SOGI curriculum critics spreading false information

Concerned parents are being played, says Lisa Salazar.

The Langley parents who are afraid of a sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) curriculum have been played.

On Sept. 26, a group of about 100 people stood outside the Langley Schools District 35 office in support of the trustees who had recently approved the SOGI 123 curriculum. (see sogieducation.com.)

Among those holding up signs and standing in solidarity with the trustees, were students, family members, friends and allies of LGBTQ students. I wasn’t able to attend, since my current occupation had me stuck in Vancouver. During the two weeks leading up to this peaceful rally, I had been in communication with a few of these supporters who were responding to another group of parents. This first group had voiced strong opposition to SOGI, with a well-organized initiative that included a Facebook page and a website to raise money.

The Langley parents who are afraid of SOGI gathered a few weeks earlier to listen to their organizers, who included Kari Simpson, Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson and New Westminster pastor Paul Dirks. A video was produced and posted on their Facebook page; it captured pastor Dirks’ impressive presentation, complete with slides and transcript. The title of his message was “Gay and Transgender Research.”

These concerned parents sat and listened in horror as Dirks cited study after study, which he claimed proved that LGBTQ, and in particular transgender people, suffer from mental illness. This, at least, is what most of those who sat through the presentation would have taken away. The message? SOGI should not be implemented and must be opposed.

Thankfully, Dirks provided the names of the studies and the authors in the slides he projected. I took the time to note at what minute and second mark in the video each study was referenced. I then searched the internet and contacted the authors I could find. I provided

Selective excerption changes the meaning intended by the original writer in the longer article.

the link to the video and approximately when they were quoted; and I asked them these two simple questions: 1) Per his narrative, is he using your work accurately? 2) Do you have any commentary on the use of your research by this and/or similar groups?

Four of the authors quoted by Dirks have responded to my letter. All have basically said the same thing; they were misrepresented.

Though Dirks may have presented some of their findings, he took them out of context; conveniently ignoring other facts and the authors’ scholarly discussions and conclusions. The implication being their work would support initiatives for LGBTQ inclusion.

This raises the question of academic honesty and integrity; and, can the rest of the information in the presentation be trusted? (In a trial, a witness who is wilfully false in one material part of his or her testimony is usually not trusted in others.)

I sent the Langley Schools trustees an open letter Sept. 25, with the three responses I had received at the time of the writing. Since then, a fourth study representative has responded this way: “In terms of the quote attributed to our service, selective excerption changes the meaning intended by the original writer in the longer article.”

Where does this leave all those concerned parents who sat through the presentation and the countless thousands who have now watched and shared the video? Someone shared the video with this comment: “Paul Dirk shares statistics which need to be known so we can better help those hurting and keep our young children from being led down this path in our public schools.”

People want the facts, but when someone takes advantage of their sincerity with a calculated attempt to misinform with partial truths and excerpts out of context, then one needs to speak out.

I want to tell the parents who are afraid of SOGI that they deserve to be told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Lisa Salazar holds a master’s degree in public and pastoral leadership from the Vancouver School of Theology and is interning as a chaplain at St. Paul’s Hospital. Salazar is on the board of PFLAG Canada, an organization founded by parents who wished to help themselves and their family members understand and accept their non-heterosexual children.