The Cowichan Community Centre has cancelled our event citing the BC Human Rights Code

Our planned event discussing “Inclusivity, Gender Identity, and Women’s Rights" has been cancelled, on account of thought crime.

UPDATE: We will not be cancelled — please join us Wednesday, October 4 in in Parksville, BC

On the heels of a fantastic event last night at the Saltair Community Center in Ladysmith, BC, we were looking forward to a second event scheduled for Wednesday, October 4th: “Inclusivity, Gender Identity, and Women’s Rights.”

The Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan, BC had accepted our booking, title and all, and we had begun to promote the event and sell tickets by donation.

Today, a member of our team received the following email from the Administrative and Facility Booking Coordinator, Maaike McCooey:

Hi [redacted],

I am emailing to notify you that we will be cancelling the upcoming October 4^th rental (FA-19201) at the Cowichan Community Centre.

As a public facility we are required to follow policy under the BC Human Rights Code.  Given the likelihood that the purpose of this event is to promote, or would have the effect of promoting discrimination, contempt or hatred for any group or person on the basis of sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor, it is determined this rental must be cancelled.

B.C.’s Human Rights Code prohibits speech that discriminates or intends to discriminate against a person or group of people because of characteristics including race, place of origin, religion, disability, sex and gender identity. The same speech might be both hate speech and discriminatory speech but that is not always the case.

In addition, the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) is committed to providing a positive work environment that embraces diversity and treats everyone with dignity and respect. The policy states the CVRD, and those subject to this policy, have a shared obligation for creating a respectful, safe, and supportive work environment. The goal is to foster a work environment that embraces diversity and where everyone is treated with courtesy, dignity, and fairness. 

Thank you,

Maaike McCooey

Administrative and Facility Booking Coordinator

Cowichan Community Centre Division

250.746.3402

Maaike.McCooey@cvrd.bc.ca

I acknowledge that for thousands of years the Quw'utsun, Malahat, Ts'uubaa-asatx, Halalt, Penelakut, Stz'uminus, Lyackson, Pauquachin, Ditidaht & Pacheedaht Peoples have walked gently on the unceded territories where I now work.

The accusation that “the purpose of this event is to promote, or would have the effect of promoting discrimination, contempt or hatred for any group or person on the basis of sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor” is provably untrue, based on our event last night, which was filmed (the video will be posted shortly — subscribe for updates), but is also baseless. How could McCooey possibly “know” that the purpose of an event discussing inclusivity, gender identity, and women’s right aims to promote “discrimination, contempt or hatred” towards a group or person? This has never been a purpose of any event I have spoken at.

In truth, the Cowichan Community Centre is engaging in discrimination themselves —  against women who wish to speak about and advocate for their rights and safety, to discuss the ways in which gender identity ideology and legislation marginalizes women and girls, and to discuss the ways in which this modern version of “inclusivity” actually silences and excludes Canadians from having conversations about policies and laws that affect them and their families.

Women have the right to speak about their own rights, safety, and realities in Canada. Canadian citizens have the right to have conversations about policies and legislation affecting them and their families.

The BC Human Rights Code does not prohibit conversations about gender identity, women’s rights, and inclusivity.

The cancellation of our event is rooted in lies and is in my opinion a form of libel.

The censorship of women’s free speech at a public community centre paid for by residents of this community is unacceptable and we plan to fight back.

Please feel free and encouraged to tell the CVRD and Maaike McCooey about your experiences at last night’s event (if you attended) and other other events of this nature, why these conversations matter, why free speech matters, and why this kind of libel of and discrimination against women in Canada is unacceptable.