A group of Chilliwack students are flooding social media with a positive message of inclusion to counter what they describe as B次元官网网址渉omophobia and bigotryB次元官网网址� in the school board election campaign.
B次元官网网址淎s students with a diverse spectrum of gender identities and sexualities, we are calling out some statements made by the far-right candidates in the upcoming school board election,B次元官网网址� said Isabella Oberst, who helped create a YouTube video titled B次元官网网址榃e need change.B次元官网网址�
Oberst is a 16-year-old in Grade 11 in Chilliwack, who identifies as a gender fluid person, and she led the effort to create the video by the group StudentsB次元官网网址� Voice to correct misconceptions.
The video the students wrote, filmed, and edited themselves takes aim at the inaccuracies being repeated during the campaign and previously about students and the SOGI 123 (sexual orientation gender identity) program.
B次元官网网址淚 chose to speak out because I have witnessed first-hand the homophobia and bigotry in our school systems,B次元官网网址� Oberst said. B次元官网网址淭hese candidates do not support us and do not speak for us. We have joined together in an effort to make a change for the better in our community.B次元官网网址�
Several school board candidates, including some incumbents during the campaign, have made negative comments about SOGI 123, against gender diverse washrooms, or in favour of book-banning to censor LGBTQ content.
It was incumbent Barry Neufeld in 2017 who launched the first salvo against SOGI 123, ignoring its calls for respect and inclusion, labelling it a B次元官网网址渨eapon of propagandaB次元官网网址� and that allowing students to talk about gender was B次元官网网址渃hild abuse.B次元官网网址� Neufeld, who claimed to support B次元官网网址渢raditional family valuesB次元官网网址� made the post on his Facebook page that: B次元官网网址渢he BC Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools.B次元官网网址�
The post was later taken down but led to widespread condemnation, as well as calls for NeufeldB次元官网网址檚 resignation and censure.
John Rene said heB次元官网网址檚 heard students referred to as B次元官网网址減olitical pawnsB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渂rainwashedB次元官网网址� and that they were forced into situations B次元官网网址渢hey didnB次元官网网址檛 want to be inB次元官网网址� as a result of SOGI.
B次元官网网址淣one of these statements are true,B次元官网网址� Gabe Rowaan underlines in the video. B次元官网网址淲e recognize that everybody has their opinions but infringing on our most basic human rights is something we wonB次元官网网址檛 stand for. These candidates do not speak for us.B次元官网网址�
SOGI 123 is a curriculum resource designed for students to understand themselves better, B次元官网网址渘ot an item of the gay agenda,B次元官网网址� clarified Anisha Huq.
She also offered clap back at the inaccurate assertion that students are being shown B次元官网网址減ornography and explicit contentB次元官网网址� during sex ed, adding simply: B次元官网网址淭hat is not true.B次元官网网址�
What is sometimes forgotten is that SOGI is about respect.
The sole purpose of SOGI 123 is to provide B次元官网网址渁 safe environment for students to be themselves,B次元官网网址� Jaden Welch continued, adding the program focuses on the fact that B次元官网网址渆verybody deserves respectB次元官网网址� regardless of how they identify.
The video was posted on the StudentsB次元官网网址� Voice Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
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