Close to 100 Canadian cities set to march against sexual indoctrination of kids in schools

[IwantToRetire]

In fact this was meant to happen yesterday and not sure whether it happened or if there were any problems.

Article about intention here https://www.rebelnews.com/million_march_for_children_canadian_cities_lgbt_policies

Not sure of the politics behind it here are some other links:
> https://globalnews.ca/news/9973878/million-march-4-children-draws-hundreds-of-supporters-counter-protesters-in-downtown-calgary/
> https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/canadians-say-no-to-gender-identity
> https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cross-country-rallies-against-gender-ideology-in-schools-met-with-counter-protests-1.6569373
> https://theconversation.com/how-the-parental-rights-movement-gave-rise-to-the-1-million-march-4-children-213842

So posting more as a point of information. Though would be good to hear from anyone in Canada what their take on this is.

Very well said. I was very surprised at the barely below the surface contempt for working class people that was suddenly evident with the trucker protests. Many Indo-Canadian truckers participated (they’re a good chunk of the industry), but apparently they weren’t the right Indo-Canadians to middle class snobs who wanted to smear the convoy as racist. Ditto First Nations people who showed up to cheer the convoy.

And yes, the recent protests did have a large religious contingent. I think that given the political and social climate in Canada it’s very tricky for non-affiliated people to organise any kickback to gender ideology. For people attached to supportive groups, such as religion, it’s a lot easier and this may be why it happened as it did.

Sure there would be homophobes there, but I feel
gender ideology is homophobic, so it more than balanced out.

Following traditional Christian teachings on sex does not make you"homophobic" whatever that means. Billions of people throughout history and throughout the world today believe exactly the same things as these "homophobes." A very small comparatively number of people in the West believe differently. Whenever a new word is made up with phobe attached (see transphobe) I assume the people using it are unable to debate and discuss and are just resorting to insults because of this.

Thanks for all the comments re the convoy back ground. I think some of what seemed overt smearing of those taking part did seep through to the media here. But they were more excited about pictures of roads being blocked etc..

In some ways we have similar situations here on any number of things, eg refugees, ULEZ (ultra low emission zones) and so on. Often the purpose behind them is valid, but all to often executed by people who live a ver priviledged life and have no concept of how some restrictions impinge much more of those doing what the US calls blue collar jobs.

But the common problem we all have is that the hijacking of what was the straightforward campaign for lesbian and gay rights (and bi) by the trans agenda has meant that the left can then smear anyone who questions the queer politics of the trans narrative is then made out to be homophobic. Because ironically it was the fact that (not totally) the campaign for lesbian and gay rights had been sucessful, and in some ways even lead to positive attitudes. This meant that initially adding the "T" was just sort of another minority group not to be concerned about.

How many were aware that the T became the trojan horse that those promoting a queer agenda focusing on dismantling usual safeguards re sexuality and children could use. So now being lesbian or gay, having sucessfully been detatched from any idea of perversion or child exploitation, has now been pushed back into that category in some peoples minds because of the queering via the T agenda.

What has lesbian or gay got to do with fetish get up, waving your dick on a Pride parade and so on.

And of course the other negative impact of the queer T agenda, is that women having made some gains after 70s WLM and so on, are now firmly back in the minds of many as being not worthy of respect, not worthy of defining their own autonomy, not worthy of having their rights protected.

Going back to the convoy, I don’t think there was a snobbishness or contempt, it was more frustration at the misinformation that people were believing. The government should most definitely done things differently /acted sooner, it just went on and on. To begin with the organizers wanted this to be Canada’s ‘Jan 6th’, which was making everyone nervous.
With regards to the March, I don’t disagree- being lesbian or gay has absolutely nothing to do with kink etc. The problem for me (personally, not telling anyone what to think), is that this is being lauded as some step forward for women’s rights, when sadly, it isn’t. And wasn’t done with that intention.

Parent power probably is the best way to roll this stuff back. Parents really care about their kids and even other people's kids; and have votes.
Look how long it is taking Sunak to come good on his promise to protect our children? Words are meaningless if not backed up by action,
What has Starmer's Labour opposition ever said on this subject whatsoever? A big fat rainbow-washed zilch. It's a disgrace.
Politicians should never have allowed any of this to happen in the first place. They are all idiots and yes I am cross on behalf of women, parents and children everywhere.

this is being lauded as some step forward for women’s rights

I haven't seen any one say that this is a step for for women's rights.

