Later this month, School District 20 will elect a new school board trustee. The board consists of nine elected members who, as a body, are responsible for setting policies governing the district and overseeing its budget. Four candidates are running for the position, including Emily Grace Duggan of Krestova, B.C.

In 2022, Duggan ran for school board trustee of School District 8 in Nelson. During her campaign, she appears to have been embroiled in a personal battle against the school district over what she perceived as mismanagement of the budget and the inadequate conditions of local schools. However, her main complaint revolved around SOGI education.

SOGI 123 is a province-wide program aimed at fostering inclusive education practices to support students of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. SD20 began implementing the policy in 2016, along with a commitment to putting resources and education in place for the benefit of its diverse student body.

Duggan’s campaign was unsuccessful. Weeks before the new board was sworn in, Duggan’s grievances with the district culminated in a physical altercation, prompting a criminal complaint. This complaint effectively barred her from SD8 grounds—including the district’s board room where she was vying for a seat.

Losing the election did not put an end to Duggan’s campaigning. In the following months, Duggan continued to broadcast her dissatisfaction with the state of Kootenay schools and beyond via social media and at in-person appearances. Last March she once again appeared online, this time as founder and spokesperson for Moms Against the Norm, a self-described coalition of concerned parents in the Kootenay region. Spanning a series of videos on the alternative video platform Rumble, Duggan laid out a wide blanket of misinformation regarding 2SLGBTQ+ people and far-reaching accusations, attempting to drum up opposition to the area’s gender-inclusive work through various calls to action.

During the spring of 2023, her message appears to have been narrowed down to one core accusation, which to this day continues to be her main talking point:

Children are being groomed and sexually abused in public education under the guise of education of gender diversity education across North America—including in the districts where she has tried securing a role as a stakeholder.

Our children are being misused, abused, and taken advantage of by the gender ideology sweeping our nation.”
— Emily Duggan

Although Duggan claims to be an advocate for “parental rights”, Anti-Gender Watch has uncovered a pattern of behavior that calls into question the motivation behind her and her group’s activism.

Duggan has on numerous occasions responded to criticism from supporters of SOGI education with contempt and derision, including baseless implications or outright accusations of perpetrating or enabling child sexual abuse.

Duggan’s allies in the anti-SOGI fight have embraced a mix of anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric and conspiracy theories, including the notion of a global agenda to legalize pedophilia. Through a misinformation network, Duggan has disseminated her content, denouncing school districts, boards, and individual educators across the province. One of Duggan’s known associations has even called for the abolition of the school board.

In response to opposition, Duggan has resorted to insults, ridicule, and cruelty, and on at least two occasions has threatened to publish critics’ personal details on her platform. In one alarming instance, she threatened to include photos of a critic’s underage children. Online, Duggan directed a barrage of insults at a transgender woman who spoke out against her claims, deliberately misgendering her. Amid these derogatory remarks, Duggan remarked: “take one look at [her] profile photo. That’s a man’s face. With a 5 o’clock shadow. There’s no outing that.”

Many of Duggan’s public statements directly conflict with those of sources who spoke with Anti-Gender Watch anonymously, fearing retaliation from Duggan and her supporters.

This article takes a look at her dealings.

SD8 School Board Candidacy

In September 2022, Emily Duggan ran for school board trustee of School District 8, Slocan Valley/Bonnington. In a video published January 6, 2023 to the RH Media Standing 4 Children YouTube channel, Duggan was interviewed by Ronnie Herman, the co-founder of the SOGI International Taskforce—who appears to believe that SOGI education is a UN and UNESCO conspiracy.

In the interview, Duggan alleges that on September 22, 2022, while running for school board trustee, she entered Nelson’s Central School intending to discuss her concerns about the operation of the district with the Superintendent.

According to Duggan, the receptionist left the room to check the superintendent’s availability. When she returned, Duggan alleges that the receptionist was “laughing” and told her that the superintendent would not be available to meet with her for three weeks.

Duggan claims she expressed her dissatisfaction to the receptionist and “started to walk” toward the superintendent’s office, at which point Duggan alleges that the receptionist assaulted her.

Anti-Gender Watch spoke with a witness of the incident who claims that when denied an immediate, unscheduled meeting, Duggan attempted to physically push her way past the receptionist and into the superintendent’s office. The witness stated that others in the office then intervened, positioning themselves between the receptionist and the door to prevent Duggan from forcibly entering.

The witness further alleges that due to Duggan’s consistent shouting and hostile behavior, it was unknown at that time if Duggan “was actually capable of true violence.”

Anti-Gender Watch has obtained a copy of a common law peace bond issued May 24, 2023, stipulating specific conditions for Duggan’s conduct, with financial penalties for non-compliance. These conditions prohibited Duggan from going to School District 8’s Central School building, contacting or being in the same place as SD8’s superintendent, the Central School’s receptionist, and another SD8 staff member.

According to Duggan’s descriptions of the incident, these conditions were eventually amended, permitting her re-entry onto Central School property, and adding an additional four staff members to the no-contact list.

For Duggan’s full account, see this transcript.

In a video recorded March 19 at the Castlegar & District Community Complex, Duggan claimed that “an assault never took place”, and she was “currently in a peace bond with three employees of SD8”, which according to the bond is set to expire on May 24, 2024. In this video, Duggan also claims that after leaving the office, the school instituted a “three-day active shooter lockdown” for the entire office.

In response to an email asking about Duggan’s claim, an SD8 staff member provided information regarding emergency procedures and clarified that the school’s doors are routinely locked in various situations, such as staffing shortages, large external events prompting numerous entries to the building at once, or external threats. The staff member also stated that although the school is typically accessible during regular hours and Board of Education meetings, if doors are locked, there is a doorbell and contact number provided for those seeking entry, as is common practice.

Duggan subsequently lost the school board election with approximately 32% of the votes (396–214) to incumbent Sharon Nazaroff.

A Pizza Party at Brent Kennedy Elementary

In an interview with Odessa Orlewicz of Liberty Talk Canada, Duggan said that Brent Kennedy Elementary organized an “Indigenous pizza party.” She alleged that the half-sister of an Indigenous student was “discriminated against” when she was not allowed to eat the provided pizza.

Days later, Duggan appeared in a Rebel News video (read the transcript here) which garnered over 12,500 views at the time of this article’s publication. In the video, Duggan described the incident as an “example of segregation” and “racial profiling”. The video also identifies the school by name, including the principal’s full name and photos. The Rebel News piece states that it was part of the school’s Equity Scan, which is part of the province’s Equity in Action Project. The BC government website states that the project was designed to address systemic barriers impacting Indigenous student achievement, employing a collaborative process for school districts to assess and improve the educational experience for Indigenous learners.

According to an anonymous source close to the incident, the Indigenous brother participated in the Equity Scan alongside his sister. The boy’s sister was offered pizza but declined, stating that she always has pizza at home with her father.

Following the interview with Orlewicz, in which Duggan also shares the name of the elementary school, the anonymous source has disclosed that Brent Kennedy received numerous threatening emails and voicemails from across the country. These messages allegedly contained derogatory language aimed at the Principal, calling her a “fucking cunt,” a “fucking retard,” accusing her of racism, and demanding her termination.

Following the publication of the Rebel News story, the same anonymous source claims that the school has continued to receive hostile emails and voicemails. Anti-Gender Watch reviewed one of the messages sent to Brent Kennedy. The email reads as follows:

I would like to kindly inform you to go screw yourself and I hope that no one finds it necessary to show you what an inclusivity is by including you in their own activities because trash like you doesn't deserve that. You deserve to die alone on the outskirts of society where human garbage like you belongs. Just resign and go do something with your life that aligns with your abilities, skillset and intelligence - like becoming a drug addict or something. But the way you act tells me that you are already on your way to becoming one. Is it alcohol or pills?
Have a shitty rest of your life.

Due to the threatening nature of the messages, the anonymous source claimed that staff at Brent Kennedy felt unsafe, prompting them to lock the doors of the school. When asked for comment regarding the flood of messages following Emily Duggan’s interview with Rebel News and RH Media, the anonymous source said, “No staff member feels safe right now. Not one.”

This isn’t the first time that Emily Duggan has claimed discrimination regarding a pizza party. In an interview last year, Duggan similarly lamented the supposed exclusive nature of inclusive policies, citing an example of 2SLGBTQ+ clubs receiving pizza from teachers during meetings. Of course, the practice of teachers purchasing food for students during student club meetings is not a privilege exclusive to those who are 2SLGBTQ+.

In this clip, Duggan claims: “It’s not good enough to be gay anymore, you need to come out as transgender.” This claim, derived from numerous flawed studies, relies on a common myth that 80% of transgender individuals are misdiagnosed homosexuals. However, as has been repeatedly noted, these studies suffer from numerous methodological shortcomings.

Duggan also states: “If you come out as transgender, you’re a hero. You are worshiped. It’s wonderful. The social media—the internet community will worship you. In the hallways, kids think it’s great.”

Not only do transgender people face heightened risks of unemployment, homelessness, and violent victimization due to social stigma and discrimination associated with their gender identity, coming out can be dangerous—even lethal.

According to GLAAD’s 2023 Social Media Safety Index, all five major social media platforms have failed to protect 2SLGBTQ+ users, and a 2023 report from the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the use of anti-2SLGBTQ+ slurs on Twitter rose 119% between April 2022–May 2023.

Social contagion has exploded with transgenderism in our schools, where if one student comes out as gay, that’s not good enough anymore. You need to come out as transgender. Now, if you come out as transgender, you’re a hero. You are worshiped.”
— Emily Duggan

In this video, Duggan also claims that there is an epidemic of “social contagion” among children. Social contagion refers to the spread of behaviors, emotions, or ideas within a social group through influence mechanisms like imitation, conformity, or mass media. In the context of transness, “social contagion” is the idea that gender diverse experiences, identities, or expressions spread among social groups via social media, peer relationships, and cultural norms. It is a junk science that has been thoroughly debunked.

The notion that queerness is contagious or a passing fad is nothing new. However, it has found new life among “gender criticals” and anti-gender activists alike. Rhetorically, “social contagion” conjures notions of tranness as an infectious disease that must be avoided, and has been used to undermine access to gender affirming care.

“Social contagion” is closely aligned with the concept of “rapid-onset gender dysphoria”—a pseudoscientific theory that individuals, particularly children, may “suddenly” identify as transgender, rather than possess an inherent, stable gender identity.

ROGD is not a recognized medical diagnosis and has been condemned by a long list of organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, as well as the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, and the British Columbia Psychological Association.

Read more about “social contagion” and “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” here.

Duggan also claims in the video that there are 2SLGBTQ+ only spaces on buses. Anti-Gender Watch was unable to find any instances in which such school policies were implemented in Canada.

Drag Story Time at the Nelson Public Library

Last March, a drag story time event was scheduled to take place at the Nelson Public Library. On March 2, a video titled “Drag Queen Story Time Nelson BC” was published to the Moms Against the Norm Rumble page.

