Conservative Surrey-South MLA Brent Chapman defended a social media post for a Pink Shirt Day that has been criticized for not reflecting the spirit of the occasion.
"I believe in the Golden Rule," he said Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 26) in the legislature. "(I) think all kids should be protected...there's nothing vague about that." Chapman then referred to a statement from the Canadian Labour Congress. "The Canadian Labour Congress says it is a date for LGBTQ and gender diversity, which is fine. I don't agree with that. I think it is a day for all (kids being bullied). I expressed that in that tweet."
Chapman's post to X said "(many) on the left have turned the focus of this day on LGTBQ and gender diversity," adding that he agrees "how important it is to protect young people confronted with those issues."
But he also wanted to "remind people that there are still more children harassed (sometimes mercilessly) every day for being too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny, wearing glasses, too slow, wearing the wrong style of clothes, too quiet, the wrong color of hair or, the colour of their skin."
Chapman said he stands with them everyday.
"I would like to take this day to remind the bullies of the Golden Rule," he said "There is a version of the Golden rule in every major religion. So as we aspire to protect all kids, let’s remind those that partake in tormenting vulnerable kids around them, there is always time to be better…(do) unto others as you would have them do unto you. God Bless and protect all the children."
Chapman opened his tweet by noting that Feb. 26 is international anti-bullying day. "I have made a donation to the CKNW Kids Fund," he said. "The CKNW Kids Fund has been working to help so many kids since the 1940s. Thank you."
Chapman's tweet drew a response from New Democrat, Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End and a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
"I hope he educates himself," Herbert said. "Today is not a day to try and blame ‘the left’ for looking out for LGBTQ kids by talking about them today – it's day to stand up for those kids."
Chandra-Herbert said in that Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 because of homophobic bullying of a Grade 9 student in Nova Scotia who was wearing pink. "Sad to see Conservative MLA Brent Chapman try to hide its origins, minimizing the impact of homophobia on our kids," Chandra-Herbert said on social media.
This exchange took place hours before a noon-hour event on the steps of the provincial legislature marking Pink Shirt Day attended legislature staff, the NDP caucus, including Premier David Eby, and several members of the Conservative Party of B.C. caucus.
The first-time MLA, who won Surrey-South with almost 59 per cent of the vote, almost 4,000 votes ahead of New Democrat Haroon Ghaffar, faced a storm of criticism during the election campaign for offensive anti-Palestinian and anti-Islam posts, which he made on Facebook almost a decade ago.
Chapman – who is married to Kerry-Lynne Findlay, federal Conservative MP for South Surrey-White Rock – later apologized.
"The language I used and the sentiments I expressed at that time towards Palestinians and members of the Islamic faith were completely unacceptable."
– with files from Alex Browne
