Human* Rights

October 29, 2020 4:09 AM

"Some staff at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights were told not to talk about pregnancy or abortion, in addition to censoring LGBT content, during some tours involving religious schools. ... A current museum staffer says her supervisor told her to avoid 'women's content like abortion' while giving a tour to a religious school group. She says she was sometimes asked not to mention anything related to the empowerment of women, like the story of Black human rights pioneer Viola Desmond."
posted by clawsoon (15 comments total)

*screams into the void*

There are so many wrong things in that story, I don't even know where to start.

Thank you for the post though.
posted by bcd at 5:28 AM on October 29, 2020 [3 favorites]

Toronto employment lawyer Hermie Abraham said high severance payouts are commonly given to executives in organizations in part because it's harder for them to find a new job.

Oh, it's harder to find a job when you've very publicly screwed up your old job so badly that you're forced to resign in disgrace, is it? It's harder for executives to find new jobs than it is for normal workers? Fascinating.
posted by 1adam12 at 5:51 AM on October 29, 2020 [32 favorites]

I am not sure there is anything more Canadian than this. Rather than make someone uncomfortable, be so polite that you don't mention human rights to a tour group in a museum for human rights.

"Less Worse" isn't an aspirational goal, motherfuckers.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:15 AM on October 29, 2020 [22 favorites]

I thought this was a repeat, only to realize this is just the latest set of allegations about the museum censoring content for religious groups. Here is a story from June about the museum asking staff to omit or even physically block LGBT content.

The part that really rankles is that this is a human rights museum. I'd be upset if someone at the train museum or the baseball museum was censoring something about a marginalized group due to a guest's request. But a human rights museum? Do the people running these places not even look at their own content?
posted by thecjm at 6:32 AM on October 29, 2020 [29 favorites]

My mom is a founding member of this museum and will froth at length about this situation. She would like the whole board to resign.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:52 AM on October 29, 2020 [31 favorites]

Count me among those bewildered that a human rights museum would behave like this. It's as if Jeremy Corbin went to the Holocaust Museum and they avoided talking about antisemitism so as not to make him uncomfortable.
posted by TedW at 7:37 AM on October 29, 2020

I am not sure there is anything more Canadian than this. Rather than make someone uncomfortable, be so polite that you don't mention human rights to a tour group in a museum for human rights.

The more classically Canadian move, especially when it comes to the First Nations/Metis/Inuit, is to be so polite and so desirous to avoid uncomfortable situations as to avoid mentioning that you are violating someone's rights.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:12 AM on October 29, 2020 [8 favorites]

This is both very 2020 and very Canadian.
posted by nubs at 8:18 AM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

Well, this is only fair because I like to go to church on Sundays and insist that there be no mention of God or religion due to my cultural beliefs.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:45 AM on October 29, 2020 [15 favorites]

...why even have a museum about this if you're going to block the content...?
posted by bile and syntax at 9:10 AM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

A current museum staffer says her supervisor told her to avoid "women's content like abortion" while giving a tour to a religious school group. She says she was sometimes asked not to mention anything related to the empowerment of women, like the story of Black human rights pioneer Viola Desmond.

The staffer said she still mentioned Desmond, whose story is featured in the museum. She said she remembers feeling confused and shocked by the direction given to her.

"Don't mention anything about the woman who is on our $10 bill" is one hell of a brazen directive. And particularly...something given that the Museum for Human Rights is depicted on the flip side of that bank nite.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:55 AM on October 29, 2020 [11 favorites]

I am not sure there is anything more Canadian than this

Canadian culture is acting like Australia, but talking like New Zealand, and thinking that makes you better than Americans.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:02 PM on October 29, 2020 [11 favorites]

From the article:

"Museum spokesperson Maureen Fitzhenry said content about reproductive rights and abortion isn't and wasn't included in educational programs for school groups.

"So that would not have been an issue..."

Seriously?!
posted by rpfields at 1:25 PM on October 29, 2020

I guess they should rename it to the Museum of Rights for People We Consider Fully Human.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 2:09 PM on October 29, 2020 [10 favorites]

Canadian Museum of Things or Whatever that are Devoid of Context or Import
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:07 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]