Wong so many ways. Porn outfit, board response, silenced peers, students forced to pretend this is OK, state sanctioned media's unwillingness to condemn, gov tepid response...brutal
Hi. First: great article. However, if I may nitpick from Japan regarding your your attempt to translate the Japanese word 爆乳.
While it literally means, character by character, "explosion" and "breasts" or "breast milk", just like you shouldn't try to guess the context and usage of English words in modern use by breaking down their Latin root origins, neither should you do so with Japanese or other languages.
bakunyū is simply a juvenile slangy term that means "giant breasts", and the character "explode" is used metaphorically the same way an English speaker might say "her bosom was exploding out of her tight buttoned blouse." It's used in the same puerile way somebody might call very large breasts in English "copious cleavage", "titanic ta tas", or "humongous honkers."
And while it's true that for obvious reasons, you will find the word associated with Japanese pornography, it's not a label that's exclusively associated with a porn subgenre fetish; it's used outside of that context as well (ex. gossiping high school boys or immature men) for any woman who has a very large chest. Obviously, the word is never seen in polite or formal conversation.
FYI. Again, great article and thanks for writing it.
To me, this is most simply an issue of professionalism----dressing in a wild, extreme and/or exaggerated fashion is not professional behaviour for a teacher to engage in.
I take it, then, that the school would have no objection if a subversive-minded student wore a costume that made him--or her, or it--a walking, talking penis. "That lecture made me want to stand tall!" "People say I have a swollen head. I sure do!" "Clear the way, I'm coming!"
I've followed your work for years on Quillette, Jonathon and am delighted to subscribe here. I look forward to your artful analysis of events. This is my favorite of your essays thus far.
I don't care if he hasn't sexually assaulted children - yet. He's a pervert and shouldn't be anywhere near children. Where are the fathers, are they fine with perverts in positions of authority over their children? Shame on the principal, too, such poor judgment should end that career.
Wonderfully written article. Trudeauvian Gender Jingoism - love it.
Readers, please consider calling and, or writing Halton's police dept, and CAS to report a non contact sexual abuse to a minor, as that is exactly what this is.
If the legislation is so flawed that this teacher remains untouchable, or the students unprotected then it is up to both of those organizations to do something about it.
Also, consider writing the Minister of Justice, David Lametti to put pressure on him to have Bill C-16 amended. Self ID is not working, certainly not for women, girls and children in general if predators are untouchable.
Please consider calling and, or writing Halton's police dept, and CAS to report a non contact sexual abuse to a minor, as that is exactly what this is.
If the legislation is so flawed that this teacher remains untouchable, or the students unprotected then it is up to both of those organizations to do something about it.
Also, consider writing the Minister of Justice, David Lametti to put pressure on him to have Bill C-16 amended. Self ID is not working, certainly not for women, girls and children in general if predators are untouchable.
Today in the Globe & Mail Canadians are being hectored for body-shaming. The propaganda spewing out of media midwits is alarming. It’s like Pravda but with more gaslighting.
This article received prominent coverage last night on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight, including a personal shout-out from the host to Jonathan for having the courage to write about Lemieux (whose behaviour in a public school setting is, by any objective measure, outrageous and bizarre). The Canadian legacy media's fear and/or ideologically-based refusal to report stories such as this - other than from the "concerns about reprisals against trans-people" perspective - is yet another sad commentary on the state of journalism in this country.
This type of fetish belongs on the Internet, in glorious 2D, just as God intended. Not shoved in the face of the students you're paid to steward in a professional manner, rather then turn them into some unwilling participant in your erotic cosplay.
That's why I am furious the police and or CAS have don't nothing to protect the kids. And man calls have been gone into them. This is plain and simply a non contact sexual abuse. Which includes, flashing and exposure to pornography. Like I told the police when I called to report the abuse, if this man feels so comfortable displaying his fetish in front of children just imagine what he has on his computer.
I thought I was astonished at what I saw in the photos -- and then I saw the schoolboards non-response and was absolutely gobsmacked. I don't know which one is more absurd.
Never mind the school board's lack of response. It's the lack of response from the police and CAS for not protecting these students, these minors, from non contact sexual abuse! They have had many calls, and have neither organizations have stepped in to stop it. Or the other teachers in the school? Where is their "duty to care" something they are required by law to do. If this isn't a wake up call to legislators than I fear to wonder what it would take.
I vote for the school board’s non-response. I wish I had been gobsmacked. But I’m a teacher and absurd as the non-response was, I was sadly not surprised.
