Canadian Muslim Parents Joining “1MillionMarch4Children” Reject anti-LGBTQ Agenda
One mom explains why she joined the protest and insists it’s about parental rights and not hate
Canadian parents concerned about their parental rights organized a “1MillionMarch4Children” last week to protest the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum in public schools.
The group’s stated mission according to their website is to “Advocate for the elimination of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in schools." The thousands who gathered across the country were met with counter-protesters, who argued the march was an attack on the LGBT community.
A Canadian Muslim parent who attended a march in their hometown offers this personal account of why they felt compelled to attend - and argues the march was not about targeting the LGBT community, but a call for religious freedom.
AMT is withholding the name of the writer, who has expressed concern of facing repercussions by their employer.
On Wednesday, September 20, I attended the “1MillionMarch4Children” rally, held across major cities across Canada.
I stood amongst thousands of fellow Canadians as a parent with growing concerns over a public education system that is adopting policies that ultimately de-emphasize the role of the parent. I see these policies as destabilizing the concept of parental consent in important, life-changing decisions in a child’s life, such as gender identity.
Currently, teachers are required to respect the decision of a child who chooses to change their gender, and accordingly their pronouns and names, and must not inform their parents.
The reasoning is that teachers and schools should serve as a “safe space” for students, and such a policy would protect LGBTQ students from harm at home should parents disagree with their child’s decision. This comes alongside a generally held belief that parents are a child’s primary advocates and have their best interests at heart.
The very same day, my workplace, along with others across the country, issued a sweeping statement of unwavering support for the LGBTQ community, characterizing the protests as led by “hate”.
Reading this felt intensely disappointing, frustrating, and frankly, unfair. In one swoop, by way of my participation in these peaceful protests, I was completely alienated by my employer and labeled as homophobic, which could not be farther from the truth.
One of my closest colleagues whom I consider a friend is queer, and we align with each other on so many human levels, outside of the realm of gender and sexuality. I find it both ironic and disheartening that in the misled belief of standing against hate, such biased statements have completely disregarded the diversity of thought, opinion, and belief systems in this country.
Having attended the protest, not once did I hear any negative statements or sentiments, explicit or implicit, targeting LGBTQ individuals, families, or any group of people whatsoever. Attendees united under the recognition of the rights of all groups under the Canadian flag, with an emphasis on the rights of parents in the lives of young, impressionable children.
In fact, the protests were also supported by members of the LGBTQ community who had a voice at the rallies and expressed their insights, experiences, and opinions.
In one case, a fellow parent and member of the LGBTQ community who had transitioned spoke out to emphasize that the issue at hand is not an “anti-LGBTQ” one, as the media has led the public to believe, but rather one advocating for parental involvement in the lives of young children, at school and beyond.
Another presenter at the protest further clarified that had the issue been with the LGBTQ community, counter-protests would have been planned across Canada’s Pride parades held annually in July. This is not the case.
A recent Angus Reid Institute poll shows us that most Canadian parents are not anti-LGBTQ, but instead are concerned about their level of involvement in their children’s decisions surrounding gender, as well as the content being presented to them at schools.
What bothers me is that, yet again, as a Muslim, the beliefs I hold are being painted as “other”, as “hateful”, and that there is no space for me to hold, process, or dissect these complex conversations.
What also bothers me is that when we participate in voicing our concerns, we are gaslit and shamed into believing our thoughts and value systems are wrong, that when we express ourselves, we are hard-pressed to find sensible allies, and when we do find have allies, they are deemed “far-right” and “extremist”.
To complicate the matter further, one Muslim Canadian journalist in Montreal claimed that the protests reeked of the same suspicious air as the Freedom Convoy protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates back in 2022. The notion is that Muslims are being manipulated by far-right groups who come with their own underlying agendas.
What bothers me most is that in the complexity and divisiveness of the issue, and for the fear of being painted, yet again, in broad brush strokes, Muslims distance themselves from participating in highly sensitive, highly necessary discussions. This only serves to perpetuate misinformation, create more division, and place more barriers on our paths as we strive to seek clarity.
Perhaps what is first needed is more clarity from within our communities - more dialogue, both internal and external, both scholarly and community-based - so as to strengthen our stance on a foundation of faith, evidence, and empathy, and so as to avoid the need to follow the masses in order to be heard or represented.
As many Canadians continue to deliberate on this controversial issue, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have recently moved towards requiring parental consent for students to change their genders, pronouns and names.
To me, it’s as simple as Saskatchewan’s Education Minister Dustin Duncan said: “We know that parental engagement and inclusion is a vital component for achieving positive outcomes and success in the lives of children, including in their academic lives.”
As a parent of a child in the public education system, I’m advocating hard to protect my belief systems while receiving a neutral education in a secure environment for my child. The truth is, there is nothing neutral nor secure about stripping away the role of the parent from their child.
Please note views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the view of AMT’s editorial board.
