Jason Kenney Thinks Gay Students Should Be Outed

[tay]

Wildrose MLA slams education minister for prohibiting parental notification on GSAs

MLA Mark Smith also slammed David Eggen for interfering in course teaching girls about hairstyles


Wildrose MLA Mark Smith criticized the education minister in the legislature Thursday for a letter he sent earlier this week informing schools they are not allowed to tell parents if their child joins a gay-straight alliance.

"The government has ordered schools not to inform parents in any circumstances if their children attend a GSA as if he believes the government is the guardian of those children," he said in a member's statement.

"While the government has a duty of protection, it cannot use that as an excuse to restrict parental authority and informed decision making as outlined by the law."

Eggen sent a letter to school boards across the province on Monday that they were not to notify parents about children joining a GSA in any circumstance.

Smith took aim at Eggen for issuing an order to the Meadows Baptist Academy in Edmonton and Harvest Baptist Academy in Parkland County north of Spruce Grove to allow GSAs in their school.

He also slammed Eggen's decision last month to tell a school in Clyde to change a "women studies" course offered to girls in grades 6 to 9.

The curriculum included instruction on hairstyles, dinner parties, recipes and interior decor. Eggen said ministry officials would be seeking immediate changes to the course.

Smith suggested Eggen overstepped his authority.

"Not the minister's call," Smith said.

Last week, PC Leader Jason Kenney raised the ire of LGBTQ advocates for saying in an interview that parents should be notified if their child joins a GSA unless the parent is abusive. He said parents have the right to know what is happening with their children in school.

On Monday, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said notification was not appropriate, only to seemingly walk his statement back the next day. On Wednesday, Jean clarified that the only times he thought notification was appropriate was when the student asks for it or when the student is at risk of self-harm.

Wildrose MLA slams education minister for prohibiting parental notification on GSAs - Edmonton - CBC News

 

[Murphy]

Who was it that said, "Who was it?" Well, who was it?

 

[tay]

Alberta’s Conservatives are obsessed with Gay-Straight Alliances


Gay-Straight Alliances are student-initiated clubs meant empower students to create safe environments in their own schools, which studies have found may reduce the odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts among both sexual minority and straight students. As I wrote last week, having schools track their involvement in these clubs and informing their parents is not just creepy but could be dangerous.

It appeared as if Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean was setting himself apart from Kenney on April 3 by coming out against outing students to their parents, saying that “it’s much like a math club or a prayer club, and I don’t think that would be appropriate (for parents to be told when a child joins).”

On April 4, he changed his tune, stating that parents should only sometimes be notified.

But by April 5, he switched back to his original position that he did not believe parents should be notified if their child joins a GSA.

On April 6, Jean appeared to be contradicted by Mark Smith, the Wildrose MLA for Drayton Valley-Devon, who criticized a letter sent to school officials by Education Minister David Eggen reaffirming the NDP government’s belief that parents should not be informed if students join GSAs.

The NDP have visibly enjoyed the attention that Kenney and Jean’s comments have generated, on a provincial and even international level. These types of social issues generally play to the strength of the NDP, which is why Kenney desperately tried to pivot his message back to the provincial economy before disappearing from public sight last week.

This week, the president of the Wildrose Party association in Medicine Hat appeared to compare GSAs to residential schools and forced sterilization in a Facebook post supporting Kenney’s position. “How did the native schools turn out? Yup, that was the government telling us they knew best. How about sterilizing handicapped people? Yup, another brilliant government idea,” wrote Maureen Prince on Facebook post published on April 4, 2017. She also claimed in a Facebook post published on March 16, 2017 that the United Nations wants to “redistribute children to be raised by governments.”

Prince appears to be an active member of a conservative education group called Concerned Parents of Medicine Hat School District #76, which is a vocal critic of the NDP and its stance on GSAs.

The Concerned Parents group provided “Include Parents” buttons to several Wildrose MLAs who wore them in the Legislative Assembly this week. The group appears to be associated or allied with a province-wide conservative education advocacy group called “Parents For Choice in Education.

Parents for Choice took issue with Jean’s first and third positions against potentially outing students to their parents, saying that he and Education Minister David Eggen had the “gall to falsely and audaciously accuse parents of being the greater danger to these vulnerable youth.”

Meanwhile, despite previous claims by Brian Jean that he has “no interest” in social issues and Jason Kenney’s pledge to create a free-market conservative party, it appears that the only issue galvanizing conservatives over the past two weeks is whether or not to allow the state-sanctioned outing of gay kids.

Alberta’s Conservatives are obsessed with Gay-Straight Alliances | daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

It appeared as if Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean was setting himself apart from Kenney on April 3 by coming out against outing students to their parents, saying that “it’s much like a math club or a prayer club, and I don’t think that would be appropriate (for parents to be told when a child joins).”

On April 4, he changed his tune, stating that parents should only sometimes be notified.

But by April 5, he switched back to his original position that he did not believe parents should be notified if their child joins a GSA.

On April 6, Jean appeared to be contradicted by Mark Smith, the Wildrose MLA for Drayton Valley-Devon, who criticized a letter sent to school officials by Education Minister David Eggen reaffirming the NDP government’s belief that parents should not be informed if students join GSAs.

Sounds like he's confused about which way he really swings. I wish him luck in quest for self-discovery.