Barry Neufeld to challenge $750,000 penalty for anti-LGBTQ+ remarks in B.C. schools.

Barry Neufeld, a former B.C. school trustee, plans to challenge a $750,000 penalty from the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, which ruled his five-year campaign against LGBTQ+ classroom resources created a discriminatory environment for educators. The tribunal found his statements linked LGBTQ+ individuals to child abuse and used harmful stereotypes, despite Neufeld's claim that he was criticizing policy, not people. His legal team will seek a judicial review in B.C. Supreme Court, with appeals likely to follow. The decision, the largest individual award ever issued by the tribunal, has sparked national debate, with critics calling it a threat to free speech and supporters praising it as a defense of human rights.