In the video, Duggan voices her opposition to the planned event and presents an email she claims to have sent to the Chief Librarian of the Nelson Public Library. In the correspondence, Duggan accuses the library of violating its code of conduct as well as the Criminal Code.

In the same letter to the Chief Librarian, Duggan wrote that the proposed event, in which “adult entertainers perform for minors” could be considered “an act at [sic] indoctrination”.

For Duggan’s account, see this transcript.

Elsewhere online, Duggan has made comments regarding drag story time, stating that drag is “adult only entertainment,” that performers read to children in hopes of being “validated by minors,” and that parents who attend such events of ostensibly virtue-signaling inclusivity. Duggan has also liked comments that claim drag culture is “hypersexualized”.

This argument begins with the false premise that drag is exclusively adult entertainment. It’s not. Yet based on this premise, “drag for children” now becomes “adult entertainment for children”. When paired with the view that a voluntary all-ages drag event at a public library constitutes “indoctrination,” this framing paints a sinister picture—one that implies drag poses a distinct risk to children.

Arguments portraying drag and wider 2SLGBTQ+ culture, like pride events, as inherently sexual contribute to negative stereotypes. Such rhetoric has long been employed by anti-gay advocates to fuel unfounded fears of systemic child grooming and abuse within the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

In this video, Duggan has also stated that drag queens “represent women in an extremely exaggerated fashion” which creates “unrealistic views on what it means to be a woman.” In March, Duggan claimed that drag performers “openly mock a woman’s image”.

Duggan’s focus on drag queens exclusively disregards the diversity of drag, which includes drag kings, AFAB drag queens, AMAB drag kings, and androgynous expressions, among others.

Further, in the eyes of those who participate in the culture, drag—like any art form—serves as a platform for personal expression. Although not all drag is exclusively focused on societal critique, these expressions often include social commentary regarding the imposition of gender norms.

In this context, instead of perpetuating “unrealistic views” of womanhood, drag frequently confronts the gender norms that Emily Duggan appears to suggest it upholds.

The derogatory term “womanface” suffers from a similar contradiction. Popularized by “gender critical feminists”, the slur “womanface” equates a transgender woman embodying her gender identity with blackface.

When the existence of transgender individuals is denied—as is common in the anti-gender movement—reducing one’s gender identity to a fad or passing trend, “womanface” fallaciously suggests that transgender women are merely treating womanhood as a “costume”.

Online, Duggan uses the “womanface” slur regarding drag performers. She also liked comments describing drag as “adult fetish culture”, and performers as “autogynephile groomers wearing womanface” who are teaching children “gender ideology crap”.

“Autogynephilia” is a debunked theory claiming that transgender women transition due to a sexual fetish for the idea of themselves as women. It lacks evidence, oversimplifies the experiences of transgender individuals, and contributes to stereotypes that disparage transgender women as sexually deviant.

“Gender ideology”—often used interchangeably with “trans ideology”—is the unfounded belief that efforts to recognize and affirm diverse gender identities undermines traditional values, family structures, and societal norms.

Considered a moral panic and conspiracy theory, anti-gender hysteria typically manifests in exaggerated claims about the “dangers” of gender-inclusive and non-discrimination policies, transgender rights, 2SLGBTQ+ education, and comprehensive sex education. Fears that fuel discrimination, prejudice, and backlash against marginalized communities.

Six days after Moms Against the Norm published their “Drag Queen Story Time Nelson BC” video, the library released a statement postponing the drag story time event at the last minute due to “threats and intimidation tactics aimed toward the staff and the storytellers”.

On March 22, the Nelson Police Department announced an investigation into the messages. In a statement, the department said that the messages were being “treated as suspected hate-motivated incidents.”

Moms Against the Norm has repeatedly claimed credit for “canceling” the drag story time event at the Nelson Public Library and has denied that anyone affiliated with Moms Against the Norm engaged in any threats or harassment.

On March 16, images of a document were shared online by Moms Against the Norm member Jennifer Lee Derco. Allegedly acquired through a freedom of information request, these images purport to show the police report.

Pages 113 and 114 of the document state that none of the remarks provided to police by the Nelson Public Library constituted explicit threats. The report also notes that Duggan publicly discouraged individuals from protesting the event.

On March 11, 2023—the day the postponed drag story time event was to take place—performers read to a sizable crowd of children and parents outside Nelson City Hall. Two months later on May 6, a drag story time event called Unshushable was held in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQ+ community at the Nelson United Church.

While no criminal charges were made, the Nelson Public Library implementing such precautions is not entirely unjustified, as hostility towards drag and other 2SLGBTQ+ events is on the rise.

Networks of Hate

A day before pride month began, a Delta BC church discovered its pride flags vandalized with black paint. A Vancouver man was convicted of hate-motivated mischief for cutting down a pride flag, calling it “fucking ugly” and “pedo,” intending to burn it. In Halifax, a queer advocate found her pride flag destroyed on her porch. In Lincoln ON, another pride flag was cut down and shredded. At a Winnipeg elementary school, a pride flag was torn down, accompanied by an anonymous letter expressing intentional vandalism. The Seven Oaks Superintendent described the contents of the letter, saying “Schools have no business flying a pride flag, how could we be doing this? That sort of stuff.”

These incidents all took place in May, 2023.

In a 2023 report, the Center for Countering Digital Hate analyzed five Twitter accounts known for propagating the lie that 2SLGBTQ+ people are “grooming” children. One of these accounts, Libs of TikTok, is run by Chaya Raichik and has been described as one of the biggest amplifiers of anti-LGBTQ+ extremism. The CCDH report states that Raichik “frequently targets drag performers, educators, and healthcare professionals in the LGBTQ+ space with false allegations of ‘grooming’, ‘child abuse’ and ‘indoctrination.’”

