OTTAWA—Hundreds of protestors rallied near schools in Ottawa’s west end on Friday to protest against gender ideology being taught to children, while hundreds of LGBT supporters gathered to counter-protest the group.
The Ottawa Police Service shut down Broadview Avenue for the “Education over Indoctrination” rally, which was organized in part by B.C. resident Chris Elston, who goes by the monicker Billboard Chris, and student activist John Alexander—who late last year organized a protest over the use of washrooms based on gender identity at a high school in Renfrew.
Flanked by supporters, Elston told The Epoch Times the idea that not allowing children to gender transition through puberty blockers and surgeries will lead to their suicides is a “coercive tactic in order to silence conversation,” and that there is “absolutely no evidence to support this.”
“It’s also a way to coerce parents to go along with medicalizing their kids, because these parents take their kids who are struggling with a variety of mental health comorbidities ... to these gender clinics, and these gender clinicians now are telling parents, ‘You’ve got two options, mom and dad, you can have a dead son or an alive daughter,’” said Elston, who is a father to two girls.
Counter-Protest
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board had asked protesters to demonstrate away from the schools, saying, “Schools are for learning and should not be targeted for political protests.” The board also said that Elston and many others associated with him had a “history of aligning with and promoting inflammatory, transphobic, and hateful content against members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.”Late last month, superintendents at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board sent an email to all staff saying they should start the next school year using they/them pronouns for all students until told their preferred pronouns. It also said teachings about LGBT identities should be embedded in the “overall learning environment” and are not “open to debate or selective participation.”
Friday’s counter-protest was organized by the group Community Solidarity Ottawa, which was formed following the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa. Hundreds of counter-protestors gathered to play music, wave flags and signs, and chant slogans like “When trans kids are under attack, stand up and fight back,” and “Trans rights are human rights.”
Ottawa resident Tanya Whitford said she was at the protest because Elston and his supporters were travelling “to Ottawa to harass children ... and that is just deplorable behaviour.”
“We have to stand up to that kind of hate. We have to let them know that Ottawans are not going to put up with this [expletive],” she said. “And since the [Freedom Convoy], we’re fed up with this right-wing [expletive].”
Whitford also said that concerns around puberty blockers being irreversible were not based on any “credible evidence” and that it was “time to listen to the scientists and not the fearmongers.”
Mark Springs, who identifies as queer, said he attended the counter-protest against Elston’s initial visit to Ottawa back in 2021, and he came back to Friday’s protest to support Ottawa’s LGBT community. “We’re all very accepting, and we all want to talk,” he said.
‘I Want My Girl to Grow Up a Girl’
Throughout the day, protestors and counter-protestors repeatedly came face-to-face in heated altercations. Later in the afternoon, the Ottawa Police Service released an update stating that five people had been arrested during the event.“During any assembly, unlawful behaviour will be addressed promptly to ensure the safety and well-being of participants and members of the public. Police presence at demonstrations is intended to promote public safety and is not a display of support for any cause,” they added.
Throughout the day, the protestors displayed signs that said, “Save Canada,” “Christ Is King,” and “Dad: A human male who protects his kids from gender ideology,” while counter-protestors waved signs saying, “Embrace Trans Joy,” “Parents United Against Fascism,” “Pride Not Prejudice,” and “Trans Kids Are Braver Than You.”
Over a hundred members of Ottawa’s Muslims also gathered to protest against gender ideology. At one point, a group of Muslim children trampled on pride flags that had been placed on the road while their parents chanted, “Leave our kids alone.”
Khalili Laeks told The Epoch Times the Muslim community is upset with children being taught gender ideology when they are “not able to understand what is going on in terms of their sexuality.”
Laeks, who has two children, said they have skipped sex education classes at their school. Laeks said that while the LGBTQ community is free to express themselves, “they have to respect our opinion in terms of what we want for our children.”
“I need my girl to grow up a girl ... I want my boy to stay as a boy, and when he is old enough, he can decide for himself whatever he wants. But I don’t want any parties from outside to affect his decision at an early age. That’s what is annoying for most of the people here,” he said.
