As Pride Month kicked off, a car rally attended by hundreds in Abbotsford, B.C., marked the latest call for an end to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) resources in schools.
Roughly 50 vehicles participated in the June 1 rally, honking and displaying Canadian flags. One vehicle, in particular, flew banners reading “Leave Our Kids Alone” and “Stop SOGI 123,” as seen in a video taken near South Fraser Way and Clearbrook Road. The line of cars in the rally stretched for about half a kilometre.
SOGI 123 is described as “a toolkit educators can use to talk about diverse topics and build welcoming spaces where all students can learn, grow, and thrive,” according to the Abbotsford School District website. The program, developed in 2016 by the B.C. Ministry of Education, non-profit organizations, and various school districts, is not a mandated part of the B.C. curriculum.
The weekend car rally follows similar protests that have been held over the issue in the area regularly. Last September, when hundreds of protesters concerned about SOGI gathered outside a scheduled Abbotsford school board meeting and chanted slogans like “Leave our kids alone,” some trustees called the police to provide an escort from the building, leading to the meeting’s cancellation.
Controversy over SOGI materials has been widespread across other parts of the Lower Mainland. Parents have been vocal at various school board meetings, demanding the removal of SOGI-related graphic material and books from school libraries.
Chilliwack school board chair Willow Reichelt cut off the microphones of three speakers in February 2023, which resulted in hundreds of angry emails. In that same month, the Mission school board banned Action4Canada representatives from speaking at their meetings. Action4Canada is an organization that has campaigned nationwide against SOGI materials and advocated for the removal of certain books from school libraries.
A larger-scale movement, known as the “1 Million March for Children,” swept across Canada last September, with thousands of demonstrators marching in cities nationwide to protest the teaching of gender ideology in schools and to uphold parental rights. About a month later, on Oct. 21, 2023, parents rallied again to raise awareness about the issues in cities across Canada, including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, Fredericton, St. John’s, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Whitehorse, Charlottetown, and more.
These protests occurred amid school policy changes at the time. Provinces like New Brunswick and Saskatchewan implemented guidelines requiring parental consent for students under age 16 to change their given names and pronouns at school. Previously, schools could make these changes without informing parents. Since then, Alberta has implemented a similar policy as well.
