Ottawa School Board Meeting on Transgender Washroom Use Sparks Protest

A file photo of a gender neutral washroom sign. Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press

“I wonder how many parents here tonight even know that trans female students—traditionally classified as male in gender—are allowed in their daughters’ bathrooms and changerooms unsupervised when each school has a gender-neutral private bathroom that can be used instead?”

That was the question an Ottawa school board didn’t allow parent Nick Morabito to ask at a recent meeting, calling it “transphobic.” After backlash, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board allowed Morabito to speak to this issue at its meeting on March 28. Dozens of protesters on either side of the issue showed up.

Josh Alexander—the 17-year-old from nearby Renfrew who has gained fame for speaking out on this issue—was surrounded by angry adults outside of the meeting. They “booed” at him and someone threw a coffee at him, lid off. An adult male yelled at him repeatedly, “Support trans kids!”

“As a 17yo Canadian citizen, I present to you the tolerant left,” Alexander said in a March 29 tweet with a video of the incident.

Concerns

Morabito told The Epoch Times earlier this month that he is not against transgender students; he is concerned for their wellbeing as well.

“This issue does indeed speak to the very real concern of gender diverse students being bullied in washrooms as well as the risk of something negative happening to them that may affect their mental health,” he said in an email.

But, he said, male-bodied students changing alongside young girls is an infringement on the girls’ safe space and comfort.

Furthermore, he said, “The reality is that anyone can pretend to be something they are not and pose as a gender diverse person to gain access to these facilities.” He added, “To expect parents to ignore this very real risk is a lot to ask.”

Reactions

Morabito has four children in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), including two daughters. He has asked the board to allow conversation on its washroom-use policies and take a variety of parental perspectives into account.

An OCDSB spokesperson declined to comment on the March 28 meeting. In an email following the March 7 meeting, where Morabito was silenced part way through his delegation out of concerns for the “safety” of transgender students, the board told The Epoch Times via email: “Individually held beliefs or feelings of discomfort are not a justifiable reason for discriminating against trans and gender-diverse community members.”

Trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth, who was the one to cut short Morabito’s delegation, has tweeted about multiple threats aimed at her. Morabito has decried such threats and expressed sympathy. He said in a tweet, “Shutting down open dialogue creates anger but no excuse for this disgusting display of hatred.”

A recording of the March 7 meeting was originally removed from the OCDSB YouTube channel with the message about “concerns that content from the meeting is discriminatory.” OCDSB has made the recording available again.

A recording of the March 28 meeting was not posted on the OCDSB website as of publication, but the spokesperson said it will be. Attendees posted summaries and short transcripts from the meeting on Twitter.

Delegations, Protests

Some transgender individuals spoke during the meeting in favour of students using the washrooms that correspond to their gender identities. Some said safety incidents in washroom are rare. Some said there should be limits on free speech that may lead to violence against transgender people.

Advocates on both sides faced off outside of the meeting. A video posted to Twitter shows a OCDSB principal speaking with Bethan Nodwell, an OCDSB parent, nurse, and prominent participant in the Freedom Convoy and other events related to a call for freedom in Canada.

A man in the video identified himself as a principal and said he’s making sure all students “have a safe space.”

Nodwell said that, as a nurse, she has seen children given hormone blockers. She accused the school system of leading children toward gender changes. The principal responded, “You’re sad. That’s what you believe?”

She said, “You [shouldn’t] ... sterilize them until they’re 25 and they can make a decision.”

“Who are you to police their bodies?” he responded.

Human Rights Code

The March 28 meeting started with Chair Lyra Evans saying the delegations must comply with the Human Rights Code of Ontario.

The Ontario Human Rights Code says that concerns such as Morabito’s are “transphobic” in nature. It states: “A trans person should not be required to use a separate washroom or change room because others express discomfort or transphobic attitudes, such as, ‘trans women are a threat to other women.’”

James Kitchen, a lawyer who has helped Alexander fight suspensions at his Renfrew school over this issue, previously told The Epoch Times that the code protects other rights as well, such as those of the girls affected. He said this balancing of rights must be decided through litigation.

“What the tribunal decisions say and what the courts say when they actually get to review the tribunal decisions aren’t always exactly the same,” Kitchen said.