The term bakunyuu was new to to me. I had been reading the "Lemiex" character through the lens of Aristophanic clowning, with over-sized body parts done for a laugh. Same as Rainbow-Dildo-Butt-Monkey.
Beautifully written, Mr. Kay. When I saw this I was disturbed. And part of that feeling was the objection to anyone equating this man with what I am. A woman. He is not what I am. In fact, he is a mockery of what I am. Maybe harm is the wrong word but he is having a negative impact on those kids and their ability to learn. As the mom of a 14 year-old boy, I have no doubt about that. The school should be putting their students first. It's beyond ridiculous. As for mainstream media, so much has been said on the topic. I graduated from Journalism school in 1993. A story like this would have been a gift. Shocking content to "sell" the news but also the opportunity to be a part of a thoughtful discussion on what helps and obstructs a student's ability to learn, the extent of a school's responsibility to staff and students, the rights of parents to be involved in school decisions, the world of fetish.... so many angles. Why would any reporter worth his/her salt ignore this one?
Misogyny is alive and well in what is often referred to as Tranada when discussing feminist's issues around the world. . Bill C-16 was so arbitrarily written and the changes to the criminal code surrounding it so severely written that everyone is terrified to find themselves in hot water to even speak truths. The truth is that this is NOT a gender issue but a fetish, and as such those kids are experiencing what is referred to as a non contact sexual assault. Those fake breasts he is sporting can only be bought on fetish sites.
And the question must be asked, that if this man feels this comfortable, this "affirmed" as to put his fetish on display for kids, what is on his computer? For you can be sure, he is a groomer and that he includes children in his fetish fantasies.
You are too right when you question what is happening to journalism, and I think Coyne nailed it.
Excellently written. I want to copy your post and send it out to everyone I know! How do we band together to fight this? Seriously. I sit here on my computer feeling so helpless at times. I focus on my kids, my health and my business and those are great distractions and important pursuits. However, I have a gnawing need to actually DO something and I want to find a community to do it.
I totally agree with the gnawing need to DO something. I feel like I have been screaming into the wilderness about this for years. And the most depressing thing is the complete lack of interest or concern expressed by most people. The people who regard themselves as progressive allies don’t want to know any uncomfortable facts because to acknowledge them would mean reevaluating their beliefs. And the others just shrug and and marvel at how strange the world has become.
I have no idea how to make people care about this. I thought maybe this ludicrous teacher story would break through people’s apathy but now I’m not so sure. The craziness has mounted so slowly that the impact of each new outrage is dulled.
School board elections coming soon. I keep warning my friends that I’m about to commit social suicide. Just have to figure out how.
Yes so is there value in connecting and organizing somehow? This is damaging kids. Screaming into the wilderness is an apt description. Since 2015 for me. Now, I don't even know where to begin. I own my own business and I have a 14 year old at home (who is, thankfully, with the Catholics thanks to his stepmom and avoiding some of this insanity.... for now). Even a glass of wine or, better, a martini, with women who believe women are adult human females would be comfort for me. Any interest? I'm in Burlington.
I am in Ottawa. I am hoping the OCDSB will make a statement about the HDSB response to the teacher story. I have written asking them to do so. I’m not holding my breath. But what I would most like to see is a debate on the policy of schools socially transitioning children without the knowledge or consent of the parents. Hoping to raise this topic in the upcoming election.
There was a cross country protest held on the same day at every federal women's prison in Canada to protest biological males who self identify as female being moved to female prisons. No paper picked it up. In fact it was this journalist's mother, the wonderful Barbara Kay, who has been the only champion of women's rights we've had. And she is the first one to say that she does not consider herself a feminist. :-)) So savage what is happening to the women who deserve support. Women in women shelters being evicted because they do not want to share a room with a man. Rape victims having to face yet another man, but this time one in a dress, who insists on doing the examination. Women, and their lawyers having to refer to a male rapists as she and her. It's damned time we come together and tell politicians that if they can't respect our sex then they cannot expect our vote. The only man who would insist on entering a situation that leaves women feeling uncomfortable is a predator. The senate didn't listen to us when we said it, in fact we were laughed at, because apparently male predators who would take advantage of this bill don't exist.
"he is having a negative impact on those kids and their ability to learn"
Just the fact that those kids are required to lie, pretend, and ignore the elephant in the room is enough of a negative impact all in itself, before you even get to the sexual implications.