In October, a Vice investigation found that 11 schools or school districts reported receiving bomb threats after being spotlighted by Libs of TikTok. At the time of the publication of this article, Media Matters had also tracked 33 instances of institutions, events, and individuals reporting threats after they were featured on the account. Raichik consistently denies that her posts have led to real-world harm.

Alarming, Raichik—a born and raised California resident—was recently appointed by Republicans to a state library committee in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The state Superintendent said in a press release that Raichik’s appointment will contribute to making “safer” Oklahoma schools.

Raichik’s influence is not limited to the United States. In November 2023, Raichik targeted a nonbinary teacher in Pitt Meadows, BC following a tweet from the mother of a student at Pitt Meadows Secondary School. This mother, who used the handle “Blonde Bigot” on Twitter before her account was removed, characterized the school as a “communist shit hole” and disseminated white nationalist material, including the great replacement conspiracy.

This January, Raichik shared a video of Dr. Carin Bondar—Vice Chair of the Chilliwack Board of Education—questioning her suitability for the position, and tagging the SD33 Twitter account.

With a PhD in ecology, Bondar produced a web series adapted from her book, Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom. In this series, Bondar explores a range of animal mating behaviors, employing a tongue-in-cheek sensuality mixed with scientific insights.

In 2022, Bondar filed a defamation lawsuit against former SD33 school board trustee and anti-SOGI activist Barry Neufeld, after he referred to the science educator as a “striptease artist.”

Neufeld initially came to prominence among anti-gender activists in BC when he made a series of comments condemning SOGI 123 and gender identity. Comments made by Neufeld in 2017–2018 are described in a 2023 court filing. According to the document, Neufeld denounced SOGI 123 as “child abuse” and an “evil ideology”, claiming that “the elites will destroy all gay kids” and that “[t]he trans agenda is eugenics”.

He also warned that the promotion of “gender-based theory” could lead to government intervention, likening it to the residential school system, baselessly alleged that transgender individuals are engaging in election fraud by using two forms of identification to vote twice, and implied that children on the autism spectrum are being misdiagnosed with gender dysprhoia—a common and infantilizing “gender critical” talking point used to delegitimize trans youth, and restrict their access to gender affirming treatment.

This is what the pride flag represents now. Radical activists pushing adult sexuality on minors.”
— Emily Duggan

Echoing Neufeld’s comments, Duggan has characterized SOGI 123 as “child abuse”, stated that Pride flags represent “radical activists pushing adult sexuality on minors”, and has claimed that gender identity is spread by way of “social contagion” (more about that later).

In a Facebook community chat, Neufeld shared an interview of Emily Duggan—published on the anti-trans YouTube channel, Weekly Canadian Gender Wars Report—and referred to her as his “friend”.

In October 2023, Carin Bondar shared a video in which she dispels common myths espoused by anti-SOGI activists. Two weeks later, Duggan published a response. In the video, Duggan features decontextualized clips from Bondar’s Wild Sex series, appearing to allege hypocrisy. Amid misrepresentations of transition, Duggan also ridicules Bondar education.

Bondar also discusses her child’s gender exploration while Duggan displays a 2023 study’s definition of social contagion, which focused on violence and suicide among adolescents, not transgender individuals. Duggan also shares a quote from a New York Post opinion piece in which the author cites anti-trans activist, Madeleine Kearns—who has also perpetuated the transgender “social contagion” myth.

In a post made a week later in the Million March Children Facebook group, Duggan promoted the video. Commenters referred to Bondar as a “perv”, “sick perverted evil”. One commenter described Bondar as a “demonic figure” and asked God to “take her out”, while another simply wrote, “target practice”.

In another post made the same day, Duggan shared a link to a YouTube video called “A Closer Look at Carin Bondar” in the Stop SOGI Abbotsford & Fraser Valley Facebook group. In the video, Christian McKay of Canadian Christian Lobby and Jon Uhler of Unmasking The Trans Movement—a podcast co-hosted by Dr. Ann Gillies (more about her later)—McKay and Uhler cast doubt on Bondar’s suitability for the position. Uhler refers to Bondar as “extremely sexually deviant”, and claims that her educational videos encourage “sexual deviance” and contribute to the objectification of women. Accompanying the video, Duggan asked members if they thought Bondar was a “sexual deviant”, and liked a comment stating that Bondar is “way beyond a sexual deviant”.

The same post was also shared to the 1 Million March 4 Children, Chilliwack Facebook group. A commenter calls Bondar an “attention whore” who is “grooming and manipulating” children. Duggan shared another identical post in Chilliwack Freedom Fighters, one commenter calls Bondar “the devil”, another a “satanist”. One commenter claims Bondar’s children need protection from her, and in response to a remark describing Bondar as a “nice lady,” Duggan remarks, “predators are usually very charismatic.”

To our knowledge, Duggan has not publicly condemned any of the derogatory comments on these posts.

This isn’t the only time that Duggan’s posts have received abusive comments toward the individual Duggan spotlights. In all-caps, one commenter replied to Duggan’s posts about the SD33 board on February 16, calling Bondar an “asshole” who needs a “dirt nap”, and a “good bootfuk”. This comment has since been removed.

