Downtown Kitchener and Guelph saw hundreds gather on Wednesday for opposing protests concerning LGBTQ2S+ inclusivity in the education system. These demonstrations formed part of a nationwide movement, 1 Million March 4 Children, demanding the removal of what their campaigners dub as “sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology, and mixed bathrooms” from schools.
Counter demonstrations emerged, denouncing the 1 Million March 4 Children as homophobic, transphobic, and a violation of human rights. David Alton from GroundUp Waterloo Region, one of the organizers behind the counter protest, commented, “They frequently employ the term ‘parents’ rights’, but essentially, they’re claiming children do not possess the right to self-autonomy.”
Carl Zehr Square in Kitchener witnessed an assembly of roughly 1,000 protesters and counter-protesters. One key participant, Nrur Abdulmajid, vociferously argued for the autonomy of children, saying: “Our sole purpose here is to deliver a singular message – to allow our children to make their own decisions and not to impose any that they do not comprehend.”
Several organizations, including the City of Kitchener and the Waterloo Region District School Board, extended support to the LGBTQ2S+ community ahead of these protests. A spokesperson for the school board pointed out the hate and misconceptions that these demonstrations seem to foster. They stated, “Our sustained focus is on cultivating inclusive, secure spaces and looking after the well-being of all students and staff, especially our most marginalized members.”
Reiterating their commitment to inclusivity, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board announced: “We will stand against any actions discriminating against our students and staff based on their protected attributes, including gender identity, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientation.”
Guelph’s demonstration attracted large crowds, with counter-protesters surpassing the 1 Million March 4 Children’s participants. Among the counter-protestors was Morgan Dandie, who argued that a child’s rights supersede parental rights. Yet, there were others like Tygha Germain, who attended the 1 Million March 4 Children to express her support for parental rights, guided in part by her Christian faith. She observed, “I believe in respecting diverse beliefs, but I think a public school should accommodate all of them.”
Throughout these events, the Waterloo regional police reported no arrests related to the Kitchener demonstration.
