Kate Rogers, the mayor of Fredericton, was expected to talk about the record levels of housing development and the city’s population growth in her state of the city address.
And that she did, but she also used her address to come out swinging against the changes of an LGBTQ2 inclusion policy in New Brunswick schools.
“There were just community members who just thought, ‘Have we not moved beyond this?’” she said, speaking to reporters after the event. “The community felt, that community, felt very threatened. As the mother of a gay daughter, I felt threatened.”
In May, it was revealed the government of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs was reviewing policy 713, which sets the minimum standards for inclusion and protection of queer students in schools.
The government cited concerns about parental rights as the main reason for the review.
One of the most significant changes was to require parental consent for children under 16 to go by a different name or pronoun in school. If consent cannot be obtained, the student would work with a school psychologist to help them get consent from their parents.
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For Rogers, the changes were personal.
She said there are U.S. states her daughter doesn’t travel to because it’s not safe and there is a scale-back of health care for the LGBTQ2 community.
“She’s legitimately wondering what things like these are going to do to her life,” Rogers told reporters on Thursday. “When you have children with those fears, you have those fears for them.”
Rogers took time during her speech on Thursday, which was mainly focused on the economic prosperity of the region, to address the queer community.
“My heart is aching a little bit right now because I know there are people in our community who are struggling, who are feeling vulnerable, anxious and unsafe,” she said. “I want everyone in that community to know that in Fredericton, you are welcome, you are included, you are protected and you are loved.”
She invited drag performer Amour Love to sit at the head table for the address, a move that she said signals council’s support.
“When this spot opened up, I thought, you know again, I just wanted to let this community know that not only do we support them, we celebrate them,” she said.
Amour Love said she felt honoured to be asked to sit at the table.
“It’s the kind of leadership we need,” she said. “Without dropping names … there are people that are representing me that are not representing me.”
Amour Love said it is about time the queer community feels included. She said while it might have been new to see her at the head table, this opens the door for it to happen again for representation.
“I think we all know that we’ve not felt that way,” she said. “Given the multiple rallies that have been at the legislative building specifically in reference to policy 713, these are attacks. These are attacks and if we do not defend ourselves and stand up for ourselves, the other party would be more than happy to see me go back home and stay there and not come back out.”
She said she takes particular issue with politicians suggesting that being gay or trans is a lifestyle.
“It’s who I am, it’s not a changing perception,” Amour Love said.
For the mayor, it was important to her to use her platform to make the queer community included in the spaces the city is working to create. Every year, the mayor chooses a charity she’d like the Chamber of Commerce, which organizes and runs the event, to make a donation to in their name. This year she chose Fredericton Pride.
“I want to make it really clear, there are leaders who very much stand in support of, and who will also advocate for their rights,” Rogers said.
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