In a video published September 10, Duggan alleged that a Trafalgar Middle School teacher was “keeping secrets” from parents to facilitate social transition. The teacher distributed a student information sheet to grade 9 students inquiring about their pronouns and comfort level with disclosure to parents. Duggan claimed this violated standards set by the BC Teachers’ Council and the BC Teachers Union, also sharing the teacher’s contact information and photos in the video. Duggan asserted that the sheet wasn't intended for parents. Coupled with the implication that teachers are covertly transitioning students without parental knowledge, this appears to suggest intentional concealment by the teacher, though Duggan provided no evidence to support this claim.

As with the majority of her content, this video was circulated among trans-antagonic and conspiracy-centred Facebook groups that Duggan frequents, appearing to use these networks to leverage viewership and participation in her campaigns.

On social media, Duggan has also accused BC Minister of Families and Children, Grace Lore, of promoting knife violence. In May, Moms Against the Norm published secretly-recorded audio of a meeting with SD8’s Director of Instruction for Innovative Learning, Ben Eaton (read the transcript here). In another video, Duggan confronts Nelson-Creston MLA Brittny Anderson with barrage of questions characterizing SOGI as child abuse, attempting to persuade her to sign Duggan’s Make SOGI123 Optional in BC petition. The online version of the petition has only garnered 5 signatures in the past nearly 10 months.

Rebel News has interviewed and written about Neufeld in a favorable light numerous times, while condemning Bondar. Described as a blend of far-right activism and commentary, Canadian media outlet Rebel News has also platformed high-profile far-right Canadians like Lauren Southern, from Surrey BC, and Proud Boys founder, Gavin McInnes, as well as prominent anti-gender leaders, such as “Billboard Chris” Elston—who has staged nationwide protests—Exposing SOGI 123’s Pierre Barns, and Freedom Party of BC leader, Amrit Birring.

In August 2023, Duggan posted a link to a video clip of “Billboard Chris”, where he explicitly denies the existence of trans children, refers to trans youth advocates as part of a “pseudo-religious movement” that must be stopped, and calls puberty blockers “the greatest child abuse scandal in the history of modern medicine”.

Anti-SOGI activist Pierre Barns runs the Exposing SOGI 123 website, which features numerous videos from Moms Against the Norm’s series, “Story Time with Emily Duggan”, in which Duggan reads excerpts from SOGI-approved books. On his Twitter account, Barns commonly targets school boards. He has referred to SOGI as “queer marxism” and a “pedo marxist agenda” which is “pushing gender ideology into our children’s schools”. In response to a prominent Canadian trans-rights advocate and trans woman, Fae Johnstone, who expressed opposition to disclosing children’s gender identity without their consent, Barns said: “If it sounds like a pedo, act like a pedo, talk like a pedo, it is probably a pedo.” Barns has also said: “There is no difference between a trans activist saying, ‘I protect trans kids’ and a pedo saying, ‘I love children’”.

In a video from the Freedom Party of British Columbia published last February, failed Surrey mayoral candidate Amrit Birring dismisses COVID-19 as a “phony pandemic”. He also promoted the Great Reset conspiracy. Last March, in an interview with Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, Birring stated that there is a “pedophile agenda” orchestrated by “hidden forces” who are out to destroy society. Birring also has a history of disrupting school board meetings.

Emily Duggan was photographed with Birring at the Million March 4 Children protest in Surrey. She spoke at the demonstration, which amassed outside the office of BC’s Minister of Education and Child Care, Rachna Signh.

Duggan was also tagged in numerous Facebook posts by and featuring Birring, and she participated in his “Recall Rachna” campaign. According to the petition application filed by Surrey’s Gurdeep Jassal, children are being “indoctrinated” by BC public schools and educators are “keeping secrets” from parents by not outting gender diverse students to their parents without their consent. In an email addressed to Signh, Duggan shares a link and transcript of a speech by Barry Neufeld, in which he calls for the abolition of school boards, also implying an underlying conspiracy.

Although the “Recall Rachna” petition was also promoted by Campaign Life Coalition and Rebel News, Birring’s campaign only managed to collect 27% of the 11,811 votes necessary to implement the recall.

Duggan made her first appearance on Rebel News last March in an interview with Drea Humphrey about the drag story time event in Nelson. Two weeks later, Humphrey promoted Duggan on her Twitter account, sharing a video of a speech she had made in front of Nelson City Hall earlier that month (Read the transcript of her speech here).

In a recent interview with Humphrey, Duggan talks about another SD20 candidate for school board, Birkley Valks. Valks has children in the district and was one of the organizers and readers of the drag story time event in Nelson. In the interview, Duggan says that she believes Birkley, “who is a transgender man and a drag queen” is inappropriate representation, and that people find this to be a “turn off”. Directly below a tweet about the video posted by Rebel News, a user shared a photo of an anti-2SLGBTQ+ meme, which appears to imply drag performers are predatory toward children.

Informal Alliances

Duggan has been photographed shaking hands with Conservative Party leader Pierre Polievre, as well as Conservative MLA John Rustad. Rustad has previously compared gender education to residential schools. Duggan has also compared SOGI education to systemic abuses Indigenous peoples suffered under the Catholic Church.

On September 6, 2023, Duggan shared a link to a brochure from Parents United Canada—an organization that includes prominent long-time BC anti-2SLGBTQ+ activist Kari Simpson of Culture Guard and Citizens Research Institute, which Simpson founded in the 1980s to oppose “homosexual propaganda” in schools.

In 2019, Simpson expressed opposition to the raising of a Pride flag at Surrey RCMP headquarters, claiming that the rainbow flag is a political symbol, and that an organization is overstepping boundaries when it “starts giving special rights to one group’s political agenda.”