Such good questions about the failure of the media on this. I just find it mind boggling that journalists aren’t clamouring to cover this story. And I don’t mean this teacher in particular- I suppose I can see why some journalists might want to avoid the clickbait potential - but the questions around the trans issue in general. In Canada, there has been almost no reporting on the Cass review in the UK, on the housing of intact males in women’s prisons, males competing against women in sports, the loss of single sex spaces, and on and on.
Cowering behind their stacks of bail out money, sadly. When the Liberals announced a government bailout for news outlets in 2019, Andrew Coyne wrote in an editorial for The National Post that it was the death knell for independent media. (https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-any-chance-the-media-bailout-would-not-be-politicized-has-now-vanished) He was correct. The government is on a mission to entrench gender identity ideology in the schools. To what end, one can hazard numerous guesses. The media won't go too far against the government narrative lest their support cheques stop coming.
There are two sides to this story, but in the end there's only one that matters.
First, it's all very sad. I wouldn't want to be this guy. There is nothing one can do about a sexual orientation like autogynephilia, which is an orientation toward a fantasy of yourself in the body of a woman. By this late stage in his life, I suspect the intense arousal has passed and he is simply feeling, in his costume, something like the comfort that comes with sleeping next to a long time partner. Maybe we should all just be more accepting and leave him alone.
On the other hand, an heterosexual male shop teacher with a singular orientation toward women with absurdy large breasts would not be allowed to hang pictures of them all over the shop. It doesn't matter if he has owned the pictures for so long that they feel like old friends. It doesn't matter if he feels the display is a legitimate expression of his sexuality.
I can't imagine a female student with an interest in entering a "non-traditional" occupation would feel any different in this class that she would in a shop full of pinup calendars.
As a woman in a "non-traditional" field, I'm pretty certain she would feel differently. Pinups are something that can be more easily ignored than being forced to interact on a daily/weekly basis with a grotesque living caricature of a "woman" while being expected to treat this as completely normal. Teenage girls suffer enough anxiety over body image and coming into womanhood as it is with feeling like they are being actively mocked and belittled in the process. A fetish is not an identity, and it's time we stopped treating it as such.
Wong so many ways. Porn outfit, board response, silenced peers, students forced to pretend this is OK, state sanctioned media's unwillingness to condemn, gov tepid response...brutal
Hi. First: great article. However, if I may nitpick from Japan regarding your your attempt to translate the Japanese word 爆乳.
While it literally means, character by character, "explosion" and "breasts" or "breast milk", just like you shouldn't try to guess the context and usage of English words in modern use by breaking down their Latin root origins, neither should you do so with Japanese or other languages.
bakunyū is simply a juvenile slangy term that means "giant breasts", and the character "explode" is used metaphorically the same way an English speaker might say "her bosom was exploding out of her tight buttoned blouse." It's used in the same puerile way somebody might call very large breasts in English "copious cleavage", "titanic ta tas", or "humongous honkers."
And while it's true that for obvious reasons, you will find the word associated with Japanese pornography, it's not a label that's exclusively associated with a porn subgenre fetish; it's used outside of that context as well (ex. gossiping high school boys or immature men) for any woman who has a very large chest. Obviously, the word is never seen in polite or formal conversation.
FYI. Again, great article and thanks for writing it.
To me, this is most simply an issue of professionalism----dressing in a wild, extreme and/or exaggerated fashion is not professional behaviour for a teacher to engage in.
I take it, then, that the school would have no objection if a subversive-minded student wore a costume that made him--or her, or it--a walking, talking penis. "That lecture made me want to stand tall!" "People say I have a swollen head. I sure do!" "Clear the way, I'm coming!"
oh, they DO have a Dress Code for students...but, evidently not for teachers.
I personally think that this is far more insulting than blackface.
I've followed your work for years on Quillette, Jonathon and am delighted to subscribe here. I look forward to your artful analysis of events. This is my favorite of your essays thus far.
I don't care if he hasn't sexually assaulted children - yet. He's a pervert and shouldn't be anywhere near children. Where are the fathers, are they fine with perverts in positions of authority over their children? Shame on the principal, too, such poor judgment should end that career.
Stop pretending this is ok.
Wonderfully written article. Trudeauvian Gender Jingoism - love it.
Readers, please consider calling and, or writing Halton's police dept, and CAS to report a non contact sexual abuse to a minor, as that is exactly what this is.
If the legislation is so flawed that this teacher remains untouchable, or the students unprotected then it is up to both of those organizations to do something about it.
Also, consider writing the Minister of Justice, David Lametti to put pressure on him to have Bill C-16 amended. Self ID is not working, certainly not for women, girls and children in general if predators are untouchable.