Where did you get that impression?

Fair enough, I’ve perhaps extrapolated too far. I was trying to make the point that those leading /organizing aren’t doing it from the point of view of protecting women’s rights, and I’m concerned that others will think that it’s a good thing in that regard.

those leading /organizing aren’t doing it from the point of view of protecting women’s rights

I think 99% of the posts on FWR are usually about someone or some organisation that is looking at women's issues / women's sex based rights from a perspective that isn't woman led (sadly).

And in fact when you look at the really sizeable demonstrations that women in European countries (and abortion in the US) what is so very noticeable is how few women's demonstrations there are in the UK, and those that do happen are more likely to be attended by a small network.

Even Million Women's Rise doesn't get wide base support.

Not saying demonstrations are the only marker of how sucessful campaigns are, but just saying (apart from LWS) there a few women led public demonstrations in the UK.

It usually does though, doesn’t it?

Gay people should be restricted from working with kids.
Gay people shouldn’t have access to the financial benefits that come with being married.
Gay people should be criminalized for their sexuality
Gay people should be ashamed.

That’s what homophobic means- that gay people should be restricted in ways that straight people are not. Okay, maybe that’s not an “irrational fear” but it definitely is an unjustified imposition on people’s live on the basis of their sexuality. Or do you think penalizing gay people is valid?

Good post RebelliousCow you have said everything I think but alot better. After Covid I am extremely (probably too) sceptical and cynical about our govt and can't believe how many people believe everything they're told and how to think by the media

Yes, even Heather Mason had to give up her college course because it was obligatory to be vaccinated.

I have family and friends in Canada (none with children), and I am shocked at how they unquestioningly believe the CBC.

Goodness. I completely supported the truckers. The forced vaccination was horrific. The smearing as “far right” is an odd tactic

I feel so sorry for Canadians living under this regime. I’m glad they are protesting on this issue. I have a friend who left Toronto after covid due to the impact of the restrictions

I think you are right that the addition of the Q, even more than the T, was about pushing a different agenda.

But I'm not sure that I would say that this was totally apart from the traditional gay rights movement. There was certainly a (very successful) push for seeing gay people as just normal and like everyone else, apart from their sexual attraction.

But the whole sex celebration element of things like Pride is not that new, there has always been a group within the gay community, mainly men, who have equated homosexuality with a special identity and a rather libertine approach to sex.

I have thought in recent years that while these elements seemed to co-exist in the past, they have always been at odds on an ideological level. And the latter group now seems to dominate a lot of LGB groups, perhaps in part because those in the other group didn't so much want to spend their time in sexuality focused groups.

I think the contempt I saw for the truckers was pretty open and horrible. As well as blatant attempts to smear them all as white Christian fascists, which was a blatant smear.

I did think the protest made some unwise choices, particularly in terms of disrupting the neighbourhoods where regular people were living.

That being said, the government response was so foolish and really it seemed calculated to make the whole thing drag out. It's hard to imagine if there were a protest that size by any government favoured identity group that there would not have been some kind of meeting with, if not the PM, a reasonably high up MP, and some show of having heard and understood their concerns. As it was, the government gave them nothing that they could point to and say, ok, now we've made our point and can leave.

But the whole sex celebration element of things like Pride is not that new, there has always been a group within the gay community, mainly men, who have equated homosexuality with a special identity and a rather libertine approach to sex.

I have thought in recent years that while these elements seemed to co-exist in the past, they have always been at odds on an ideological level. And the latter group now seems to dominate a lot of LGB groups, perhaps in part because those in the other group didn't so much want to spend their time in sexuality focused groups.

Certainly in the UK long before T was even a thing, many lesbians opted out of so called Pride celebrations because it was very male, but also was very fetishistic. I dont even think it was a celebration of sex. Its more that people who are a fringe element thinking they can hijack a wider movement because that movement has recently been accepted and celebrated.

A complete contrast to having a gay rights march were the very opposite was the purpose. ie to have people in their every day clothes, eg that they went to work in, including those in uniforms, to show that being lesbian or gay wasn't in fact that extraordinary, because the people a who are that are just ordinary members of society.

