After anti-SOGI activists announced they would rally on the lawn of the B.C. legislature next week, members of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 LGBTQ and education communities have countered with plans for a rally of their own.
Kelli Kraft, a teacher with School District 23 in the Central Okanagan who taught in Victoria last year said people reached out to her to help organize an event to counter the anti-SOGI rally scheduled for Sept. 29.
Kraft designed handouts with information about SOGI B次元官网网址� an online based resource tool designed for inclusive learning, open to any B.C. teachers who choose to use it B次元官网网址� to disperse to the crowd the last time Smith and Thompson held a similar event at the legislature in April.
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B次元官网网址淚 thought it was really important that people [are] informed,B次元官网网址� Kraft says, because so much of the anti-SOGI rhetoric is false.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e heard a lot of people calling it a curriculum or a sex-ed policy,B次元官网网址� she continues. B次元官网网址淭hat is not at all what SOGI is about. ItB次元官网网址檚 more education-based and student-centred.B次元官网网址�
The Sept. 29 event, called B次元官网网址淔ree B.C. from SOGI 123B次元官网网址� has been organized by transgender speaker Jenn Smith and includes Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, a parent, blogger, author and former co-host of The 700 Club Canada with former ties to Culture Guard, a right-wing Christian group.
Smith and Thompson were among a crowd of protesters who took to the legislature lawn in April in protest of SOGI. Hundreds of LGBTQ people and their allies showed up as well, and the peaceful protest ended in a dance party.
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ItB次元官网网址檚 heartbreaking, Kraft says, to watch as the kids who SOGI is designed to support, experience this kind of hate. B次元官网网址淗aving to defend your existence frequently can absolutely bring about trauma.B次元官网网址�
As for the misinformation circulating province-wide, Kraft remains confused as to the purpose of events like the planned rally because SOGI is already in place.
Thompson, who is running for a school trustee position in School District 41 in Burnaby, told local media B次元官网网址渢he most important issue facing schools is that parents are highly alarmed and very upset that children are being taught gender-fluid ideology.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 interesting that itB次元官网网址檚 a platform now,B次元官网网址� says Kraft, who is unable to attend the event Sept. 29 but is sending her support along with other SD23 teachers making the trek to the Island to show solidarity.
On the Pro SOGI 123 Rally Facebook event page, it reads:
B次元官网网址淥nce again, while we recognize that it is so incredibly not fun to be around these folks while theyB次元官网网址檙e saying hateful things, we think it is so important to have a presence there that celebrates all genders, orientations, sexualities, and family/relationship configurations, in order to show this group (and our city, and our students/children!) that we stand for equality.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淣o matter what you think about these policies,B次元官网网址� Kraft says, B次元官网网址渢heyB次元官网网址檙e going to save some kidsB次元官网网址� lives.B次元官网网址�
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