New Westminster youth religious conference cancelled over controversial speaker

New Westminster’s Anvil Centre has cancelled a youth religious conference scheduled for next month.

Kari Simpson, a vocal campaigner against the province’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) curriculum, was scheduled to speak at the event — until she says it met a slew of complaints.

“Demanding that the conference be cancelled. And certainly our lawyers have been engaged now to deal with that.”

Heidi Hughes, who speaks for the Anvil Centre, said the event — and Simpson’s views — go against their booking standards.

“Use groups will be restricted or prohibited if they promote racism, hate, violence, censorship or other unethical pursuits,” she said.

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Simpson now has plans to sue the theatre, and says plans are also in the works for a number of lawsuits over the province’s SOGI curriculum, naming the province and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation.

It’s not the only dispute over the event.

The SFU Student Society is also upset after its logo showed up on a poster promoting the conference.

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“The posters that were printed to this event were not submitted to the SFSS for approval,” said vice president of external relations for the SFSS Jasdeep Gill.

Gill said a student club was helping stage the advertised event.

“We have set up a meeting with the Redeemed Christian Fellowship Group, which is an SFSS club, and we would like to have a sit down meeting with them to find out why our logo was placed on these posters,” he said.

Gill says they will also discuss if the group can remain a sanctioned club.

She says they don’t support discriminatory groups, but also respect free speech.