Please consider calling and, or writing Halton's police dept, and CAS to report a non contact sexual abuse to a minor, as that is exactly what this is.
If the legislation is so flawed that this teacher remains untouchable, or the students unprotected then it is up to both of those organizations to do something about it.
Also, consider writing the Minister of Justice, David Lametti to put pressure on him to have Bill C-16 amended. Self ID is not working, certainly not for women, girls and children in general if predators are untouchable.
These are indeed the approaches that need to be done.
Today in the Globe & Mail Canadians are being hectored for body-shaming. The propaganda spewing out of media midwits is alarming. It’s like Pravda but with more gaslighting.
This article received prominent coverage last night on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight, including a personal shout-out from the host to Jonathan for having the courage to write about Lemieux (whose behaviour in a public school setting is, by any objective measure, outrageous and bizarre). The Canadian legacy media's fear and/or ideologically-based refusal to report stories such as this - other than from the "concerns about reprisals against trans-people" perspective - is yet another sad commentary on the state of journalism in this country.
This type of fetish belongs on the Internet, in glorious 2D, just as God intended. Not shoved in the face of the students you're paid to steward in a professional manner, rather then turn them into some unwilling participant in your erotic cosplay.
That's why I am furious the police and or CAS have don't nothing to protect the kids. And man calls have been gone into them. This is plain and simply a non contact sexual abuse. Which includes, flashing and exposure to pornography. Like I told the police when I called to report the abuse, if this man feels so comfortable displaying his fetish in front of children just imagine what he has on his computer.
I thought I was astonished at what I saw in the photos -- and then I saw the schoolboards non-response and was absolutely gobsmacked. I don't know which one is more absurd.
Never mind the school board's lack of response. It's the lack of response from the police and CAS for not protecting these students, these minors, from non contact sexual abuse! They have had many calls, and have neither organizations have stepped in to stop it. Or the other teachers in the school? Where is their "duty to care" something they are required by law to do. If this isn't a wake up call to legislators than I fear to wonder what it would take.
I vote for the school board’s non-response. I wish I had been gobsmacked. But I’m a teacher and absurd as the non-response was, I was sadly not surprised.
The term bakunyuu was new to to me. I had been reading the "Lemiex" character through the lens of Aristophanic clowning, with over-sized body parts done for a laugh. Same as Rainbow-Dildo-Butt-Monkey.
"Both of these people are actors—each performing tragicomic acts that no one finds convincing."
Wow. That's just a fantastic synopsis of the situation.
Beautifully written, Mr. Kay. When I saw this I was disturbed. And part of that feeling was the objection to anyone equating this man with what I am. A woman. He is not what I am. In fact, he is a mockery of what I am. Maybe harm is the wrong word but he is having a negative impact on those kids and their ability to learn. As the mom of a 14 year-old boy, I have no doubt about that. The school should be putting their students first. It's beyond ridiculous. As for mainstream media, so much has been said on the topic. I graduated from Journalism school in 1993. A story like this would have been a gift. Shocking content to "sell" the news but also the opportunity to be a part of a thoughtful discussion on what helps and obstructs a student's ability to learn, the extent of a school's responsibility to staff and students, the rights of parents to be involved in school decisions, the world of fetish.... so many angles. Why would any reporter worth his/her salt ignore this one?
Misogyny is alive and well in what is often referred to as Tranada when discussing feminist's issues around the world. . Bill C-16 was so arbitrarily written and the changes to the criminal code surrounding it so severely written that everyone is terrified to find themselves in hot water to even speak truths. The truth is that this is NOT a gender issue but a fetish, and as such those kids are experiencing what is referred to as a non contact sexual assault. Those fake breasts he is sporting can only be bought on fetish sites.
And the question must be asked, that if this man feels this comfortable, this "affirmed" as to put his fetish on display for kids, what is on his computer? For you can be sure, he is a groomer and that he includes children in his fetish fantasies.
You are too right when you question what is happening to journalism, and I think Coyne nailed it.
Excellently written. I want to copy your post and send it out to everyone I know! How do we band together to fight this? Seriously. I sit here on my computer feeling so helpless at times. I focus on my kids, my health and my business and those are great distractions and important pursuits. However, I have a gnawing need to actually DO something and I want to find a community to do it.
I totally agree with the gnawing need to DO something. I feel like I have been screaming into the wilderness about this for years. And the most depressing thing is the complete lack of interest or concern expressed by most people. The people who regard themselves as progressive allies don’t want to know any uncomfortable facts because to acknowledge them would mean reevaluating their beliefs. And the others just shrug and and marvel at how strange the world has become.