Emily Duggan’s inaugural campaign video for a position on the SD20 board was published on Gays Against Grooming Canada’s Rumble page. Gays Against Grooming Canada (GAGC) is modeled off of the American Gays Against Groomers (GAG), which has been described as a far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ extremist coalition, though the organization consistently denies these characterizations. GAG opposes drag queen story hours, gender affirming care for minors, and school curriculum content with 2SLGBTQ+ themes.

Duggan has shared content from GAG in which she calls Pride “disgusting”, and is a member of the GAGC Facebook group, where she has posted at least over two dozen times. Duggan was invited to join the group in November by GAGC organizer Tammy Mitchell Mowat of Chilliwack, who has promoted Duggan’s various content in the group numerous times, including her SD20 school board trustee candidacy. Additionally, Duggan’s campaign website, EmilyDuggan4Education.com, is hosted by Rip & Rev Media—an internet marketing company operated by Mowat.

In December, Duggan interviewed former GAGC Facebook admin Scott Geiler, and Kellie-Lynn Pirie, who is founder Detrans Alliance Canada and on the board of Gender Dysphoria Alliance—groups that oppose gender affirming care for trans youth.

In the above clip, Pirie mischaracterizes Australia’s Health Masculinities Project, a three-year trial project aimed at combating violence against women and children by challenging harmful stereotypes surrounding masculinity through education.

Toxic masculinity describes a kind of masculinity in which the gendered expectations imposed on men are rigid, often promoting aggression, dominance, and suppression of emotions. In this context, hegemonic refers to these expectations as a culturally dominant form of masculinity in our society.

WPATH is the World Professional Association of Transgender Health—an international multidisciplinary professional organization that focuses on the understanding and treatment of gender dysphoria and transgender health. WPATH’s Standards of Care 8 provides guidelines for healthcare providers working with transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, promoting global standards of care and advocacy for transgender people.

WPATH had nothing to do with the emergence of the concept of toxic masculinity, which emerged in the 1980s from the mythopoetic men’s movement. To our knowledge WPATH has no association with the Health Masculinities Project.

In the following clip, Duggan, Geiler, and Pirie discuss transgender individuals accessing gender-segregated public accommodations according to their gender identity. Geiler describes those who advocate for inclusive public accommodation policies as a “predator’s rights movement”. Emily Duggan emphatically agrees.

In the Gays and Against Grooming Canada campaign video, Duggan engages with an audience in front of an Action4Canada banner. Action4Canada was founded by Christian nationalist, Tanya Gaw, who was banned from attending school board meetings in Mission, BC for spreading what Board Chair Shelley Carter characterized as hateful propaganda.

In a 2022 speech published by Action4Canada, Gaw says that God called her to proclaim Canada is a Christian nation, and that the Devil wants to destroy God’s creation through the “trans LGBTQ agenda”. Gaw also describes SOGI 123 as “mass indoctrination” and a “national grooming program”, and claims Bill C-16, and Bill C-4 need to be revoked.

Gaw also claimed that the Bill C-4 prohibits those experiencing gender dysphoria from going to a pastor for prayer, or a counselor to “find out what happened”. However, Bill C-4 only prohibits coercive practices aimed at compelling individuals, against their will, to undergo so-called conversion “therapy”.

In this speech, Gaw also laments immigration, multiculturalism, Islam, Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, “critical race theory” (something Duggan has also condemned), the right to abortion in Canada, and implies she believes in the Great Reset conspiracy.

Action4Canada’s Trail-Castlegar chapter has been repeatedly promoted in a bi-monthly newsletter released by local activist group Kootenay Freedom since at least June 17, 2023, and Action4Canada’s content is shared on the resources section of their website. The newsletter consistently publishes various conspiracy theories regarding COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, 15 minute cities, digital currencies, and so on. Moms Against the Norm’s various calls-to-action and campaigns are also frequently promoted in the newsletter.

In the 1 Million March 4 Children, Chilliwack Facebook group, Duggan shared content from Campaign Life Coalition (CLC)—a political lobbyist organization, which opposes abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, in vitro fertilisation, same-sex marriage, and transgender rights legislation. Duggan has also shared an article from LifeSiteNews, which was founded by CLC as a Catholic conservative platform to advocate against abortion outside of the mainstream media.

In early February, Duggan interviewed Dr. Ann Gillies. Gillies has been a guest on Action4Canada’s Empower Hour with Tanya Gaw, appearing on the web program 3 times in the last year. Gillies has a Ph.D. in Professional Counseling from Liberty University—a private evangelical Christian university founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. The university was recently required to pay a record $14 million fine from the Department of Education for violating campus safety laws and retaliating against women who reported sexual assaults.

In the following clips, Gillies expresses regret over the removal of homosexuality as a mental illness from the DSM in 1973, stating that she sometimes believes homosexuality—which she describes as an “unhealthy way of being”—should not have been decriminalized. Most alarmingly, Gillies also claims that there is an agenda to “legalize pedophilia” and that it is somehow interconnected with transgender people. In the interview, Duggan provides no pushback against these statements.

In her 2017 book, Closing the Flood Gates: Setting the Record Straight about Gender and Sexuality, Gillies describes the repulsion she felt while reading sexual health education material regarding anal sex:

The LGBT culture has taken something disgusting and tried to make it seem normal and healthy, for sexual fulfillment, in an attempt to convince our children to practice something that is abnormal, unhealthy and repulsive.

Gillies also claims that children are “groomed and conditioned” to accept anal sex, which she describes as a “masochistic behaviour”, allegedly introducing them to a life of suffering:

Grooming our children in public school to accept all sexual behaviour is introducing them to a life of promiscuous behaviour, depression, anxiety, abandonment, rejection, and disease.

