Book ban voted down at Brandon school board meeting
The Brandon School Division will not be removing books with LGBTQ2S+ content.
This news comes after trustees heard a presentation earlier this month, which requested the division create a committee to ban certain books with LGBTQ2S+ topics from school libraries. Since the presentation, the school division received 289 emails and letters, the majority of which were opposed to the committee.
On Tuesday night, the gymnasium of Vincent Massey High School in Brandon was packed with residents as a debate waged on whether or not to remove books with LGBTQ2S+ content from school libraries.
Jason Foster, a high school student who identifies as a transgender male, was one of 31 delegates at Tuesday night’s meeting. He spoke on his experience with criticism regarding his sexuality, the harshest of which encouraged suicide.
“It’s not great,” he says. “But at this point in my life, where I’ve had all those things said to me, it doesn’t affect me anymore.
The vast majority of speakers were overwhelmingly against banning books, including parents, library administrators, teachers, and other members of the community.
Presenters in favour of the ban were sparse, with only one presenter directly in favour of the ban. Other correspondence with the Brandon School Division was read out at the beginning of the meeting.
“Hoping and praying long and often. Please stand for what is right and ban the books,” trustee chairperson Linda Ross read one example. “I truly believe that there’s a concerning number of books that should not be available for small kids.”
Positive reception from the community was overwhelming to Aly Wowchuk, chairperson of Brandon Pride.
“We have a very small group of volunteers, and we put on Pride Week every year,” Wowchuk says. “And just the absolute amount of people reaching out asking questions, like how they can be a better ally in situations like these. It’s really, really heartwarming just to have the community band together.”
Discussion and reactions to the delegations by trustees took place at the end of the meeting, in which many trustees expressed support for the LGBTQ2S+ community in Brandon.
Some noted before the vote that they would not be supporting of the ban.
Ultimately, the board voted against creating a committee to ban books in school libraries, with a vote of 6-1 with two trustees absent.
- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger.
Correction
This is a corrected story. The initial story had the final vote among trustees as 5-1, when it was actually 6-1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.