I have no idea how to make people care about this. I thought maybe this ludicrous teacher story would break through people’s apathy but now I’m not so sure. The craziness has mounted so slowly that the impact of each new outrage is dulled.
School board elections coming soon. I keep warning my friends that I’m about to commit social suicide. Just have to figure out how.
Yes so is there value in connecting and organizing somehow? This is damaging kids. Screaming into the wilderness is an apt description. Since 2015 for me. Now, I don't even know where to begin. I own my own business and I have a 14 year old at home (who is, thankfully, with the Catholics thanks to his stepmom and avoiding some of this insanity.... for now). Even a glass of wine or, better, a martini, with women who believe women are adult human females would be comfort for me. Any interest? I'm in Burlington.
I am in Ottawa. I am hoping the OCDSB will make a statement about the HDSB response to the teacher story. I have written asking them to do so. I’m not holding my breath. But what I would most like to see is a debate on the policy of schools socially transitioning children without the knowledge or consent of the parents. Hoping to raise this topic in the upcoming election.
There was a cross country protest held on the same day at every federal women's prison in Canada to protest biological males who self identify as female being moved to female prisons. No paper picked it up. In fact it was this journalist's mother, the wonderful Barbara Kay, who has been the only champion of women's rights we've had. And she is the first one to say that she does not consider herself a feminist. :-)) So savage what is happening to the women who deserve support. Women in women shelters being evicted because they do not want to share a room with a man. Rape victims having to face yet another man, but this time one in a dress, who insists on doing the examination. Women, and their lawyers having to refer to a male rapists as she and her. It's damned time we come together and tell politicians that if they can't respect our sex then they cannot expect our vote. The only man who would insist on entering a situation that leaves women feeling uncomfortable is a predator. The senate didn't listen to us when we said it, in fact we were laughed at, because apparently male predators who would take advantage of this bill don't exist.
And I love Barbara Kay.
Where are you in the world, Janice? I am in Burlington.
"he is having a negative impact on those kids and their ability to learn"
Just the fact that those kids are required to lie, pretend, and ignore the elephant in the room is enough of a negative impact all in itself, before you even get to the sexual implications.
Yes, you are correct.
Such good questions about the failure of the media on this. I just find it mind boggling that journalists aren’t clamouring to cover this story. And I don’t mean this teacher in particular- I suppose I can see why some journalists might want to avoid the clickbait potential - but the questions around the trans issue in general. In Canada, there has been almost no reporting on the Cass review in the UK, on the housing of intact males in women’s prisons, males competing against women in sports, the loss of single sex spaces, and on and on.
Where are the journalists?
Cowering behind their stacks of bail out money, sadly. When the Liberals announced a government bailout for news outlets in 2019, Andrew Coyne wrote in an editorial for The National Post that it was the death knell for independent media. (https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-any-chance-the-media-bailout-would-not-be-politicized-has-now-vanished) He was correct. The government is on a mission to entrench gender identity ideology in the schools. To what end, one can hazard numerous guesses. The media won't go too far against the government narrative lest their support cheques stop coming.
There are two sides to this story, but in the end there's only one that matters.
First, it's all very sad. I wouldn't want to be this guy. There is nothing one can do about a sexual orientation like autogynephilia, which is an orientation toward a fantasy of yourself in the body of a woman. By this late stage in his life, I suspect the intense arousal has passed and he is simply feeling, in his costume, something like the comfort that comes with sleeping next to a long time partner. Maybe we should all just be more accepting and leave him alone.
On the other hand, an heterosexual male shop teacher with a singular orientation toward women with absurdy large breasts would not be allowed to hang pictures of them all over the shop. It doesn't matter if he has owned the pictures for so long that they feel like old friends. It doesn't matter if he feels the display is a legitimate expression of his sexuality.
I can't imagine a female student with an interest in entering a "non-traditional" occupation would feel any different in this class that she would in a shop full of pinup calendars.
He's only presented this way to students this year, it's pretty fresh. Also, don't you still get aroused? It's not like he's ninety.
As a woman in a "non-traditional" field, I'm pretty certain she would feel differently. Pinups are something that can be more easily ignored than being forced to interact on a daily/weekly basis with a grotesque living caricature of a "woman" while being expected to treat this as completely normal. Teenage girls suffer enough anxiety over body image and coming into womanhood as it is with feeling like they are being actively mocked and belittled in the process. A fetish is not an identity, and it's time we stopped treating it as such.