In Barrie, outside City Hall, hundreds assembled on Wednesday to stage both protests and counter-protests against the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in Ontario schools.
The protest was organized by a group named ‘1MillionMarch4Children’. The participants of this group, gathered from across the nation, voiced their concerns about the introduction of gender ideology in school curriculums.
The sphere of education has recently seen a growing focus on the topic of gender identity. This surge in attention coincides with the enforcement of new gender and pronoun policies in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. These policies necessitate parental consent for students under 16 years of age who wish to change their provided names or pronouns while at school.
Teachers’ unions in Ontario have vehemently opposed these rallies. For instance, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has strongly condemned the planned demonstrations and has urged both the government and school boards to follow suit.
At the passionately charged rally in Barrie, many protestors bore signs with messages such as ‘Stop Grooming Children,’ ‘Let Our Kids Be Kids,’ and ‘Kids Need Education Not Indoctrination.’ Meanwhile, a myriad of voices screamed and chanted. A protestor, choosing to remain anonymous, stated her presence was motivated by a desire to protect the children from sexualization.
Counter-protestors came equipped with their own sets of messages on their placard reads, ‘You Can’t Stop Kids From Growing Up Queer, You Can Only Stop Them From Trusting You,’ and ‘Inclusive Education is Suicide Prevention’, in a show of support for the LGBTQ2S+ communities. Supporters of this group chanted slogans such as “Trans rights are human rights”, over the shouts of opposition saying, “Leave our kids alone.”
Jayce Carver, who is both a Barrie resident and founder of the first trans center in Canada, voiced their concern about the prevailing misinformation, which is feeding the divide. Carver was hopeful about the visibility of the counter-protest in support of queer and trans communities, addressing the communication problem that is fuelling misunderstanding amongst the populace.
Leighton Brown, a protestor at the rally, was perplexed at the counter-protest. He was there to support parents of school-aged children, highlighting his reason to protest wasn’t against trans rights but for parental rights to know and have a say in what is taught in school classrooms.
Early Wednesday, Ontario’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce reaffirmed the government’s resolve to prioritize the safety and well-being of children in schools, stressing the inclusiveness irrespective of faith, heritage, sexual orientation, or skin color.