WELLAND, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — An Ontario Catholic school board trustee is being targeted for advocating against flying the LGBT “pride” flag in defense of Church teaching.
On August 30, Niagara Catholic District School Board trustee Natalia Benoit revealed to LifeSiteNews that she has had six complaints filed against her after she put forward a motion to ban divisive symbols, including the LGBT “Pride” flag, from schools in the district.
“I feel like I’m specifically targeted because I’m standing up for the traditional family and… [and in defense] our schools becoming truly Catholic,” Benoit told LifeSiteNews in an exclusive interview.
Since submitting her motion in May, which was voted down by the board, Benoit has had five misconduct complaints filed against her.
One of the complaints accused Benoit of comparing the LGBT “pride” flag with the Nazi swastika. She had mentioned the notorious symbol to point out that some flags trigger controversy and ought not to be flown.
She later made clear that she was not attempting to compare the two flags to one another but simply trying to explain that “no flags should be flown which would cause conflict and controversy in our schools.”
Benoit told LifeSiteNews that the board made her verbally promise not to reveal the details of the other complaints.
“There is really no evidence to support any of these claims,” she added. “It’s all hearsay. And it’s also [from] people who are biased.”
Benoit is also currently under investigation for violating an election finance law after two LGBT advocates filed complaints in June. This was subsequent to Benoit speaking against the “pride” flag.
“These two people have clearly put [the complaint] in because they don’t like what I stand for… nothing was complained about prior to my comments,” she added.
Regarding the violation, Benoit explained that while filing her taxes, she made the mistake of not recording $500 of her personal funds which she had spent on lawn signs for her campaign.
“I didn’t think I had to report my own income,” she added. “That’s a mistake, and I was honest about it.”
Despite this, the board ruled to continue with the investigation and because the investigation came from outside the board, Benoit revealed that one of the consequences could be her removal from her elected position as trustee.
Benoit stated that the board is following the “pattern” used to remove members who do not agree with the mainstream narrative, similar to the tactics being used against faithful clergymen in the Church like Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.
She further revealed that attempting to silence those who defend the Catholic faith is not unique to her situation. Benoit disclosed that she knows other trustees who have faced similar backlash for standing up for the faith.
Additionally, she explained that students have told her that the “environment in school is very hostile” to those who defend traditional marriage, and children get in trouble for saying that a family has a mother and a father.
“That’s the real thing that we need to focus on: why is it that Catholic kids can’t practice their Catholic faith, and why aren’t there any Catholic adults doing anything about it?” she questioned.
Despite overwhelming backlash from LGBT advocates, Benoit has remained dedicated to her role defending parents and students, adding that she is inspired to continue her work to be a voice for the students.
“They have no choice but to be there… [They need] somebody who’s on their side,” she continued.
Benoit added that she ultimately works to serve “Jesus Christ, who died for us and who is being silenced in a Catholic school board.”
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