Photo From Facebook/Jennifer Johnson UCP

By Canadian Press

Candidate’s win despite trans-feces comparison not surprising: Pride Lacombe

Jun 1, 2023 | 10:49 AM

The head of an LGBTQ group in central Alberta says he isn’t surprised a candidate who compared transgender students in schools to feces in food won her seat in Monday’s provincial election.

Full Election Coverage: Alberta Votes 2023

Jonathan Luscombe, who is the executive director of the Lacombe Pride Society, says the group knew Jennifer Johnson would get in, and there wasn’t an opportunity for that to be changed.

Johnson won the Lacombe-Ponoka seat by more than 9,000 votes over the New Democratic contender in the constituency.

The UCP candidate came under fire after an audio clip from September last year surfaced during the election campaign.

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In it, she is heard telling a group that Alberta’s high-ranking education system counts for little against the issue of transgender students, and went on to compare trans kids in schools to a batch of cookies laced with feces.

Luscombe says he reached out to Johnson through emails and her social media platforms but hasn’t heard back.

He says Johnson hasn’t made any efforts to connect with the local Pride groups since her apology two weeks ago.

Luscombe is asking Premier Danielle Smith to take a stronger stand against anti-trans and LGBTQ hate in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.

The Canadian Press