Kenney must not bow to the social conservatives in his party
Alberta UPC will have to ‘keep the nuts at bay’
Such a policy wouldn’t just out gay and transgender kids to potentially abusive or otherwise intolerant parents. It would out their allies too.
Keep the nuts at bay. This was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s unofficial policy when it came to the more passionate socially conservative voices in his party. It’s also the reason your centrist friend voted for him.
“He’s good for the economy,” this friend — who I’ll call Jim — probably told you while barbecuing steaks in his backyard. “Harper’s not going to let the yahoos in the party get their way.”
Whether we like to admit it or not, Centrist Jim was right.
Despite consistent efforts on the far left to characterize Stephen Harper as Satan on Earth, the former PM did not make a habit of amplifying the extremists in his camp. The question is will Jim be right about Jason Kenney?
I’m not so sure. Kenney, a Harper protégé and leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, may find it more difficult to suppress the socially conservative voices in his camp because they are numerous and eager to cash in on the leader’s pledge to prioritize grassroots issues.
Case in point: the UCP attracted controversy this weekend after more than half of the delegates at the party’s convention voted to adopt a policy that would require schools to inform parents when their kids are involved in any activity associated with religion or sexuality, including a gay-straight alliance. A GSA is an afterschool peer group for LGBTQ kids and their allies. Such a policy would effectively “out” these kids to their guardians.
This issue isn’t new territory for Kenney. Last year the leader told a newspaper editorial board that unless they are abusive, parents have a right to know what their kids are involved in at school. But with the 2019 election around the corner, and the knowledge that GSAs are not top of mind for the average voter, Kenney appears to be ignoring the wishes of his socially conservative delegates.
What many casual observers of this controversy may not realize is that GSAs are not a niche issue. Contrary to media portrayal, GSAs do not serve only a minority of LGBTQ students. I’ve worked with GSA kids at schools in Ontario and I think it’s important to point out that these clubs are comprised of a lot of straight, gender-conforming kids too. This is because LGBTQ students bring their straight friends — a.k.a. their allies — to meetings. And these straight friends are often just as involved in the group’s activities — fundraising, pizza eating etc. — as their LGBTQ peers.
In other words, the chilling effect the UCP’s desired policy would have on Alberta’s schools would be far reaching. Such a policy wouldn’t just out gay and transgender kids to potentially abusive or otherwise intolerant parents. It would out their allies too. It would keep supportive straight kids in the closet; kids who don’t want to have to explain to mom and dad why they are hanging around “the gay club” all the time.
This would be devastating for a school’s culture, because “it gets better” only when people of all orientations and identities embrace inclusivity.
The good news for Alberta’s LGBTQ students and their allies is that their province is far more conducive to embracing inclusivity than stereotype suggests. A recent CBC News poll indicates that though Albertans are by and large fiscally conservative, most are also quite progressive on social issues. They are rational, compassionate, and they do not appear to care who you take to the prom.
Jason Kenney, then, is in a pickle of his own brining. He’s made a lot of social conservatives excited about a grassroots revival. But in order to win power he will, like his mentor before him, have to keep the nuts at bay. Research shows most Albertans are allergic to them.