Protests Occurring for SOGI Across Canada

Photo Credit: Lauren Collins/Rossland News

In late September of this year, the Vancouver Art Gallery was used as a midway point between two crowds with drastically contrasting views surrounding the topic of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Protesters surrounded the north and south side of the building, one group advocating against queer — and more specifically, transgender — education within both elementary and secondary schools across the country. On the other side, counter-protestors argued for the safety and inclusion of LGBTQ+ presence in classrooms.

Extra police officers were assigned to the protest, Vancouver Police Department representative Sergeant Steve Addison explained in an email to the Vancouver Sun. Sergeant Addison said there were “no significant public safety issues” at the time of the event, except for one brief but violent altercation that broke out. No major injuries were cited, and one protester was arrested for breach of peace before being escorted off the premises.

Vancouver was not alone in this event, as over 63 counter protests were enacted as a result of a nationwide call to action against SOGI education in schools. Spearheaded by an organization named Hands Off Our Kids, protests in almost every major city across the country were carried out throughout the month of September.

SOGI is described by its leader of operations, Heather Vause, as “a set of tools and resources to help create safer and more inclusive schools for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities.’’ 

The initiatives that fall under this description vary on a school by school basis. The SOGI national website states that “each school district and independent school has the autonomy to set their own policies and procedures around SOGI education.’’

While some districts may choose to directly invite SOGI workers to explicitly discuss information on LGBTQ+ education, incorporating queer relationships in a story during English class might be the extent of how SOGI values might appear in a classroom. 

The crux of the issue is the debate on whether topics of gender and sexuality have an appropriate place in classrooms.

Some in favour of abolishing SOGI education in schools argue that introduction of topics like the gender spectrum only works to confuse children who do not yet have the understanding to grasp these concepts; however, for many students, being a queer person is already a reality. At a time where legislation is being introduced in provinces like Saskatchewan and New Brunswick requiring parental consent for transgender students to express their gender identity at school, the topic of education on queer topics is more prevalent than ever in Canada. 

According to the Hands Off Our Kids website, the main goal of the counter protests revolves around safeguarding youth from “gender ideology, teaching sexual indoctrination, exposure to explicit sexual content, and ensuring that parental consent remains paramount”. Protecting both religious and personal freedoms are the top priorities of the organization, and they believe that governments should not have a place introducing subjects that are “not aimed at preparing children for their future”. 

Alternatively, Vancouver-based actor Jordon Navratil expressed how having SOGI representation in his school would have shaped his life in a much more positive light. Speaking from his experience being part of a generation that grew up without queer education, he said in a statement to Global News that “if we had felt safe when we were kids, everything would’ve been different. When you are a queer or trans youth and you see the existence of people like you, it makes you feel like you exist.”

Following the spike of protests, The BC Teachers Federation audibly expressed their support for SOGI and its resources, with representative Clint Johnston writing to Premier David Eby in early September that the Hands Off Our Kids protests “are part of a movement across North America that uses parental consent as the dog whistle for rising homophobia and transphobia”, and vocalized that acts like these are “a coordinated attack” on the queer community.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim also stood in support, not explicitly for SOGI education, but for equality and safety of transgender people. He posted on social media the morning of the Vancouver event, discouraging the 1 Million March 4 Kids, citing that the “City of Vancouver reiterated our stance against hate and discrimination” and that “ while protesting is a right, no one should feel unsafe, harassed, or that they don’t belong in Vancouver.” Sim also commented later that “we are being confronted by ignorance and bigotry, and we must always call it out and stand with those who are impacted.”

While protests in Vancouver both started and ended on Sept. 20, plans for combating SOGI education don’t seem to be stopping with 1 Million March 4 Kids. On the front page of both the Hands Off Our Kids and 1 Million March 4 Kids websites, a countdown and advertisement for similar protests under the name of the ‘Worldwide Stop The War On Children Rally’, is scheduled for Oct. 21, with seven locations in BC, including Surrey, already being registered.