In an interview with Bill Fee on Daybreak North, James Chamberlain from Lawyers Against Transphobia addressed the growing pushback against gender-diverse and transgender students in BC schools. As students prepare to return to the classroom, Chamberlain emphasized that these students are at the greatest risk within the school system, facing higher rates of suicide and discrimination, making it critical for school boards to provide robust protections.
Chamberlain explained the widespread misconceptions about SoGi (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), which are often portrayed as a “gay agenda” by opponents, leading to fear and disinformation. He clarified that SoGi is simply a set of resources and lesson plans to help teachers meet provincial curriculum requirements, aimed at fostering inclusivity and protecting all students from homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.
The interview also highlighted the alarming rise of anti-SoGi and anti-trans voices at school board meetings, particularly in rural areas of BC. Extremist groups have targeted school trustees with harassment and even death threats for supporting gender-diverse students. Chamberlain noted that some school boards have had to modify meeting formats or increase security to protect their trustees.
In response, Lawyers Against Transphobia has developed a comprehensive handbook for trustees, providing practical strategies and legal avenues to combat transphobia and protect students. Chamberlain urged trustees to remember their legal duty to keep students safe and called on communities to hold school boards accountable for implementing policies that ensure all students, especially those who are transgender, can thrive.
As the school year begins, Chamberlain encouraged school trustees to focus on their core values and commit to supporting vulnerable students, warning that discriminatory speech at board meetings should not be mistaken for “opinions.” In his powerful closing statement, he said, “Calling bigotry an opinion is like calling arsenic a flavor.”
This interview is essential listening for educators, parents, and advocates committed to ensuring a safe, inclusive environment for all students.
Listen to the full interview here.
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE
Posing transgender rights, and gender diversity. Have disrupted, school board meetings, picketted schools and targeted trustees, our group called lawyers against transphobia is pushing back, they want to protect trustees who are fighting transphobia. They say, the group says, boards, have a legal duty to protect gender diverse students from harm. They’re offering trustees tools to keep schools and board meetings. Safe James, Chamberlain is a retired School. Principal he speaks for lawyers against transphobia and has joined us this morning. Good morning, James.
Good morning, Bill.
Why is it important to talk about transgender and gender diverse students? As we get ready to go back to class?
Well, gender diverse students and transgender students are have the greatest risk within our school system. They have much higher rates of suicide and lacking protections from Family or from school trustees. It makes it really really tough for them in school. Um, and we see across BC and across Canada now, a real pushback against gender affirming care for Youth and support for them. And so, it’s becoming a growing concern.
We often hear about the parents and some school board candidates as well as the BC conservative party being anti-sogi. Can you explain what SoGi is? And what it isn’t?
Well first, I’ll start with what it isn’t because I think that’s the source of a lot of misinformation and disinformation I think there’s a real fear and ignorance out there that um, Some people think that teachers who are teaching an inclusive manner, are teaching some kind of nefarious gay agenda for schools and that um, you know, there there is word out there that, you know, we’re going to ‘convert’ kids to be uh, homosexual and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Um, sogi is, um, Stands for sexual orientation gender identity resources and they are lesson plans and curricular resources for teachers to help them to teach the provincial Curriculum and the curriculum is mandated by the province and designed by the province. It’s not individual teachers doing their own thing.
Um so the misinformation around sogi is doing a real disservice to all students because any student can be perceived to be Lgbtq. Um, And if we’re teaching about homophobia, biphobia transphobia in schools, we’re actually protecting all students.
What kinds of things are you seeing at the school board level as trustees deal with anti-sogi and anti-transgender voices?
Well, what we’ve seen in different parts of the province are Extremist people showing up at school board meetings, trying to, basically, take over the agenda of the school board meeting. Um, School boards, usually put their agendas out in advance and people can request to speak on various topics.
We’ve seen some school boards change. The way in which they go about their meetings. Um, Some have required speakers topics to be presented in advance. Some have gone to only online meetings because it’s unsafe for the trustees and some school trustees are being Harassed in their communities. Particularly ones in small communities. Where everybody knows everybody.
And there’s been situations where death threats have been made against School trustees who are progressive and just trying to do their jobs. So it’s it’s a pattern that we have seen in different school districts across BC and it’s very alarming and concerning
You mentioned smaller and Rural communities. Are you seeing anything specific across Northern BC?
Well, in Northern BC, I know that a few years ago when we had Municipal elections, there were two trustees that were elected in Vanderhoof under the parents voice slate. There were 28 candidates that ran in different districts across BC. Two were elected in Vanderhoof and one was elected in Chilliwack and they ran on an anti-sogi platform. Basically single-issue candidates. That’s quite alarming. I mean, the Barkley Valley, A region has had Opposition to lgbtq plus issues in schools for decades. I worked for the BC Teachers Federation provincial Union for 4 years, helping boards to develop policy and that region of the province has not been supportive for a very long time. They were finally required to put in a policy when the liberal government finally, mandated it. But what’s on paper and what happens on the ground, in schools can look very different. It’s worrisome.
Yeah, I wonder what legal rights and responsibilities do trustees to have to push back on transphobia?
Well, they their first legal responsibility is to keep students safe.
And so the handbook that we have designed with more chapters to come for protections for principals, Vice principals, teachers, students and parents, lay out practical strategies, as well, as legal avenues that people can take to protect themselves.
So it’s the start of a very comprehensive campaign and we are anticipating that it will be a national one. Uh, because we’re seeing it happen in Saskatchewan with the notwithstanding Clause being used by their government in New Brunswick, in Quebec and in Alberta. So the handbook is um, is a resource for people and a starting point and there’s a lot of resources uh, on our website as well regarding gender affirming care, support for transgender students, Etc.
Last year the Prince George School’s District issued a letter saying, it was responsible for providing quote safe, welcoming environments, inclusive for all students and that it values diversity. But there really no specifics about trans students or queer students. Is that kind of open letter helpful to vulnerable Students?
It’s helpful. Um, because it shows a District’s intent and their values. What we see from school district to school district is quite a differing degree in implementation plans. All boards in BC have lgbtq SOGI policies. But without, um, Timelines for implementation action, plans what, you know laying things out, it’s sometimes it’s just words on paper.
So it’s important for Progressive parents and teachers and voters to be asking local school boards, what are you actually doing to keep these kids safe and and how can you ensure that they are able to thrive at school and to learn to their full academic potential? Because we know that students who don’t feel safe. Can’t learn. And the job of school, trustees and teachers and Society is to raise kids who can thrive in the world
As the school year starts, what’s one thing you would want a school trustee to think about?
I think School trustees uh have been on the front lines of this initially and I think it’s important for them to Reflect on their values of why they became School trustees, and really focus on that ethic of care for Trans and gender diverse students. And it does take some moral courage, and some grit and some perseverance in different situations. But, um, their duty is to students and Students in schools are in trans and gender diverse students in schools are basically under attack, and if people come to school board meetings and they are Having you know, um, making discriminatory speech against these kids. Um, don’t think of it as an opinion, their opinion because Calling bigotry and opinion is like, calling arsenic a flavor.