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Mrs. @joan_isaacs,
On May 25th the Tri-Cities Pride Society invited you to make a video that the society would highlight your office as an inclusive part of the community – through the making of a video to describe “what pride means to [you] and to [your] community.”
On May 25th the Tri-Cities Pride Society invited you to make a video that the society would highlight your office as an inclusive part of the community – through the making of a video to describe “what pride means to [you] and to [your] community.”
Your office’s response, saying that “happy to support the important work of the TriCities Pride Society and prepare a video”, lead us to believe that you were supportive of pride organisations, LGBT2SQ+ members of the community, and inclusivity generally.
For that reason, we were caught off-guard to find out that your office had participated in the purchasing of nearly $1,000 of advertising, using public funds, in a virulently homophobic and transphobic magazine[1],[2].
By advertising in this magazine, your office has funded the continuing publication of hate and discriminatory speech against members of the LGBT2SQ+ communities.
This goes directly against what your office claimed to be your belief of our work being important – and we could not be more betrayed.
While we understand that you have made a statement detailing that “Light Magazine has content which is not aligned with my personal principles & values. I embrace diversity & inclusion & will not be supporting the magazine in the future", it does not excuse the following:
Your colleague, MLA @SimonGibsonBC, is a regular contributor to the publication.
Your colleagues have repeatedly advertised in the publication, right alongside articles spreading virulent homophobia and transphobia.
Your colleague, @LaurieThroness, ‘said he would advertise in the magazine again because it aligns with his values as a “Biblical Christian’”[3]
Your colleague, @marvinhunt4bc, placed an ad after @Wilkinson4BC made the above statement[4].
If you and your colleagues do not support such homophobia and transphobia, as your colleague @Wilkinson4BC states[5], then why did it take an article, such as that appearing in @pressprogress, to stop the advertising in the publication?
Surely your party would have reviewed the magazine after advertising in it? And why would it allow @LaurieThroness to continue advertising in it?
We ask that you do not submit a video – it will not be used or promoted by our organisation.
-Tri-Cities Pride Society-
-Tri-Cities Pride Society-
[1] https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-committees/AccountabilityDocuments/mlas/2019-20/Q2/Ind-Current-MLA/Constituency-Office-Expenses-Receipts/Isaacs-Office-Expense-Receipts-Q2-FY2019-20.pdf">https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-c...
[2] https://pressprogress.ca/bc-liberal-mlas-billed-taxpayers-thousands-of-dollars-for-advertising-in-an-anti-lgbtq-magazine/">https://pressprogress.ca/bc-libera...
[3] https://bc.ctvnews.ca/bc-liberals-called-out-for-advertising-in-magazine-that-defends-conversion-therapy-1.5010369">https://bc.ctvnews.ca/bc-libera...
[4] https://pressprogress.ca/bc-liberal-mla-continues-buying-ads-in-anti-lgbtq-magazine-despite-rules-set-by-his-own-leader">https://pressprogress.ca/bc-libera...
[5] https://twitter.com/Wilkinson4BC/status/1277999225435942912">https://twitter.com/Wilkinson...
