Counter protest – September 20, 2023
Today I attended a counter protest. I think it was the first for me…I have been to many demonstrations, some of which had counter protesters lurking on the side, but never one like this. I was there as part of “Education Saves Lives” – a response to the deceptively named “March4Kids” which was part of a nationwide manifestation of the also deceptively named Parents’ Rights movement. It was a chilling example of the culture wars that are dividing us – all the worse because they are being fueled by a cynical, anti-democratic lobby that seems to be having its day.
In my last blog post, I posted an article written with Angela Gillis, about the “neoliberal trajectory of public education reform in NS” (Our Schools/Ourselves, Jan 2023). In it we talked about how the lack of school boards in NS leaves our education system open to the influence of small “anti-woke” groups like the above. Indeed we have already seen what can happen in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan where Conservative governments have overruled school boards, educational professionals and even elements of their own caucuses and turned back the clock on the advances their teachers have made with regards to gender identity.
But today’s march both alarmed and heartened me. I was alarmed at the blatantly misleading signs displayed by the parents’ rights group and the fact that there seemed to be a fair number of newcomers to Canada in the crowd. But I was heartened by the fact that the counter-protesters vastly out-numbered the other side, and their signs were much more imaginative. I was also glad to see that there was no violence while I was there.
I longed to be able to have a conversation with some of protesters. Here’s what I would say to them: to the dozens of “Hands off our Kids” sign holders, are you really implying that educators are molesting our children? That teaching about sexuality and gender identity is somehow harming them? To the “Our kids, Our consent” sign holders – no actually, your kids have rights that sometimes trump yours, and one of them is to be safe from abuse, prejudice and bullying. If they don’t tell you about their gender identity or sexual preference, there is good reason, and having a teacher inform on them may put them in danger.
The irony was not lost on me of another puzzling sign, “Canada has only 1 flag” (usually superimposed on a red maple leaf) when there were literally hundreds of pride flags waving across the parade, not to mention the numerous NS flags in both crowds. But my favourite sign was one that said “School is for learning math and science” – yes, but it also “aims to develop well-rounded, independent, critical thinkers”,1 who need literature, history, sex education, music, art and much more.
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Most disturbing were the “Stop grooming our kids” and the “Education is Indoctrination” signs – as if sex education is grooming or sexualizing children. This language is straight out of the far-right playbook in the US where in some states they have already succeeded in passing anti-trans laws, banning books and suppressing many aspects of democratic education in public schools.
I have a trans grandson, who just turned 14. He is well adjusted and happy and has had mostly good experiences in his schooling. He has had the benefit of understanding teachers, in-depth sex education and a supportive family. I compare his experience to when his mother was going to high school in her small town, where anyone even suspected of being gay or trans was mercilessly bullied. Even more telling is my own experience – in high school, back in the dawn of time, I didn’t really know what homosexuality was. Because I didn’t know about them didn’t mean trans and gay people didn’t exist – it just meant that they spent their youth hiding their true selves, and couldn’t come out til much, much later in life. The progress on this issue over these generations has resulted in many more well-adjusted adults, more acceptance for diversity and yes, fewer suicides.
I treasure that progress and love the acceptance for diversity I see all around me. Nova Scotia is a much richer place because of it and being part of the counter protest this morning was a heartening experience. But I am still alarmed at the anger and fear we encountered there, not to mention the disinformation and lack of respect for the expertise of educators and their evidence-based research that was on display. I wonder what kind of world my grandson will grow up into – hopefully it will be one which will allow him to continue to blossom and show the world his many gifts. But I am afraid we will have to fight for it, and today was a step on the way.
- NS Public School Curriculum document ↩︎
On my way home, I saw this on Spring Garden Road. Related? Or just coincidence…
The Inquiring Teacher 