A Catholic school board director tried to ban the Pride flag for a second time by comparing it to the Nazi swastika, but was expelled from the board in the process.
Ontario’s Niagara Catholic District School Board censured Natalia Benoit in January after an independent investigator agreed she violated the school board’s code of conduct by making hateful comparisons. did. She was relieved of her duties and prohibited from attending board meetings for six months. Catholic schools in Ontario receive public funding.
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Just weeks after his return, Benoit again submitted a “proposal to amend the National Flag Code to exclude the Pride flag,” banning schools and offices from displaying the blanket standard.
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In a videotaped briefing last year, Benoit claimed that he “didn’t support flying any flags… Just like the Nazi flag, we don’t want to fly it, right?”
The Nazis murdered six million Jews during World War II and began a reign of terror by singling out transgender people with violence and book-burning campaigns. According to , more than 15,000 LGBTQ+ people were held in concentration camps. Holocaust Remembrance Trust.
A report investigating Benoit’s actions said the Nazi flag was a “clearly recognizable symbol of Nazi propaganda” and that the Nazi regime “aimed to exterminate Jews and other minorities, including homosexuals.” It was characterized by the pursuit of racial ‘purity’ through policies that Mass murder, among other means. ”
In contrast, the Pride flag is a flag that “has always inherently reflected a rainbow” and is “born with the intention of including people who have been historically marginalized.”
Mr. Benoit did not repent even after the report was released.
“You cannot compare flags,” she wrote. “This is a statement that flags that can cause conflict and controversy should not be flown in schools. We argue that this comparison only spreads lies that create a hostile environment.”
The committee began flying Pride flags at high schools in 2021 and at elementary schools in 2022.
Board president Danny Di Lorenzo said he had not received many complaints about the flag display, despite Benoit’s provocation. “There were some negative comments and some positive comments,” he explained, adding that it is generally accepted in Catholic schools in Ontario.
“The New Testament is full of stories of Christ Himself reaching out to marginalized people,” said Education Director Camilo Cipriano. CBClast week. After consulting with several priests and local dioceses, he said: “As long as my decision remains, I will continue flying.”
“I think this is not a sign of promotion, but a sign of inclusion, a sign of acceptance,” said Di Lorenzo, chairman of the board. “The Bible also talks about accepting others, and Jesus accepts everyone. I think that’s where we have to stop and reflect on the Bible… There is a God who is full of love, and there is certainly a God who is accepting.”
Benoit’s revived proposal will be voted on by the board on Tuesday.
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