Also in her book, Gillies suggests that childhood sexual abuse may lead to gender nonconformity and that nearly all individuals with gender dysphoria exhibit insecure attachment, sexual addictions, and fear of sex and intimacy. Although Gillies acknowledges that the study she uses to evidence this claim does not itself establish causation, the book’s thesis seems to imply a direct connection.

Typical of anti-gender activists and those who advocate for “reparative therapies” (also known as conversion “therapy”) Gillies laments what she describes as a “political agenda” to “keep the Canadian public quiet and submissive to a new cultural mandate”:

Those who do not embrace the LGBT lifestyle due to either personal or religious beliefs have been repeatedly labeled as homophobic—which means a fear or hatred of such individuals. These labels have been shouted so repeatedly in our media whenever anyone espouses a different opinion that they have effectively shut off any and all productive discussion.

Duggan has similarly claimed being called transphobic and homophobic are forms of bullying and that SOGI is somehow discriminatory against those who oppose it.

Last year, Duggan shared content and also celebrated Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe’s “Parent’s Bill of Rights”, which passed in October using the controversial notwithstanding clause. In part, Bill 137 gives parents the power to remove their children from sexual health education, and requires parental consent for children under 16 to change their name or pronoun at school. Notably, the law only applies to those who use names and pronouns contrary to their gender assigned at birth, and does not extend to those cisgender students who prefer to use, for example, their middle name in place of their first name.

While the premier and supporters of the Bill claim it will increase “parental involvement”, the legislation is likely to force gender diverse students in Saskatchewan to either be outed to their parents without their consent, or choose to remain in the closet while at school.

The Bill has been condemned by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, among others. The UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity has also taken legal action against the Government of Saskatchewan arguing, in part, that the legislation is unconstitutional.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that when transgender youths are allowed to use their chosen name in places such as work, school and at home, their risk of depression and suicide drops. Controlled for personal characteristics and social support, the study found that among the 15–21 year old participants, 71% reported having fewer symptoms of severe depression, 34% reported a decrease in reported thoughts of suicide, and 65% reported a decrease in suicidal attempts.

Action4Canada has also claimed responsibility for Moe’s legislation.

Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise

Elsewhere on social media, Duggan has made similar accusations and implications against some who have challenged her public misrepresentations of 2SLGBTQ+ people and culture.

In July last year, Emily Duggan shared a post in the Nelson and Community Civic Forum group on Facebook in which she misrepresents Pride and downplays 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination. In response to a commenter expressing opposition, Duggan claimed they should “voice all the ways [they] want to introduce adult sexuality to children.” This post has since been removed.

In another post, a commenter claims that SOGI is needed because of people like her. In response, Duggan accuses them of being a “clear child abuser”, yet provides no evidence to support this accusation.

In August, an advertisement for the 1 Million March 4 Children protests on September 20, 2023 was shared in the Nelson and Community Civic Forum group. The poster was produced by Hands Off Our Kids, which has been described as explicitly religious and anti-2SLGBTQ+. In response to a commenter condemning the campaign as hateful, the post’s author wrote: “little kids don’t need to know or be accepting of your perverted fetishes. Leave the kids alone. Why don’t you work on the adults. Too scared?”. In response, Duggan wrote: “Yes [they are] too scared. Too scared may people may see [their] true intention with children.”

Take one look at [her] profile photo. That’s a man’s face. With a 5 o’clock shadow. There’s no outing that.”
— Emily Duggan

Emily Duggan has reportedly threatened to disclose personal information about at least two individuals who disagreed with her public remarks. In the following screenshots, shared on social media, Duggan threatens to publish photos of a mother and her underage children. Despite the mother informing her on social media that the children were minors at the time the photo was taken, Duggan did not respond. At the time of publication of this article, the mother has not received an apology.

Another individual who has challenged Duggan’s statements online also received similar threats from Duggan:

Also in the Nelson and Community Civic Forum group, Duggan shared a video of anti-trans advocate Riley Gaines. In the now deleted post, Duggan repeatedly and intentionally misgenders a transgender woman who expressed opposition to Duggan’s comments.

During this exchange, Duggan tells the transgender woman that she is “delusional” and that her gender identity is a “disorder”. Duggan also comments: “Take one look at [her] profile photo. That’s a man’s face. With a 5 o’clock shadow. There’s no outing that.” Duggan further accuses the trans woman of being “mentally ill”, and “a sick man” who is “forcing [herself] on women” by demanding acceptance and “celebration”. Duggan then demands that the trans woman keep her “ideology out of schools and away from minors.” Duggan also attacks the trans woman’s appearance, stating that she doesn’t “even wear woman face well”.

When confronted by another commenter on her derogatory remarks, Duggan claimed that she is the one being bullied by the Pride community as she feels “forced” to take part in someone’s “personal delusion”.

This manufactured victimhood is a common grievance espoused on the right, and used as a justification for curtailing other’s rights and freedoms.

For example, opponents of same-sex marriage often claim allowing 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to be legally wed undermines the institution of “traditional marriage”, and infringes on their “religious freedoms”. Dr. Ann Gillies, for instance, claims that human sexuality is “designed for union between a man and woman within the covenant of marriage” and believes that homosexuality is unhealthy.

Likewise, Christian nationalists like Tanya Gaw (and frequent Empower Hour guest Maxime Bernier) often warn of the alleged dangers of multiculturalism. Gaw purports to believe that immigration-driven Islam is eroding Canada's “Christian values”, ushering in the imminent destruction of “Western civilization”.

