Influx of anti-drag 'grooming' emails preceded N.B.'s pronoun policy review, documents reveal
CBC
On April 6, 2023, a woman on Facebook, who shares conspiracy theories involving vaccines, "chemtrails" and a fake King Charles, posted a video to mobilize New Brunswickers.
The Saint John woman asked people to send emails to Education Minister Bill Hogan to get him to do something about the "sick agenda" that's "rapidly poisonous to our children's minds." She mentions drag storytime, as well as flying Pride flags and teaching kids the "lie" that a person can be transgender.
In the video, she holds up a petition against drag storytime and invites people to email her for a copy to sign and send to Hogan.
A CBC News investigation has found that an influx of dozens of emails, including the petition, against drag storytime and 2SLGBTQ-inclusive education, went to Hogan and Premier Blaine Higgs immediately before they began a controversial review of Policy 713.
Almost every email claimed that drag performers pose a safety threat to children or that teaching kids about gender identity is a ploy to "groom," abuse or brainwash students.
The minister and premier have often pointed to concerns from the public as a reason to begin the review of Policy 713, the Education Department policy on sexual orientation and gender identity. At the time, the policy said school staff had to respect all students' pronouns and only required parental consent for official record name changes.
The anti-drag storytime and curriculum complaints appear to be the only public emails about 2SLGBTQ+ issues received by the department in the three months before the review.
Drag storytime is not part of the school curriculum, but schools can invite drag performers to read pre-approved books. The New Brunswick curriculum starts addressing puberty basics in Grade 4, and addresses gender identity and expression in Grade 6.
But neither the curriculum nor storytime events are explicitly mentioned in Policy 713, which sets "minimum requirements for school districts and public schools to create a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and affirming school environment for all students, families, and allies who identify or are perceived as LGBTQI2S+."
Hogan changed Policy 713 to make it mandatory to get parental consent before teachers can use a child's new chosen pronouns if they're under 16, even verbally in the classroom.
The changes have sparked protests, a ministerial revolt, union grievances, two constitutional court challenges, the minister taking steps to dissolve a district education council, and changes in other provinces.
In the decision in a recent Ontario Superior Court defamation case, Justice T. J. Nieckarz said that groomer "is a slur that is used to allege that drag performers sexualize children and aim to recruit them into the 2SLGBTQI community," and is part of "age-old tropes that cast them as dangerous sex offenders and child abusers."
The review of Policy 713 officially began in late April 2023, according to the province but only became public knowledge on May 5.
When asked why the review started, Hogan and Higgs gave several reasons, including "misinterpretations and concerns," from the public, and "hundreds of complaints" about the issue.