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Parents Have Rights!
6-21-2023
Parents Have Rights!
“There is enough work for teachers to do regarding math, science, spelling, and reading. Teach our children to be kind but leave cultural ideology and politics out of our children’s classrooms.” J. A. Malcolm
Since 2016 parents have been headbutting with the school boards across North America over the introduction of SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) curriculum in the schools.
The ministry’s position is that “The school policy came after the Human Rights Code was amended to include gender rights in 2016.”
“Key components of the policy include using respectful language (like not using the expression "That's so gay"), giving students the right to self-identify using their choice of preferred pronoun like he/she her/his, and allowing students to use washrooms and change rooms that match their gender identity.”
However, there’s much opposition from the parents for such introduction and parents across the province and throughout North America, and especially across all religious groups, that such introductions infringe upon their religious rights, freedom, and their right to raise their children. "I believe it is a social engineering program of our government that is not based on truth or science," said parent Courtney Strom, holding up a sign that said, "Stop sexualizing children," at the BC Legislature.
Immediately after the adaptation and implementation of the SOGI curriculum in 2018. It was placed on a back-burner due to Covid-19 lockdown and suspension of in-class attendance etc. However, as the life returns to normalcy and children attending in-class learning, this controversial issue has once again being brought to the forefront, and the battles over it has been revived.
Tensions have been building between Anti-SOGI parent groups and local school boards, since January. Parents are demanding resignations from their local school board trustees.
Despite much opposition from the parents, in 2018, almost all the school boards have adapted and implemented the curriculum and five years later it remains an outstanding issue for many parents and children attending schools across the provinces and states. The government is adamant in strict implementation of the curriculum, “The B.C. Ministry of Education, in collaboration with education-related groups like the B.C. School Trustees Association and the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, issued a written statement in support of SOGI. There is no room for any type of discrimination in our schools," the statement said.”
"Every school — both public and independent — is a place where students feel safe, accepted, respected and welcome regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion or background."
Parents on the other hand are equally adamant on accepting violations of theirs and their children’s individual rights as a citizen in accepting the SOGI curriculum being forced down by the government. Clearly, the two sides remain miles apart on this thorny and extremely controversial issue. The parents feel there is a much better way to address the concerns of Pro-SOGI parents and students.
A parent in Vernon, BC, wrote to the local newspaper with her concerns, “As a parent, I teach my child to be kind to others regardless of race, orientation, religion etc. If my child were gay I would want them to be welcomed with kindness in various circumstances as well.”
Her reasons for opposition were grounded with facts and common sense. “SOGI focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity only.” She argued that there are multiple reasons why children at school get bullied due to other differences such as religion, race, cultural, physical and mental disabilities. “Are these children not important?” she asks. “What is wrong with an anti-bullying program that encompasses all differences vs solely focusing on the LGBTQ population?”
“SOGI celebrates alternative lifestyles that may conflict with family values.” Many cultures and religion values family values, and as long as the child is taught at home to value a relationship between a man and a woman, but other relationships need to be respected equally. “Part of tolerance and inclusive environments is being respectful to all opinions, cultures, and religions” she concluded, and this should be an acceptable viewpoint in the classroom.
“School district policy states that discussions pertaining to religion must be neutral and objective, however, SOGI is a pro-gay curriculum.” SOGI policy requires that the material must be presented positively. SOGI policy states: “Classroom materials and activities will contain positive images and accurate information about sexual and/or gender diversity.” This is the crux of the issue, because emotional, physical, and mental emotions coincide with such alternative lifestyle. Children should also be taught negative health risks associated with such lifestyle. “This is not being homophobic; it is being scientific and providing our children with all facts.”
Most importantly the science of teaching children at such young tender age about lifestyle choices and gender identifications does not only confuses our children. It is in fact harmful. “The American College of Pediatricians urges healthcare professionals, educators, and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts — not ideology — determine reality.” (2017).
One of the local leaders of Anti-SOGI parent groups in Surrey, Amrit Birring who is being accused of disrupting the Surrey School Board meeting states, “the group wanted to demand answers from the school board regarding what he considered to be inappropriate books and curriculum.” He added, "[SOGI] is done in the name of inclusivity of the LGBTQ community and having children's understanding of it, so that part is great," he said. "Our contention is that they are … pushing this agenda which has nothing to do with inclusivity."
Birring told CBC “The group has protested at several school board meetings, but they were respectful and willing to engage in conversation.” He further added, "People didn't start shouting in the first meeting. It has been building since January," he said. "We went there last month as well. At that time, there were no protests, signs, nothing. Just simple questions. Even then, [the trustees] chose to walk out."
We feel that the government needs to reconsider their decision about SOGI and re-examine how best to communicate and implement this into curriculum while respecting everyone’s rights. Simply shunning out Anti-SOGI voices and remain stubbornly adamant in their position over SOGI without considering all views and opinions is not the way to deal with such controversial issues that will have a lasting impact on our children, our families, our communities, and our society as a whole.
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