Protesters clash in Surrey over SOGI in B.C. schools

Supporters and opponents of the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI 123) resource in B.C. schools clashed on Saturday.

Protesters who are part of the “Freedom Party of British Columbia” gathered and held signs saying “children belong to parents, not to governments” and “no to sexualization of children in public schools.”

The B.C. government describes SOGI as helping “schools create safe, caring and inclusive learning environments for all students regardless of their race, culture, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Educators are not required to use this resource.”

But for the protesters, it’s not something they want.

“Parents are not aware of what is being taught in schools. It’s very secretive and they do not know the curriculum,” one protester said. “So, we want to make sure the curriculum is given out to the parents. And it’s open communication. No secrecy and there should be transparency.”

Counter-protesters defended the program Saturday, speaking out against those pushing to end the resource.

“It provides resources for teachers who are developing curricula for their classrooms. It’s totally voluntary, but it has been approved unanimously across all B.C. school districts. When it was brought in, there were a lot of protests against it. And that hasn’t stopped, unfortunately,” one supporter of SOGI said.

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In a statement to CityNews, the Ministry of Education says that its highest priority is the well-being and safety of students in B.C.’s K-12 education system.

“No student should ever feel excluded, marginalized, or bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As the Minister of Education and Child Care, I stand together in solidarity with B.C.’s education partners as we work to ensure every school is a place where students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance,” the statement from the minister’s office reads.

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The Ministry of Education adds “there is no part of the B.C. curriculum or SOGI 123 guide that includes pornographic or explicit content. The core competencies of the provincial K-12 curriculum include a focus on healthy relationships, valuing diversity and respecting differences, and topics of human rights and forms of discrimination.”

“Kids aren’t being groomed in schools. This is just a disinformation campaign coming out of the far right at a stroke. We’re standing here because we support SOGI education,” one counter-protester said.

“They say it’s about children, but research shows that you protect children by teaching them about bodily autonomy and about gender identity and sexual orientation. You don’t shove it up, shove everything in a closet, and hope for the best when they turn 18.”