STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

Considering the impact hurricane Fiona has had on people in our neck of the woods, folks around here can certainly be forgiven for perhaps having missed a September story out of Ontario that focused on one teacher’s particularly large breasts.

The issue was not the breasts themselves per se, but rather the fact that they were exceptionally large, were being sported by a transgender teacher and were, in fact, a very anatomically correct prosthetic.

The teacher, Kayla Lemieux, (an exemplary teacher by all accounts), identified as male up until recently. According to reports, Lemieux transitioned over the summer, and now identifies as female. This year, she arrived at school wearing the aforementioned prosthetic, which one commentator described as “effectively a fetish outfit,” under a tight-fitting, form-revealing top. 

That act has resulted in multiple news stories, one on-site protest, at least one source asking if the whole thing is a hoax, and a petition from the People’s Party of Canada that is being promoted, rather unsurprisingly considering the source, by the tagline “Fire this pervert.”

The Ontario Department of Education under Stephen Lecce has taken a somewhat more balanced approach. Although recognizing that schools do want to do their best to be welcoming and open to all expressions of self, Lecce felt that Lemieux had, indeed, crossed a professional line. During a press conference, he requested that the Ontario College of Teachers review and strengthen their professional conduct policies in light of the controversy, particularly in regards to teacher dress codes.

Now, when it comes to what should comprise proper teacher attire, I really am the wrong guy to ask. I wear a tie to school every day, despair that golf shirts have become the unofficial uniform of the profession, and struggle to wrap my head around the applicability of yoga pants in the classroom. From that, one can probably garner where I stand on the professional appropriateness of this particular outfit.

Now, when it comes to what should comprise proper teacher attire, I really am the wrong guy to ask. I wear a tie to school every day, despair that golf shirts have become the unofficial uniform of the profession, and struggle to wrap my head around the applicability of yoga pants in the classroom. From that, one can probably garner where I stand on the professional appropriateness of this particular outfit.

However, I also very much understand that this hangup of mine is not a hill I wish to die on. Any opinion I have about how teachers dress, professionally or otherwise, remains safely filed, for me at least, under the “Mind your own business” category.

Still, the Lemieux conundrum does raise some interesting professional questions. Such a fuss would probably not have been made if she were, for example, a Halifax Transit driver. And although there are some obvious implications here for teacher dress codes, there is an uglier, not so subtle anti-transgender narrative running through the story that is hard to ignore. It is doubtful that the same international attention would have been garnered had Lemieux been a cis-gender female, or that the words “fetish” and “pervert” would have been as liberally applied.

Another angle to the story that I found particularly compelling was the protest that was held to draw attention to this issue. Video footage of that event, posted on PPC candidate Michael Bator’s website, featured an interesting mix of perspectives. Although the crowd was very much against Lemieux, they at one point, to their credit, turned away a man carrying a placard emblazoned with a strongly worded homophobic slur.

At the same time, however, at least one of the people interviewed was wearing a T-shirt that has become synonymous with the anti-vaccine crowd (the one suggesting a certain sexual act be performed on our prime mMinister), and a pickup truck sporting a “No Mandates” slogan was featured prominently in the footage.

I draw attention to these to point to a bit of a moral conundrum. While those on the left may struggle with defending the idea that Lemieux should be free to express herself in this way, regardless of her profession, those on the right may find themselves in a comparable state of contradiction. After all, if one truly values individual freedom over state interference (an oft-repeated anti-mandate slogan), should Lemieux not serve as somewhat of an icon for exercising that right, as opposed to being treated as a societal pariah?

The absurdity of this particular situation downplays the seriousness of what it represents. Regardless of where one stands politically, it is hard not to see this incident as yet another example of the ongoing battle for control of our schools. As much as public education may currently strive to be inclusive and welcoming, there is an increasing pushback against that mantra from those who believe that inclusivity can simply go too far.

With teachers on both sides of the gender expression debate being taken to task for their individual views, a national showdown on educational policy and gender identity may be just around the corner.

If it comes to that, the Lemieux case, for better or worse, will undoubtedly be prominently featured.

Grant Frost is an educational commentator who has been teaching for 25 years. He's also past president of the NSTU Halifax County local. More of his commentary can be found at frostededucation.com

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