A school board trustee compared LGBTQ children to vampires & cannibals. He just won an award for it. – LGBTQ Nation

Michael Del Grande accepting his award. Photo: Screenshot via YouTube

Michael Del Grande, a Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Ward 7 representative with a long history of anti-LGBT action, was awarded by the Campaign Life Coalition for unwavering commitment to defending authentic Catholic teaching, which includes voting against measurements that recognize gender identities and LGBT initiatives.

The award comes a month after Del Grande compared being gay to pedophilia, bestiality, cannibalism and vampirism at the end of a board meeting on November 7, which earned him the ire of many. At the meeting, he was arguing against allowing protections for LGBTQ people to be implemented in the boards code of conduct.

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Del Grande was one of four outvoted by the other trustees on the board, allowing protections for LGBTQ students in Toronto Catholic schools. After his comments became known, he claimed he was hyperbole and not serious.

Now, he receives the Joseph P. Borowski Award, given to a politician who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the cause of protecting human life and the family. It is awarded by the Campaign Life Coalition, which according to Patheos, is awarded by a hate group. The award is also for outstanding bravery in defending childrens emotional, psychological, spiritual, and medical wellbeing.

This has bought ultra-conservative media attention to Del Grande.LifeSiteNewsdescribes the board member as defending kids from LGBT agenda and singled out. The outlet invited Del Grande to write an op-ed, which has prompted the board to call another meeting this Monday asking for him to retract his comments.

Meanwhile, both Torontos mayor John Tory and Minister of Education Stephen Leece are condemning Del Grande and promising an investigation. Tory called Del Grande dinosaur-like.

I find the comments made by the trustee to be quite unacceptable and quite disturbing, actually[gender identity protections] are not an item that is for discussion, Leece said toPinkNews. The government finds those comments unacceptable in this province, for any child who already feels victimised or stigmatised in the classroom.

His detractors are pointing to an accusation of harassment by a student within Del Grandes ward in The Toronto Star. According to the report, [Del Grande] harangued and harassed a 16-year-old female student over her views on abortion, eventually bringing her to tears. Del Grande was upset with the student for expressing support for screening of a film that references abortion. He allegedly approached her in an extremely unfriendly and accusatory tone and didnt let her leave the room. The school had to implement a safety plan to prevent further incidents.

At the award ceremony, three Catholic priests praised and prayed for Del Grande while a room of his supporters applauded him through a speech. He told the room, Im not going to lay down.And I want to thank you. I dont think you need to thank me. Im just doing what Ive always been taught in my faith, [which] is to follow the cross.

After the backlash, Del Grande went and prayed for support and guidance from his God. I need support. I need friends here because Im alone. I feel very alone[.] And I said, you know Id appreciate any help that you can help me with, he recounted.

It is critical that this board address the comments made by Trustee Del Grande that I and many other trustees consider to be extreme and disrespectful to our Catholic school community, Markus de Domenico said in an email. These comments in no way represent the vast majority of the TCDSB community and need to be challenged publicly.

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A school board trustee compared LGBTQ children to vampires & cannibals. He just won an award for it. - LGBTQ Nation

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero