A recently published YouTube video appears to show Vernon School District board members walking out and shutting down their meeting while a woman hurls accusations at them while evoking the sentiments of previous anti-SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) protests that took hold at the beginning of the school year.
The video, posted by a group called Big Tree View on Dec. 15, begins after the start of the woman’s diatribe as board members are getting out of their seats and heading for the exit.
The speaker is not identified in the video, but she appears to have supporters there with her protesting a range of supposed school board actions, none of which are substantiated by the woman’s speech, aside from a quote she said she found on the School District 22 website: “SD22 100 per cent supports all two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or questioning, intersex, asexual, plus … no matter how you self identify … we support all our students, staff, and families.” The woman inexplicably likens this quote to an ad for pedophilia.
“If you stand up, or leave the room, it will be deemed as your resignation,” the woman says as board members make their exit.
After the board members leave, the woman turns to the audience and continues her diatribe. Around the midway point of the 11-minute video, staff members played loud music in an attempt to drown her out. A staff member then declares that the meeting is over and the lights are turned off, but the woman continues to read her speech with the help of a flashlight from a supporter’s phone.
The most recent Vernon school board meeting was Dec. 13.
The video, titled ‘School Board Crimes,’ has been viewed more than 2,800 times.
Vernon School District board chair Mark Olsen declined to comment on the incident because it is under police investigation.
READ MORE: Anti-SOGI inaccuracies frustrating to Kelowna school trustee
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