Coquitlam-area opponents come together to support Green candidate after transphobic encounter

COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) — A Green Party candidate running for office in Coquitlam-Maillardville is thanking her opponents for standing up for members of the LGBTQ+ community despite party lines.

Nicola Spurling is a trans woman running for the BC Greens and was out with volunteers and other candidates Wednesday when a man armed with anti-LGBTQ+ signs crashed the event.

“It shifted the focus a little bit — at least my focus,” she tells NEWS 1130.

“Normally I would just spend all my time focusing on waving at cars and having conversations … I ended up having to remove myself a little bit, spend time focusing on him, and recording what was happening, for my safety, for my volunteers’ safety, and just have a record of it.”

The man’s signs read “I ‘heart’ JK Rowling” and “Gender ideology does not belong in schools.”

Look who showed up today. pic.twitter.com/epHEt11J7x

— Nicola Spurling for Coquitlam-Maillardville (@NicESpurling) October 21, 2020

The signs were being carried by the same man who claims he was behind an “I ‘heart’ JK Rowling” billboard that went up last month in East Vancouver.

The message has been known to be a transphobic message, after Rowling published a series of tweets in June about transgender people, which sparked outrage from the LGBTQ+ community and others.

Earlier this year, the author threatened to sue Spurling because she said Rowling can’t be trusted around children.

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And while Spurling tells NEWS 1130 she was not mentally impacted, she says she has experienced online harassment regularly.

“It was concerning for me in that it was making my volunteers feel uncomfortable and I never want to put other people in a position where they feel uncomfortable. Obviously, with me being in the public eye and receiving a lot of hate I understand that that’s a position that I put myself in,” she says.

“Not to say that I’m asking for it, or that it’s acceptable in any way, but I know that it’s going to happen to me. But I don’t want to put other people in a position where it’s going to happen to them as well because no one should have to experience that kind of hatred.”

Shortly after Spurling shared her experience with the man on Twitter, she was contacted by the NDP’s Selina Robinson and BC Liberal candidate Will Davis, who both said they would attend Thursday’s sign-waving event in support of her.

https://twitter.com/selinarobinson/status/1319124699729645568

https://twitter.com/willdaviscanada/status/1319138857716125696

Spurling says it’s a move she is grateful for, adding it sends a strong message that there’s no space for hate in B.C.

“They’re obviously not going to wave Green signs, but they might have rainbow flags or trans flags,” she says.

READ MORE: 

• BC Liberal candidate under fire for supporting JK Rowling anti-trans blog

• JK Rowling billboard in Vancouver condemned as transphobic, covered up

“And I’ve heard from a number of other people who said they’re going to show up as well. And they’re not necessarily Green supporters but they stand up against transphobia. So they’re going to show up and do their part.”

Spurling adds she’s heartened to see support from all sides, regardless of political leaning.

The Green Party candidate has filed a report with the Coquitlam RCMP and says Mounties said they plan to attend Thursday’s event.