P.E.I. radio station apologizes to LGBTQ community for host's social media post
'We are extremely sorry for the post and for the message it sent'
A P.E.I. radio station has issued an apology after one of its on-air personalities made a social media post that drew criticism from the Island's LGBTQ community.
Stingray Charlottetown issued a statement on behalf of Ocean 100 morning show co-host Kerri Wynne MacLeod and its Charlottetown stations, apologizing for a Facebook post from MacLeod last week.
"On behalf of Kerri Wynne and the entire staff at Stingray Charlottetown we are extremely sorry for the post and for the message it sent. It was wrong. It was a serious mistake, and we hold ourselves accountable for having made it," general manager Jennifer Evans said in the statement.
Evans said Stingray Charlottetown will be engaging in an all-staff training session to "help advance our understanding and make sure incidents like this never happen again."
The post was a meme that talked about the challenges of parenting. Some called it homophobic and transphobic, and it has since been taken down.
Pride P.E.I. issues statement
Pride P.E.I. declined an interview, but issued a statement:
"The issue is never 100% about the specific content of any one meme or post, rather it's about the incidental message it sends and the accumulative effect of repeated incidents. We're satisfied, however, that Stingray Radio understands the issue and is working with Pride PEI to create both an inclusive and safe workplace and airwaves."
A post on Pride P.E.I.'s Facebook page said the meme "was harmful to our community" and that it had requested to station management that it be taken down.
"Although we were disheartened by the expected response from many in the straight community to the apology post, which either dismissed the situation as people being overly sensitive, did not allow for the possibility that the on-air personality had made a mistake, or simply dismissed our concerns wholesale, we are hopeful that our session — which aims to get to the heart of the matter — will facilitate the change needed," the post said.