Protesters faced off downtown on Wednesday (Sept. 20) as a nation-wide march rallied a few dozen in Courtenay to speak out on sexual orientation and gender identity in Canada鈥檚 school system.
Two different protests formed in downtown Courtenay at around noon. Approximately 30 people representing the national 鈥�1 Million March 4 Children鈥� event said kids are being harmed by exposure to inappropriate material in Courtenay鈥檚 schools. Advocates and allies of the LGBTQ community said the teachings are helping keep children safe.
An estimated 300 people participated in the counter-protest.
The Record spoke with several participants from both sides.
Murray Coulter, local grandparent. Has two granddaughters in the BC school system, aged 11 and 14.
鈥淚鈥檓 very concerned about what children are being taught in the school curriculum at this time. It hurts my heart.
鈥淚n West Vancouver we have three grandchildren, two of them are in early school. They are very upset and many times they don鈥檛 even want to go to school because of what they鈥檙e being subjected to.
鈥淎ll these people鈥� and I know many of them鈥� there鈥檚 no hatred for transgenders. There鈥檚 no hatred for the gay community. We wish them all well.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is get [school districts] to stop pushing their agenda and their ideology on our children and our grandchildren. Children should not be exposed to all this sexual transgender stuff.鈥�
Marusha Taylor, director of Pride Society of Comox Valley.
鈥淭he SOGI initiative does not teach children how to have sex or try to recruit them to be queer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very respectful, it鈥檚 very age appropriate and it鈥檚 been very carefully crafted by a lot of professionals who know how to teach children about important things.
鈥淩eally, all it does is teach kindness and respect and inclusivity.
鈥淸Protesters] are doing a great deal of harm to a lot of children and families by opposing SOGI, which is not at all the way they portray it.
Alain Lepine and Christine Lepine, parents of five children in Courtenay.
鈥淲e鈥檙e local pastors, and the concept that they鈥檙e teaching something that is鈥�
鈥榌Well,] we wouldn鈥檛 be allowed to go in and start preaching about Jesus. They would go after us the same.
鈥淚f we want to have freedom, [then we need] freedom for both sides. They can share what they鈥檙e allowed to share, but are we allowed to share?鈥�
鈥淲e want school to be about ABC鈥檚 and reading, and not about basically just pushing this sexual ideology on children in schools. We just believe it needs to stop. It鈥檚 that simple.鈥�
Nicole Bertram, Courtenay resident and mother.
鈥淚 think [protesters] are coming from a place of love, but not necessarily the most open minded point of love. I think all of us want to take care of our kids. For some of us, our value is to let our children express themselves and make sure they are safe.
鈥淲hen we educate our children about their bodies, and about consent, we are keeping them safe. And then we don鈥檛 have people who wait until they are in their 50s to fully feel who they are in their bodies.鈥�
Christopher Bates, chairperson of Pride Comox Valley, and counter-protest organizer.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want your children to be trans or gay, we want your trans and gay children to live and be safe.鈥�
Hal Hewitt, organizer of the anti-SOGI protest. His children graduated from SD71.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 truly about inclusivity, and they鈥檙e including material that could alienate many secular Canadians as well as people of faith, then it would seem that SOGI trumps all multiculturalism.
鈥淎nd in a multicultural society that鈥檚 bad news.鈥�
School District 71 sent out a newsletter to all parents expressing their support for the LGBTQ community.
