Tag: #discrimination

72 posts

CTA v. Neufeld (No. 10), 2026 BCHRT 49: Speech, Power, and the Boundaries of Public Debate

CTA v. Neufeld (No. 10), 2026 BCHRT 49: Speech, Power, and the Boundaries of Public Debate

February 22, 2026

For five years, school trustee Barry Neufeld used social media and public meetings to hammer away at LGBTQ-inclusive education, calling it propaganda and equating gender identity with abuse. What he framed as policy debate became a campaign that the Tribunal found poisoned the workplace for LGBTQ teachers and crossed into unlawful discrimination.

FIFA Cannot Keep Treating Inclusion as Optional

FIFA Cannot Keep Treating Inclusion as Optional

December 11, 2025

LGBTQ people in Iran and Egypt live under laws that treat their existence as a crime. In Iran, same-sex intimacy can mean prison, flogging, or even execution. In Egypt, “morality” and “debauchery” laws are used to jail people for who they are, how they dress, or what they post online. This is not “cultural difference.” It is state-sanctioned persecution that must be named for what it is.

Recycled Bias: Bioessentialism's Backlash Now Targets Transgender Inclusion

April 23, 2025

By Morgane Oger | April 2025 Across the globe, an old lie is resurfacing: that inclusion threatens society. This fear feeds "replacement theory"—the baseless notion that elevating marginalized people harms the majority. It frames progress as a zero-sum loss for culture and identity. The far-right fuels fears trying to win votes using this narrative to […]

Upholding Professional Standards: The BCCNM Ruling on Amy Hamm and the Legacy of Oger v. Whatcott

Upholding Professional Standards: The BCCNM Ruling on Amy Hamm and the Legacy of Oger v. Whatcott

March 14, 2025

The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) Discipline Committee recently ruled that Amy Hamm engaged in unprofessional conduct by making discriminatory and derogatory statements about transgender individuals while identifying herself as a nurse. This decision is a critical affirmation that healthcare professionals must provide care without bias and uphold the ethical standards of […]

The Erosion of Civil Rights in the U.S.: Can States Legally Remove Protections for Trans People?

The Erosion of Civil Rights in the U.S.: Can States Legally Remove Protections for Trans People?

March 7, 2025

On February 28 2025, AP News reported that Iowa became the first U.S. state to remove gender identity protections from its civil rights code when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that opponents say will expose transgender people and other Iowans to discrimination in all aspects of daily life. When U.S. laws targeting people because […]

The Window Is Closing: Trans and Nonbinary Americans Need to Prepare for a Safe Exit

The Window Is Closing: Trans and Nonbinary Americans Need to Prepare for a Safe Exit

February 22, 2025

The situation for transgender and nonbinary people in the U.S. seems to be worsening and quickly. If history has taught us anything, it’s that when a marginalized group is targeted, escape routes can close quickly. For those paying attention, the writing is on the wall: a combination of restrictive laws, court decisions, and rising hostility […]

Transgender Day of Remembrance.

November 20, 2024

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), is marked every 20 November. exists to honor the memory of transgender and gender-diverse individuals who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence. It is a day to mourn those who were killed, recognize the systemic issues that lead to such violence, and raise awareness about the discrimination, stigma, […]

Op-Ed: The "Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act" – A Discriminatory Misnomer

May 4, 2024

An anti-Trans bill targeting Trans women and girls failed spectacularly in the BC Legislature in May 2024. Ironically called "Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act", it was voted down 51-27 at first reading in the BC Legislature, a fate that’s a rarity in BC politics and quite the insult. The immediate rejection of the BC […]

Anti-SOGI Hatred’s Consequences Harms The Perpetrator Too

Anti-SOGI Hatred's Consequences Harms The Perpetrator Too

September 16, 2023

There's so much hatred in the air right now. In a society that prides itself on diversity and inclusivity, the surge of hate speech and discriminatory speech, particularly anti-SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) rhetoric, presents a concerning paradox. The incitement to discriminate against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity is not […]

Tolerating Police Brutality Against Defenseless People (for being who they are) Brings Predictable Consequences

Tolerating Police Brutality Against Defenseless People (for being who they are) Brings Predictable Consequences

May 31, 2020

The people governing the U.S. law-enforcement system allowed it to train and employ potentially lethal methods on defensess, handcuffed persons. The officers used these methods and killed George Floyd when they applied excessive and lethal force during his arrest, and there are strong indications his being a Black man was a factor in how he was treated.

Vancouver Leads The Way: Public Funds Should Never Teach and Reinforce Transphobia.

February 26, 2020

I am mindful Vancouver City Council members must be facing quite a bit of push-back from Vancouver Rape Relief (VRR) and their supporters as a result of today's finance committee vote on the staff recommendation to cancel funding of their outreach and education program. On February 26, the City of Vancouver's Standing Committee on City […]

Vancouver Rape Relief failure to meet Vancouver criteria for program funding shows pressing need to update approach

February 20, 2020

In 2019, the City renewed their funding with the warning that the organization's practices did not comply with eligibility criteria for program funding by the City of Vancouver. The city informed Vancouver Rape Relief that unless the organization took measures to meet the city's inclusion criteria for funding, 2020 funding would be denied. Next week, […]

Dear congregation, to hate is to sin…

February 4, 2020

The email below illustrates why we need to clamp down on groups accessing public funds through their charity status to incite discrimination and exclusion. Churches and groups named in this email are violating the terms of their charitable status. It was sent to people in Metro Vancouver inviting them to an event intended to help […]

Schools need to address supremacist hate-motivated acts.

Schools need to address supremacist hate-motivated acts.

