WINNIPEG — A Manitoba politician is facing some heat after tweeting about the “hotness” of his former homeroom teacher.
Steven Fletcher, an Independent member of the legislature, posted a message on Twitter in reply to a woman who taught him in Grades 7 and 8.
The message thanks her for commenting on an article Fletcher had published and also revealed that he was attracted to her 35 years ago.
The tweet says: “You were always the hottest teacher. All the boys loved you in inappropriate ways.”
Many people — including Rochelle Squires, Manitoba’s minister for the status of women — have replied, telling Fletcher his remarks were inappropriate and offensive.
Fletcher says he meant no offence — many boys have crushes on their teachers — and people are reacting too harshly.
“It looks like we’re living in a society where it is becoming increasingly difficult to be human,” Fletcher said Friday.
“Yes, I had a crush on my Grade 7 teacher, and, yes, she was photogenic and very smart.”
Squires tweeted that she was at a loss for words.
“I don’t even know what to say — so, so insulting, demeaning, inappropriate.”
Fletcher served as a minister of state in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet between 2008 and 2013 before being shuffled out.
In 2016, Fletcher ran for the Manitoba Tories after losing his federal seat and won. But a year later he was booted out of that caucus for publicly breaking with the party on a number of policies.
He stood by his tweet Friday.
“They’re not bad words. They’re not profanity or anything,” he said.
“I would hazard a guess that virtually every single person who has made a comment on this has used the word ‘hottest’ in describing someone sometime in their life.”