Kelowna/Chilliwack – Wilbur Turner is the President of Kelowna based Advocacy Canada. In a opinion piece sent to various media, he and his organization are concerned about an upcoming event scheduled at Evergreen Hall on January 13, 2024, titled “Open Public Forum: For the Sake of the Children.”
His concern in the interview below is that this is not so much a public forum and open discussion. Rather an attack on the Provincial mandated SOGI 123 program in the BC education system.
Here is (in part) his media statement: To the City of Chilliwack Mayor, Council Members, and Recreation and Culture Department
As a Canadian advocacy organization for the 2SLGBTQ community we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the upcoming event scheduled at the Evergreen Hall on January 13, 2024, titled “Open Public Forum: For the Sake of the Children.” While the organizers present this event as an information session on SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), we feel compelled to bring to your attention the problematic nature of their agenda. This is one of a number of these events planned throughout BC.
SOGI 123 is a set of optional learning resources designed to create supportive and inclusive classrooms for 2SLGBTQ students, thereby reducing bullying and promoting the well-being of all students. These resources were implemented in BC schools in 2015 to align with the BC Human Rights Code, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and represented, as highlighted by the BC Association of Parent Advisory Councils.
Events like this, led by individuals lacking educational and medical backgrounds, do not contribute to informed discussions. Instead, they promote an agenda that can further endanger the lives of already vulnerable 2SLGBTQ youth. We strongly urge you to reconsider hosting this event at your venue, as it goes against the principles of fostering an inclusive and safe environment for all.
This is not a matter of free speech and allowing just any group to rent your facilities without discrimination. It is a matter of human rights. It could place you in a liability situation for contravening the BC Human Rights Code in creating an unsafe workplace for your employees and the community, as well as allowing defamatory statements to be made at this event against teachers, school administrators, and the 2SLGBTQ community.
Venues in both Armstrong and Vernon have both in the last few days canceled rentals to organizers due to a problematic history and out of concerns for public safety.
Wilbur Turner
(he/him/his)
President, Advocacy Canada
Kelowna, BC Canada
