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Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield finds herself at the center of another Twitter storm.
Merrifield, who is also a critic of the Liberals for equality and gender inclusion, has come under fire from the NDP and members of the LGBTQ+ community after a tweet quoted a message from Jordan Peterson, an opponent of some transgender rights.
This is really scary. Regardless of which side of politics, everyone should be able to engage in open dialogue. When we stop thinking critically and asking questions, we are all doomed. When silence is demanded and threats are made, democracy ends. #bcpoli https://t.co/3GkSryc0Tb
— Renee Merrifiel (@ReneeMerrifiel3) January 4, 2023
Wilbur Turner, founder of Advocacy Canada, told Castanet News he was shocked that Merrifield would publicly support someone like Peterson.
“The main reason I thought it was inappropriate for her to do it, and I was shocked that she did it, is that his public prominence is actually a result of his anti-transgender rhetoric,” Turner said.
“He was very public about it. As she is the shadow minister for gender diversity and inclusion, it really shocks me that she would support someone who has a public message, not only against transgender people, but also against misogynists.’
Peterson, a prominent Canadian psychologist, is in the headlines again this week because of the sanctions imposed on him by the Ontario College of Psychologists. He was suspended from Twitter before being reinstated for calling the surgeon who completed trans actor Elliott Page’s mastectomy a “criminal.”
Turner noted that Merrifield’s comment was not made in isolation.
“She seems to support a lot of trans-exclusionary activists and that’s also worrying. She took down a similar Twitter about some laws that had changed in the US and were discriminatory against trans people.”
That tweet supported a US appeals court ruling allowing schools to constitutionally maintain single-sex bathrooms.
“She stands up in the legislature on Transgender Day of Remembrance and gives a speech about trans people, but it seems to be a different voice than the one she uses on social media.”
Turner reached out to Merrifield on social media in hopes of meeting with the MLA to discuss the harm her messages are doing to the community and broader LGBTQ issues.
No response received.
Meanwhile, the NDP criticized Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon for refusing to remove Merrifield as the party’s gender equality critic.
In response to a request for comment, Merrifield told Castanet News that he would not comment further on the story.
She told CityNews Vancouver on Wednesday that “this is nothing more than someone trying to make something like an issue that just isn’t.”
On social media, Merrifield defended her record on gender equality, saying she would continue to speak out as an advocate for trans rights in the legislature despite the criticism.
I strongly support the rights of people of all gender identities. Trans rights are human rights and it is up to all of us to create a more inclusive world for trans people and all British Columbians. #transrightsarehumanrights #bcpoli
— Renee Merrifiel (@ReneeMerrifiel3) January 4, 2023
This isn’t the first time Merrifield has come under fire for comments she’s made on Twitter.
Two years ago, when he was health critic, Merrifield apologized after liking tweets that appeared to suggest the province was deliberately trying to infect children with COVID-19 to develop herd immunity.
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