The Inequality of Woke Entitlements

"I got suspended for comments made during a class discussion. It was about male students using female washrooms, gender dysphoria and male breastfeeding. Everyone was sharing their opinion on it, any student who wanted to was participating, including the teacher."

"I said there were only two genders and you were born either a male or a female and that got me into trouble. And then I said that gender doesn't trump biology."

"Freedom of religion is probably one of our most important freedoms [in Canada], so I'm not going to surrender it in the face of persecution. It just goes to show how little freedom of expression we have in our country."

"I walked into one of my classes. I sat down and everyone looked pretty surprised to see me there. Within two minutes the vice-principal was in the classroom asking me to leave. Almost immediately I was met with the police."

Josh Alexander, 16, Grade 11 student, St.Joseph['s Catholic High School, Renfrew, Ontario

Josh Alexander, was suspended from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario. The teen asserted in class that there are only "two genders”, which offended some trans students and he was suspended and then arrested when coming back to the school. Twitter screenshot/Twitter/@officialJosh_A

 

The student was informed he could return to school only "if he agreed not to use the 'dead name' of any transgender student and agreed to exclude himself from the two afternoon classes that two transgender students attend since they disapprove of Josh's religious beliefs", explained James Kitchen, a lawyer representing him, from the Liberty Defense Fund. 'Dead naming' refers to addressing a trans person by their previous pre-transition birth name.

"Compelling Josh to utter falsehoods regarding gender contrary to his beliefs and segregating him from classes are repugnant manifestations of religious discrimination."

"Under the guise of 'safety', as that term has been revised by woke gender activists now pervasive in public institutions, Josh has been penalized for expressing his Christian beliefs regarding gender and modesty, beliefs which also  happen to align with both objective truth and actual safety."

"Josh not only has a right to express himself during class discussions and through public forums, he also has a right not to be discriminated against by his school for his sincere religious beliefs. Being suspended and excluded from attending classes is the height of discrimination."

"Josh will continue to courageously stand for his beliefs, for truth, and for girls whose voices of concern over their actual safety are being drowned out by the outraged nonsense of the woke mob, even if that means sacrificing his ability to attend St.Joseph's."

Lawyer James Kitchen

Having disobeyed his school administration's order not to attend his afternoon classes shared by two transgender 'females' because his presence and his stated opinion of the legitimacy of their girlhood claims along with their 'right' to use the girls' bathrooms offends them, this 16-year-old boy was ordered to leave the school premises. Persona non grata for stating his thoughts and concerns, stemming from his deep Christian-inspired statements of truth and reality as he saw them.

Placed in a police cruiser, he was driven off the school property, released, and charged with trespassing. The question now looms, who is the intolerant party? The transgender girls whose presence in a class of another student who doubted their gender claims offended them; the school administration that felt it appropriate to have a student arrested because of his honest, stated beliefs; or the boy whose impression was that speaking the truth is never forbidden and represents a fundamental human right.

"I think I used to be seen as a Christian kid following my beliefs, but now apparently I'm the rebel. The school knows I'm not trying to be a problematic kid."

"The police know that as well. They didn't even put me in cuffs when they arrested me.:"

"They knew that I wasn't actually a threat to anybody."

Josh Alexander

Depriving a boy of his right to an education in a publicly-funded school, a school that prides itself on its Christian heritage -- that chooses to elevate the emotional security of students with gender dysphoria over that of another student who posed no threat to their security, but expressed concern over the human rights of the girls at the school, whose right to privacy and feelings of safety were being ignored. Somewhat misaligned decision-making on the part of adults charged with the responsibility of treating all students equally with the realization that all are equally entitled to a proper education.

The school's website states that St.Joseph's promotes "education within a framework of a Catholic Christian environment. We truly believe in the enhancement of the spiritual, moral and emotional well-being of those belonging to our community". On human rights issues, the board states it is guided by the policies of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, along with directives issued by the Ministry of Education. Washroom rules are in line with OHB guidelines which state that trans people "have the right to access these facilities based on their lived gender identity".

"[The Board] deeply respects religious freedoms. This is fundamental to our values as a Catholic school board."

"Our Mission states: 'We are an inclusive Catholic learning community called to love unconditionally and educate hearts and minds in the way of Christ."

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board