I loathe cancel culture. The idea that an individual should have their entire life and everything they worked for upended over saying the wrong thing is stomach-churning to me. To that point, I also believe that people need to be held accountable for their words and actions. What accountability looks like is wildly subjective however, and everyone has a differing opinion on what constitutes true repentance. That’s why the letter written to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith from the Red Deer South United Conservative Party Constituency Association was such a gut punch..Red Deer UCP constituency group asks Smith to let Independent MLA into caucus .It wasn’t long after the letter went public that my phone started to blow up. Other sexual-minority members of the UCP, as well as friends and some of my former supporters all asking what I thought about the constituency association’s ask for Independent MLA Jennifer Johnson (Lacombe-Ponoka) to be allowed back into caucus. My first thought was, why is Red Deer South making this ask? My second was, are they crazy?.Earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith announced her government would be making some of the most sweeping changes to transgender health-care in the country and will become the first province to ban the use of puberty blockers for children. This is a move that I, as well as millions of Albertans support. READ MORE: WATCH: Smith says Alberta government to restrict gender transitions in minors.WATCH: Smith says Alberta government to restrict gender transitions in minors.The letter this constituency association wrote serves nothing, but to undermine those efforts. It will be a very hard sell for the UCP to make, that their incoming protection of parental rights is truly about protecting children, when the person who compared trans children to feces is at the decision-making table. The Red Deer South board states that Johnson has made efforts to reach out to the sexual minority community, an assertion that Lacombe Pride, an organization in her own constituency, vehemently disagrees with. In their own letter to the premier and the public they state: “Ms. Johnson’s comments represent an alarming lack of understanding, empathy and acceptance toward transgender individuals, particularly children who are already vulnerable and grappling with their identities.” They go on to say, “We urge Ms. Johnson to educate herself on transgender issues and engage in meaningful dialogue with members of the transgender community to gain a better understanding of their lived experiences within a community she represents.” I have to agree. Zero is the number of people I have spoken with, that actually think that MLA Johnson is a bigot. Zero is also the number of people that think she should be at the decision-making table as the UCP works out the finer details of their upcoming parental rights/transgender health care bill. More disappointing than the premature request the constituency association makes for Johnsons return, is the thinly veiled threat at the end of their letter. “We fervently urge you and the caucus to seriously consider our request. The is a request for unity rather than continued discord before it becomes a major issue within our party.” Unity? Excuse me? Does that constituency association know it’s role? You are there to help fundraise and to help select quality candidates, something that the Lacombe-Ponoka Constituency Association has quite clearly failed to do. To issue an ultimatum to the leader of the party as well to the UCP Caucus that they must “move past this incident and welcome member Johnson into caucus” is well outside the purview of what a constituency association exists to do. Not only would the premature return of Johnson to the UCP undermine the aims of the parental rights bill, but it will result in LGBT+ Albertans wondering if we really do have a place in Conservative parties across the country.READ MORE: Alberta NDP MLA says government does not care about transgender children.Alberta NDP MLA says government does not care about transgender children.The UCP has a representation problem with sexual minorities, and it shows. You see, we are only having this conversation because the comments were about sexual minorities. If she suggested that any racialized minority was feces in the cookie dough, there would be no path back for her to rejoin caucus. But because social justice warriors have continually gone way over the top in their advocacy for what they have imagined our rights to be, some conservatives feel that speaking negatively about the entire community is justified. Just like conservatives don’t like to be painted with same brush, neither do sexual minorities. I have no doubt that MLA Johnson will someday be welcomed back into the UCP caucus, and when the time comes, I will likely be supportive. There is no way however, that this time has arrived. Maybe instead, if Red Deer South feels that Lacombe-Ponoka is underrepresented due to having an independent MLA, they should suggest she resign, and a by-election can be called. I have no doubt that it will result in a UCP win. Alternatively, MLA Johnson can start to put real effort into making amends with the LGBT+ community and continue her hard work for her constituents and in the process, find a faster path back to caucus.
