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Woman told she shouldn't serve on Ottawa health board because of her weight |
CBC News Loaded
Ottawa
WOMAN TOLD SHE SHOULDN'T SERVE ON OTTAWA HEALTH BOARD BECAUSE OF HER WEIGHT
A member of the Ottawa Board of Health is speaking out against body shaming
after she received a letter from a resident telling her she shouldn't be on the
board because of her weight.
SOCIAL SHARING
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ELYSE BANHAM HAS RECEIVED OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT AFTER POSTING BELITTLING LETTER
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2023 12:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago
Elyse Banham, a member of the Ottawa Board of Health, recently shared a letter
on social media in which the author wrote that it was 'unacceptable' for her to
be overweight and also sit on the board. (Shabana Buwalda)
A member of the Ottawa Board of Health is speaking out against body shaming
after she received a letter from a resident telling her she shouldn't be on the
board because of her weight.
Elyse Banham said the letter, dated Jan. 12, sat unopened for weeks on her desk
at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre, where she's executive director. Banham
figured it was simply more hate mail protesting the centre's vaccine clinics.
She finally opened the envelope March 18, and realized it was a response to an
Ottawa Citizen article in which Banham called for more diversity on city boards.
The letter is signed, but CBC has been unable to verify its authenticity or find
the writer, and is therefore redacting the name.
Banham has been a member of the Ottawa Board of Health for four years and has
applied for another four, the article noted. But the letter writer took
exception to that, apparently based on the photo of Banham accompanying the
article.
"As a member of the Ottawa Board of Health, citizens expect you to be a role
model for our city's residents and believve (sic) you cannot fulfil that role
due to your unhealthy status. It is unacceptable to be overweight by the 20
pounds it appears you are carrying," the letter to Banham reads.
"I would be happy to see you on the new committee on the condition that you
become a better role model."
This letter was sent to Banham's work address on Jan. 12, 2023, in response to
an newspaper article Banham appeared in that same day. Banham isn't sure the
name of the person who signed the letter is real. (Elyse Banham)
Banham told CBC on Sunday that she was hurt by the letter, but not entirely
surprised.
"It's not that I haven't experienced this before — I think that people can be
very unkind to each other. But this was the first time that somebody took the
time to send me a letter and point out that I wasn't capable of performing work
because of my body appearance," she said.
She decided to post the letter on Twitter, and said she's received
many supportive messages in response.
Catherine Kitts, the city councillor for Orléans South–Navan and chair of the
health board, called the letter "horrendous." Kitts said she's sad not only for
Banham, but also for the letter writer who took the time to send such a hateful
message.
"I was proud of member Banham for calling it out, because that also takes guts,
and I was pleased and not surprised to see this outpouring of support for her,"
Kitts said. "Member Banham is such an incredible addition to the board of
health. She's such an excellent contributor and a very valued member, and that
should be the message. Her contributions to the board speak volumes."
Vitriolic attacks are an ugly side of public leadership, Kitts said, and
situations like this are a reminder "that this is what we're facing every day."
Jill Andrew, co-founder of the advocacy group Body Confidence Canada, said that
when women in public positions are targeted by body-based discrimination and
harassment, "it certainly doesn't create the type of welcoming, inclusive
climate that we need to have more strong women coming forward. So it's
disappointing.
"All too often women are judged not by our intellect, not by the quality of our
work or by the history of our work, but by our waistlines. And it is absolutely
absurd ... it can take many of us away form the duties we have on our plate."
Jill Andrew, co-founder of Body Confidence Canada, says body size alone can't be
used to determine someone's health status. (CBC)
Banham said she's proud of the support she's received after going public with
the letter.
"Nobody wants to be told they're 20 pounds overweight. I can certainly tell you
that I did not enjoy that part of my day. But talking to somebody like Greg
Fergus — a member of Parliament who posted about working with me and the fact
that I am somebody who leads with integrity and tries to use my thoughts and my
opinions to support others — I value that and I'm very grateful," she said.
She said she hopes her experience will show people wanting to serve on boards
and in other leadership roles that while there will always be people out there
wanting to take shots at them, there are many others who will come to their
defence.
"The intent of this message was to hurt me and belittle me. And it would have
been easy for me to take that and feel isolated in it. But the reason I shared
it is because we can do better together, and the majority of people think that,
and that's why there's been this outpouring of support," Banham said.
"And so I'm grateful for all those people who came to my defence, and what I
think that really says is that we are looking for more diverse opinions."
Listen to Elyse Banham's entire interview with CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on
Monday
Ottawa Morning7:44Ottawa Board of Health member speaks out about body shaming
A member of Ottawa's Board of Health is speaking out after a stranger said she
couldn’t do her job because of her weight. Why she’s hoping to deconstruct the
narrative around body shaming, by sharing her story.
With files from Natalia Goodwin
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
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