Large crowd turns out as Richmond School District adopts SOGI 123
Posted June 27, 2018 7:28 pm.
Last Updated June 28, 2018 8:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – Dozens of people, both for and against SOGI 123, gathered at J.N. Burnett Secondary School as the Richmond School District met to vote on adopting the province’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity program.
The school district voted to adopt the new curriculum.
People shouted things like “no SOGI” as people entered the school for the vote. Those in attendance also held a huge banner that read in all capital letters: “STOP OPPRESSIVE GENDER INDOCTRINATION.”
Other signs read: “stop sexualizing our kids” and “parents have rights.”
Cary Combs, who has two sons still in school, is against the curriculum changes. He feels the Ministry of Education is trying to endorse “a lifestyle and ideology” he doesn’t agree with. “Instead of the ABC’s and the 1-2-3’s, they’re trying to tell boys whether they are girls and girls that they’re boys.”
Laura Lynn Tyler-Thompson with the Canadian Christian Lobby agrees children shouldn’t be bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but she disagrees with the policy.
There was also a crowd of people in support of the SOGI 123 curriculum. Many of them wore pink t-shirts and shirts with rainbows on them.
Roughly 60 people signed up to speak before school district officials voted.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that there was a crowd in support of SOGI 123 at the meeting.
