NPA school trustees appear in video by group against same-sex marriage

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      Anti-homophobia activist Ryan Clayton wants to yell. For about an hour, he says.

      At two people: Vancouver school trustees Ken Denike and Sophia Woo.

      Clayton today (December 14) sent the Straight a YouTube video of the two Non-Partisan Association trustees talking about an antibullying booklet published in 2006 for use by teachers.

      It’s a piece of educational material put out by Out In Schools, a program approved by the Vancouver school board.

      In that material, according to Denike and Woo in the video, was a link to a website whose contents they say is not appropriate for kids.

      The video also has a parent saying that seeing two people making out is not suitable for his 13-year-old daughter.

      The video was produced by the Washington, D.C.-based Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance. It was uploaded December 6.

      “Right now, I want to go yell for about an hour at Ken and Sophia,” Clayton said.

      Clayton disputed claims in the video that the booklet is available in school libraries. He also said that the website referred to by Denike and Woo is no longer part of the booklet.

      But according to Denike, Clayton is just making up an issue that’s been resolved.

      Denike told the Straight in a phone interview that Clayton “got this all screwed up”.

      The long-time NPA school trustee recalled that in late September, while the campaign was going on for the fall civic election, he and then candidate Woo called a news conference to point out references to allegedly pornographic material in the Out in Schools booklet.

      Denike went on to say that publishers of the material later told him that they were taking out links in the Out in Schools website that may be deemed inappropriate for kids. According to him, they also reprinted the booklet and removed any references to online materials that are not suitable for school children.

      “We got basically what we were attempting to get,” Denike said.

      He also noted that video being cited by Clayton was filmed last fall when he and Woo were still candidates.

      Comments

      11 Comments

      spartikus

      Dec 14, 2011 at 12:29pm

      If it's been resolved why are you still allowing this video to circulate?

      Jill Beamish

      Dec 14, 2011 at 1:09pm

      Look on the right side of this article - there is a link to "Sweet Adult Boutique" = a site that is inappropriate for young people. Does this make The Georgia Straight pornographic? (don't even mention the personals at the end, which are visible and accessible to any child who may pick up a copy)...This is homophobia disguised as concern for children...

      spartikus

      Dec 14, 2011 at 1:20pm

      Fun fact: the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance's parent organization - the National Organization of Marriage - produced the infamous and widely satirized <a href="http://youtu.be/Wp76ly2_NoI">"Gathering Storm"</a> ads.

      flora-jean

      Dec 14, 2011 at 3:23pm

      Obvious religious-right propaganda. The true roots of the NPA/Socreds.

      K. Glardé

      Dec 14, 2011 at 3:36pm

      Ken Denike and Sophia Woo have aligned themselves with a homophobic organization. Why shouldn't we think they aren't homophobic? It sure sounds like they are homophobes.

      Poor Role Models

      Dec 14, 2011 at 3:39pm

      These two attacked a terrific, well respected program that is saving lives, engaging students and winning awards. They affiliated themselves with several hate-based organizations in Canada and the US, who's sole mission is to intimidate and spread lies about the LGBT community. So now we have 2 elected trustees in Vancouver, responsible for the safety of our kids, and who both openly oppose the values, human rights and protection that Canada legislated decades ago. Very poor role models indeed.

      Angry

      Dec 14, 2011 at 5:22pm

      I feel absolutely betrayed by these elected constituents. "Out in Schools" is a SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM! It is our human rights in this country to live in a respectful world. How sad and depressing.

      Furious

      Dec 14, 2011 at 8:05pm

      What a shockingly uninformed pair of trustees. I am furious that two of our school board trustees are making videos for a Nation for Marriage, a discriminatory US based organization, when equal marriage is the law in Canada. Hello Denike and Woo ...Discrimination based on sexual orientation is against law in Canada. Clearly queer students need the extra support of programs like Out In Schools so they can feel safe and included in our schools, if people like this are still getting elected.

      Shocked

      Dec 14, 2011 at 9:13pm

      It's clear that lgbt students need the support of programs like Out in Schools to feel safe and included if people like Denike and Woo are still being elected as trustees. It's frightening that they choose to align themselves with a homophobic and discriminatory organization like Nation for Marriage. They should be ashamed of themselves.