December 17, 2019

"… I hate [racist slur]. I hope all [racist slur] die. … I just want to line them all up and just chuck an explosive in there and go ka-boom! " Vancouver, B.C. student rant in an online video targeting Black students Too many Canadians are touched by hatred, and it feels awful. Acts of […]

Canadian Libraries And Universities Abdicating From Discrimination Responsibilities Enable It

October 31, 2019

On September 29, 2019, Self-identified feminist journalist Meghan Murphy gave a talk about her feelings regarding transgender women and feminism. It drew strong criticism across Canada and head-scratching abroad. Murphy's thesis is that transgender women are men because being transgender is "in fact" an impossibility and that transgender people put cisgender people at risk, with […]

Research shows less than 5% who medically transition detransition, not 80%

June 9, 2019

A 2006 study on transgender people showed that less than 1% of transgender people regret their decision and detransition. Another, more recent longitudinal study spanning 50 years from the 1960s to its recent publishing date found a 2.2% de-transition rate. ..so why the consistent messaging in politics and social media that over 80% of kids […]

Parents Letter: “Anti-SOGI Disinformation Incites Hatred Against Our Kids”

Parents Letter: "Anti-SOGI Disinformation Incites Hatred Against Our Kids"

May 29, 2019

Parents: "Jenn Smith has taken it upon himself…to organize public speaking events, where he goes from one community to the next, sharing his presentation to the public. The content of his presentation is misinformation, debunked pseudo-science, conspiracy theories, and a few of his own personal life experiences. Those of us who have LGBTQ2+ children and families consider his presentation dangerous because it incites hate, targeted at our kids and our families."

The Erosion of Decency: Free Expression Has no Room For Inciting Discrimination or Hatred

May 10, 2019

On May 2 2019, conservative faith-based group Canadian Christian Lobby, the CCL, held a public talk entitled "The erosion of freedom: How transgender politics in school and society is undermining our freedom and harming women and children". This was the fourth in a series on Vancouver Island that also advertises dates in Metro Vancouver in may. […]

Municipal institutions need to add an anti-discrimination clause to facility rental policies

April 25, 2019

On April 24 2019, I asked VSB Trustees that the Vancouver Public Library Library follow the example of the Toronto Public Library and reserve the right to deny or cancel a booking as follows when it reasonably believes use by any individual or group will be for a purpose that is likely to promote, or would have the effect of promoting discrimination, contempt or hatred for any group or person on the basis of prohibited grounds.

My voice

My voice

April 10, 2019

During the BC Human Rights Tribunal hearing, I gave hours of testimony under oath including 4 1/2 hours under cross-examination. These are the excerpts from the ruling. This is my voice.

Audio: Vancouver Rape Relief to be excluded for future contracts until it meets City of Vancouver eligibility criteria on inclusion

March 15, 2019

On March 13, 2019 the Vancouver City Finance and Programs Committee heard from speakers in favour of and opposed to a grant request by Vancouver Rape Relief. This is the audio of the speakers presentations. The city renewed the grant but listed the organization as ineligible for future funding.

BOF: Anti-SOGI and Anti-Choice coelacanths converge

September 29, 2018

Birds of a feather are meeting up in Victoria rallies this weekend to oppose women having a right to access abortion and to force LGBTQ2+ kids back into the closet. If it was another month, I would be in Victoria addressing this hot mess from the 1950s that has no place in our inclusive and […]

Like The UN, Jesus Would Have Called Conversion Therapy A Hateful Act of Torture. So should our Churches.

Like The UN, Jesus Would Have Called Conversion Therapy A Hateful Act of Torture. So should our Churches.

September 11, 2018

I was "disappointed" to come across a position today by Glenn Schaeffer of the Lutheran Church of Canada in support of conversion therapy, sometimes called reparative therapy. This is the practice of trying to change the sexuality or gender identity of people. In a recent CBC article, I learned that the Lutheran Church of Canada […]

Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate

Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate

August 28, 2018

Jordan Peterson and Jared Brown's alarmist assertions [1] someone could face jail for using the wrong pronouns for somebody has a far simpler answer thanks to Ockham's razor and our laws: Just let the employee go. William of Ockham was a 14th century philosopher whose central principle was simplicity. Now known as “Ockham’s Razor”,  it urges us to […]

Time for Barry Neufeld to go.

January 19, 2018

The Chilliwack School Board has officially asked Barry Neufeld to resign, finally. The trustees voted to act in-camera under mounting pressure after Neufeld initiated a bully campaign against  President of the District Parent Advisory Council of Chilliwack Justine Hodge that resulted in the parent volunteer to be bombarded by hateful and threatening messages from […]

Don't trick the customer

December 17, 2017

Ken Zucker's Gender Identity Clinic was found to be out of step with modern practices, to listen too much to the desires of the parents over the needs of the child, to be inconsistent in the treatments of clients, to use criteria that raised alarm with the investigators, and to not seek the required consent of clients it used in its research. It was closed.

My question to the Chilliwack Board of Education

November 29, 2017

Tonight I was at the Chilliwack Board of Education's trustee meeting to ask a question seeking clarification about the individual personal commitment of each trustee to uphold the law of British Columbia. I came to Chilliwack and asked this question because in BC the curriculum is decided by the teachers and the Ministry of Education […]

Peterson’s Petulance Problem

Peterson's Petulance Problem

November 13, 2017

Jordan Peterson is burdened by the impossible oppression of actually having a job. It turns out that this is a cautionary tale. When his employer requested that he address all students in class with the requisite courtesy customary of students, even if some prefer the singular they, Peterson took profound exception and flipped a proverbial […]