Rallies against ‘gender ideology’ in schools met with counter protests in Montreal and Canada

Protests and counter protests were held in downtown Montreal and across the country Wednesday over school policies on gender.

A group called “1 million march 4 children” say rally participants are against what they call “Gender ideology” in schools.

They say schools are exposing their kids to inappropriate content about sexuality and gender identity, and they support the policies requiring parental consent.

“This so-called ‘march for children’ is the latest effort by an alliance of right wing extremists, those involved in the convoy protests, and far right elements within religious communities to dehumanize and demonize people who are transgender, especially trans youth who are particularly vulnerable. And it is galling and reprehensible that some conservative politicians, including the premiers of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan along with some Conservative MPs, are catering to this bigoted minority by supporting calls to violate the fundamental rights of LGBTQ2 and transgender youth,” said Fareed Khan, founder of Canadians United Against Hate, in a press release.

It was New Brunswick’s government that helped spark the debate across Canada when it changed the province’s gender policy in June, requiring transgender and nonbinary students under 16 to get parental consent before their teachers can use their preferred first names.

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Pro 2SLGBTQ+ protests have been organized in response to this in Montreal and across Canada.

“People who oppose hate across the country have organized counter-protests in response to this assault on the fundamental human rights of those who are LGBTQ2,” he added. “To date there are more than three dozen counter-protests in every province and in The Yukon to show that hate has no place in Canada, and that the human rights of those who are LGBTQ2 must be protected and defended.”

“What the people behind these protests have planned is nothing less than an orchestrated campaign of intimidation, hate and bigotry against those who are LGBTQ2, and those who are transgender in particular. This is nothing less than an effort to deny and push back the hard won human rights for a minority community that has historically been persecuted.”

The two groups faced heated exchanges in Montreal on Wednesday.

The Montreal police force is also on hand at Sherbooke and McGill College. No injuries or arrests were reported.

These protests come at a time when debates about gender identity and the inclusion of trans and non-binary people in society are gaining momentum at the Quebec National Assembly.

The Quebec government said it will set up an expert panel by Christmas to guide decision-makers on these sensitive issues.

With files from The Canadian Press