TORONTO – Screaming “leave our kids alone”, thousands of parents today joined the protest organized by the “1MillionMarch4Children” group against the promotion of the so-called “gender ideology” in the country’s schools: in the crosshairs of families, the schools’ initiatives that “they are exposing our children to inappropriate content about sexuality and gender identity” and that “they are trying to divest us of our authority as parents.”
Demonstrations took place across Canada: in some “squares”, some political leaders also joined the demonstrators, as happened in Fredericton in New Brunswick where Prime Minister Blaine Higgs took part in the protest outside the legislature, telling journalists that he has difficulty understanding why his (provincial) government’s policy is considered “controversial.” As is known, the Higgs government changed the Province’s gender policy last June, introducing the requirement for “transgender” and “non-binary” students under 16 to obtain parental consent before their teachers can use their preferred pronouns (he, she, etc.) in class. “It is up to parents to make decisions for children under the age of 16” Higgs told reporters in summary. “Parents must always be informed about everything that concerns their children, including if their children question their gender identity.”
The demonstrations against gender school policies were counterbalanced by those in favor of the same policies, organized by the LGBTQ2S+ movements: also in this case, some political leaders took to the field such as Jagmeet Singh, head of the NDP, who led a group of protesters along Wellington Street in Ottawa. “We know there are many people who feel unsafe due to the rise of hate and divisiveness that targets vulnerable people,” Singh said. “But then you see a lot of people coming together, and it shows the strength of solidarity, of us supporting each other.”
The protests continued throughout today in various provinces and cities of Canada: in some cases, the presence of the police was necessary to separate the demonstrators from the counter-protesters and thus avoid clashes between the opposing factions.
More than 1,000 counter-protesters descended today on Queen’s Park, Toronto, to protest against LGBTQ2S+ inclusive education. The police monitored demonstrators and counter-protesters, who “challenged” each other with chants and declarations: “It is our freedom to educate our children as we want. They are our children. It’s our choice,” said one anti-gender policies at schools.
The Mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, when asked by journalists, instead responded that “Toronto is a caring and welcoming place for everyone, including the LGBTQ community. So there is no room for hatred. This is why you will see flying, in City Hall, a trans flag.”
The protesters, however, were keen to underline that their protest was not “against” the LGBTQ2S+ community in general, but against what they called “indoctrination of our children, in schools. Leave them alone”.
In the pic above, parents of “#1MillionMarch4Children” in the New Brunswick demonstration today (photo from Twitter – @Bret_Sears)