“It’s not about guys running around in skirts”

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Mr. Haltner, you canceled Gender Day after a shit storm. Have you crouched in front of the opponents?
Christian Haltner: No. The police advised us to take this step.

Shouldn’t the security authorities be able to protect such an event?
The event itself was not the problem. The police could have secured them. The problem was calls on Telegram to intercept students on their way there and prevent them from participating. The police could have protected the school area, but not all the ways to get there. We didn’t want to take any risks.

The mischief started after the Gender Day invitation letter circulated on social media. What happened then?
A deluge of insults swept school and community officials. In particular, the social worker, whose name and mobile number were on the invitation, was insulted and defamed in the worst possible way: hateful messages like “You lying bitch” or “I’d like to get physical”. In addition, she received disgusting pictures.

According to the “Zürichsee-Zeitung”, death threats were also in the news. Is that correct?
Unfortunately, yes. School employees were terrorized by telephone. With statements like “I’ll stab you!”

How’s it going from here?
We work through the events in peace. Many people involved are still shocked. I am also shocked. I think it’s important that we don’t look away. What is happening here is a scandal. That’s why I’m now publicly standing up as mayor. Something like that just doesn’t work.

Are you also considering legal action?
We are in the process of filtering criminally relevant posts and messages. Then we decide on advertisements.

The shitstorm was sparked by prominent SVP representatives such as National Councilor Andreas Glarner, who posted the invitation on social media with the social worker’s name and phone number. Are you taking legal action against Glarner?
No. We have come to the conclusion that this is a political and not a legal issue.

Why?
Legal action against Mr. Glarner would probably come to naught, because, for example, the telephone number of those affected is also on the school’s website and is thus somehow public.

Politically, the Stäfner City Council sharply criticized Mr. Glarner. In a statement you accuse him of “agitation” – a harsh word.
I don’t know how else to describe his calls against Gender Day. Glarner knows exactly which clients he sends after us.

The statement also said that Glarner is a “bad Democrat.” What do you mean?
The gender day is part of the curriculum 21. This was established democratically. Anyone who then criticizes its implementation and thus a referendum and even calls for the dismissal of the school management is nothing but a bad democrat.

Substantive criticism must remain possible.
People like Glarner or Roger Köppel don’t care. Their only concern is to manage their problems on the back of our community. They use Stäfa and the school for their propaganda. We don’t need foreign bailiffs in Stäfa!

SVP exponents accuse the school of “gender indoctrination”. You have been a teacher yourself. What do you think?
What nonsense! They need to stop with such conspiracy theories. This day is about things like “My body is mine” or “I say no”. The students should be strengthened in their biological sex. That’s what Gender Day is about and not guys running around in dresses.

Aren’t you a little naive too? The gender issue is politically charged. Shouldn’t the school have been more careful?
I don’t see anything problematic at all. The day has been observed regularly for nearly a decade. The only thing that was not good is the format of the reminder letter to the students.

How?
The transgender logo and gender stars on the letter are not in line with our community’s language policy. We reported this to the school. Those responsible will learn their lessons from this. But this mistake does not justify a shitstorm. The SVP always emphasizes that they stand up for Swiss values. Do you know what those values ​​mean to me?

tell us
respect and decency. In the political debate you can argue hard, but you don’t just put someone down. In other countries that may be the norm, but not here.

Will there be another gender day next year?
The topic is definitely going on. As already said: the content of the gender day is part of the curriculum and is completely unproblematic. We will only reconsider the form. Whether it takes a whole day or whether it makes more sense to break the subject into several smaller parts. This is ultimately decided by the school board.

Source:Blick