When a rainbow Pride flag was burned at UBC two months ago there were concerns it was a hate crime – but it turns out the alleged flag burner is a student who insists it was actually a statement in support of inclusion.

Brooklyn Fink is accused of burning a Pride flag raised for UBC’s OUTWeek in February – a charge she doesn’t deny.

She appeared at Richmond court Tuesday morning, hoping a mischief charge of $5,000 would be thrown out.

“As a media artist, I intended on burning the flag only to illustrate my displeasure at the university's failure to come to an agreement about the flag's offensiveness,” said Fink. “It’s just really tragic that we’re still fighting with identity politics.”

Fink believes the flag represents an LGBTQ movement that has become too politicized, and that the UBC crest that’s normally atop the flagpole is more inclusive.

She also disagrees with what the Pride flag stood for, and wants the ‘T’ in LGBTQ to stand for transvestite, not transgender.

“We took [the UBC] flag down and put up a false flag that was just invented by someone from San Francisco,” said Fink.

“What are we going to do, surrender the flag 52 times a year? Who's next? Is it going to be pro-life campus? Do they get to fly a flag?”

In February, university officials condemned the flag burning as an act of hate violating the school's deeply held values of equity, inclusion and respect.

Concern for participants' safety prompted OUTweek organizers to cancel a march just days after the burning, but other events went ahead as planned and no further violence occurred.

Vancouver City Hall even flew the Pride flag in solidarity with the community.

On Tuesday, a justice of peace denied Fink’s request to throw out the case.

UBC has also suspended her, but Fink hopes the issue will eventually be dismissed.

“After my non-academic misconduct hearing we will see if we can summarily dismiss this as a professional issue among a student and the school,” Fink said.

She will be back in court on May 17.

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson and The Canadian Press