transition.

The Sun was unable to reach Hackenschmidt or Sieklicki for comment.

Earlier this month, the Free Press reported on an effort to have several books that discuss gender, sexuality and consent banned from the South Central Regional Library, which operates branches in Miami, Manitou, Altona, Morden and Winkler.

Last year, the Canadian Medical Association Journal released a report stating transgender and non-heterosexual adolescents were five times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts than their cisgender and heterosexual peers.

“That’s why it’s so much more devastating when someone twists that message and that positive celebration of identity into something so grossly misrepresented and crude and honestly, disgusting,” Brandon Pride chairperson Alyssa Wowchuk said in a phone interview.

Brandon and Area PFLAG co-ordinator Laura Crookshanks also expressed concern about the BSD book ban presentation. The organization works to support and educate local members of the LGBTTQ+ communities and their families.

“I’m very concerned any time you try to link sexual identity or gender orientation with something like pedophilia,” Crookshanks said.

“I think that’s very detrimental to kids and young people in the school division who may be questioning or in the process of coming out, and it puts them at great risk for their own mental health.”

Local lawyer and parent of three Andrew Synyshyn said he plans on attending the next school board meeting to support opponents of the proposed book ban committee.

He said while Hackenschmidt’s presentation was veiled under concerns about explicit content, it was clear she was just arguing against things that don’t align with her system of beliefs.

Though he doesn’t dispute the right to any beliefs, Hackenschmidt said it’s not appropriate for the BSD — which states in its policies children are entitled to learn in an encouraging setting regardless of sex, gender or sexual orientation — to even entertain the notion.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Paul Samyn | Editor's Note

Wednesdays

A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom.

Sign up for Paul Samyn | Editor's Note

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“For that trustee member to encourage them and say they had courage to say things that were hateful and bigoted is alarming,” Synyshyn said in a phone interview.

There was no proposed criteria for which content would be considered acceptable, he said, essentially asserting private citizens — not professionals — would get to decide the content other people are allowed to consume.

“I wonder what her response would be if I suggested that antiquated books teaching about mystical beings in the sky who demand sacrifice and set out laws about who can marry who and what kind of fabrics can be blended together aren’t appropriate for children either,” Synyshyn said.

“If you don’t get the reference, I’m talking about the Bible. I guarantee you the response would be, ‘Well, that’s not the same thing.’”

— Brandon Sun