TERFs and “gender critical feminists” oppose the inclusion of transgender individuals in gender-segregated spaces—washrooms, sports, shelters, prisons, healthcare, etc.—as they falsely believe allowing trans women access is an example of “men” co-opting womanhood and colonizing “women’s spaces”. Emily Duggan, for example, has claimed that allowing trans women into these spaces allows for a “self-diagnosis loophole”—the idea that predatory men will exploit trans-inclusive policies to prey on women and children.

However, transgender people have already been using gender-segregated facilities based on their gender identity without issue, and evidence shows that non-discrimination ordinances enabling access to public accommodations based on gender identity haven’t led to increased harm to women and children.

In fact, a 2019 Pediatrics study of 3,700 transgender and nonbinary US adolescents in grades 7–12 found a 25.9% 12-month prevalence of sexual assault, higher than national rates of 15% among cisgender high school girls and 4% among cisgender boys. Further, according to the 2015 US Transgender Survey of over 27,000 respondents, 59% avoided using public restrooms, 39% limited food and drink intake to avoid restroom use, and 8% reported kidney-related health issues from avoiding restrooms.

Without a clear plan as to how these “bathroom bans” would be practially enforced, those advocating for the “preservation of women’s spaces” merely end up policing everyone’s gender expression—a panic that has resulted in real-world harm.

We have seen moral panics before. However, unlike the past, these ideologies are quickly and easily disseminated through the conservative media ecosystem—on social networking sites that prioritize incendiary content—painting the picture that 2SLGBTQ+, and particularly transgender individuals, pose a genuine, society-collapsing threat.

“Straight Pride”

As per an RCMP news release cited by Castanet, on December 15, 2023, an officer responded to a report of a 36-year-old Krestova woman attempting to place a “straight pride” sticker on a downtown Trail business window.

The woman allegedly believed she faced discrimination when the owner refused her request. The officer reportedly informed the woman that heterosexual white people aren’t historically disenfranchised, and therefore she could not be discriminated against in the manner she claimed. In a comment in February, Duggan also claimed that she had filed a complaint against the RCMP, when an officer said “your [sic] majority, you can’t be discriminated against,” seemingly refering to the incident.

The day before, an individual shared a warning to other businesses in downtown Trail to the popular Facebook group, Ranting & Raving in the Kootenays. Witnesses in the Trail area and neighboring communities subsequently identified the two women as Emily Duggan, and another member of Moms Against the Norm, Jennifer Lee Derco, who was allegedly recording the interaction on a mobile phone.

In the discussion with Kellie-Lynn Pirie and Scott Geiler, Duggan described Mom Against the Norm’s intention to seek out businesses with a pride sticker, and ask them to a display their “heterosexual pride” sticker as well, to highlight the “absurdity” of pride displays. In the following clip, Duggan acknowledges that their campaign was likely to elicit an adverse reaction.

On January 2, Moms Against the Norm published a video in which Duggan entered Chilliwack Middle School, and asked a staff member if they would hang a “straight pride” flag they brought. There is no indication in the video that this was a “gag”.

That same day, Duggan shared the video in the 1 Million March 4 Children Facebook group. In the comments, Duggan described the stunt as “sort of a gag” to “highlight the absurdity” and “unnecessary act” of displaying Pride flags. She expressed hope that the school would not hang the straight pride flag and instead remove all flags except provincial and Canadian ones. Duggan also mentioned that if the school rejects their request, they would have grounds to ask for the removal of the pride flag based on discrimination. Moms Against the Norm member, Jennifer Lee Derco, expressed approval of this stance, stating their goal is to eliminate discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in school, which Duggan liked.

The point they were ostensibly making by way of ridicule—that public displays of pride is absurd because 2SLGBTQ+ people have already achieved equality—would not be effective unless those they approached reacted negatively to their request.

On December 23, the Facebook group “straight pride Canada” was created and shared in the 1 Million March 4 Children Facebook group. Duggan was among the first to join. It is unknown whether Duggan joined this group as an expression of her genuine beliefs, or a further attempt to troll.

As “All Lives Matter” has only emerged in response to Black Lives Matter, so too does “straight pride” only exist as a response to pride. It does not genuinely celebrate one's sexual orientation but serves as an attempt to mock a fundamental aspect of promoting social acceptance and reducing stigma surrounding 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and culture.

Conclusion

In the first Rumble video published by Moms Against the Norm, Emily Duggan claims that her activism is not about 2SLGBTQ+ people, and that she does not act in hate. However, how do any of her behaviours presented here demonstrate compassion?

How do acts of cruelty, such as misgendering and using derogatory language against transgender members of our community, unfounded accusations of child indoctrination and abuse, and threats to wield her social media influence against others, aid in empowering parents?

How does her consistent pattern of hostility, contempt, and ridicule towards perceived opposition contribute to fostering healthy communication in our district? How does targeting and alienating educators and administration with insults and accusations foster cooperation among those entrusted with our children’s education? How do relationships of trust develop amidst the spread of harmful misinformation about 2SLGBTQ+ individuals? What impact does Emily Duggan’s behaviour have on some of the most vulnerable children in the very district she seeks to represent?

Emily Duggan’s behavior, as outlined here, does not reflect the qualities of a leader, but rather those of a bully who is seeimingly willing to leverage her power toward her own ends.

As the voting days for school board trustee of SD20 quickly approach (April 10, 17, 20 at the Castlegar & Community Complex; 8am–8pm), we urge you to carefully consider who you would like to hold positions of power in our communities, and who is truly invested in the best interests of all children in the district.

Anti-Gender Watch reached out to Emily Duggan by email on March 29. She declined to comment.