So I think the queer agenda was there some years prior to the T being included, because those pushing the queer agenda didn't in fact prioritise what was the primary purpose, a celebration or affirmation of people who are same sex attracted. For them it was just a vehicle to push their politics. Thats why the T agenda was so useful.

... challenging the notion of defined and finite identity categories, as well as the norms that create a binary of good versus bad sexualities. Queer theorists contention is that there is no set normal, only changing norms that people may or may not fit into, making queer theorists’ main challenge to disrupt binaries in hopes that this will destroy difference as well as inequality. ...

The irony being of course that the T agenda is in fact totally about being different (special) and revels in preceived inequality as part of setting themselves apart and above from everyone else.

I see the march is being smeared as far right/homophobic religious/fascist truckers march 2.0

This is as tedious as it is predictable.

What do you mean about January 6th? What were they planning? We heard very little about the truckers in the US so I may have missed this bit.

ie to copy https://edition.cnn.com/politics/january-6-insurrection

From coverage in the UK this wasn't report as the original aim. Again this is probably the media trying to go for the most hysterical headline.

In some ways (and not suggesting an actual French connection) as a demo it was far closer to a history of different communities in France descending on Paris, whether with tractors or sheep or yellow jackets. About people who feel the Govenrment ignores them, and make policies that impact negatively on their way of life.

Sorry slight derail but again in terms of how media report things in the UK it is almost like well the French certainly now how to protest and its great footage so we will just pop over on eurostar and get lots of scene of street battles.

And I think I have been influenced by that because what I was of 6 January on Capital Hill they just looked like lost sheep surging this way and that. (and I do know that people were hurt and some died).

But so much of what we "know" about events like these demos are filtered through how the media has decided to present them.

In the UK to begin with the media just couldn't get enough of XR, lots of photogenic white mums with their cutesy children sobbing into microphones about how they would go to prison to save their children's futures. But once the media realised that "hard working people" couldn't afford to take the school holidays as a camping trip to central London, but needed to be able to do deliveries and so on, they quickly changed how they presented XR events. To the extent that XR some years later, without admitting they had alienated people, gave up of these type of demos. But then Just Stop Oil started the same tactics. With about as much sucess.

The original aim of one part of the convoy (per their memo of understanding circulated) was to somehow get the Governor General to disband parliament, get rid of all covid restrictions and put various other people in charge. It was ludicrous, and there was a big point made when they ‘withdrew’ it.
re. Turning it into our Jan 6th, there was lots of US money being sent into the fundraisers, some by very right wing organizations.
Re: the March, there were some very homophobic people involved in the planning, and I don’t think that’s a win for any kid. sadly home isn’t safe for all children.
There were also lots of churches involved in the counter-protests so I’m not saying all religion is bad.

what is so very noticeable is how few women's demonstrations there are in the UK, and those that do happen are more likely to be attended by a small network.

I said this! but in fact forgot about the Pregnant then Screwed demonstrations in a number of cities, that certainly drew more than a few thousand (though not exclusively women.

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/third-sector-awards-communications-campaign-year-%E2%80%93-pregnant-screwed-march-mummies/article/1837993

The March was started by a Muslim activist who has made various anti-gay comments. I can only speak to what happened locally, but it was the same organizers, speakers, flags, vehicles, commentators on local social media etc. as the local supporters of the convoy (we had mini support convoys here every weekend for weeks so we got to know who was involved), so I’ve made my conclusion based on that. Canada is massive, and diverse. It won’t have necessarily been the same in every area.

If by "traditional christian teachings on sex" you mean teaching kids that it's wrong to be gay then yah it kind of does.

Notable women’s rights advocate Meghan Murphy was only five minutes into her speech at the Victoria, B.C. 1 Million March 4 Children parental rights rally when police told organizers to shut down the event and leave.

The march planned for later that afternoon never happened, as Victoria police (VicPD) ordered an end to the protest within 15 minutes of it starting on Wednesday, Murphy told True North.

Murphy, as well as other rally speakers and organizers, were demonstrating on the B.C. legislature grounds in support of parental rights and removing gender identity ideology from school curricula.

According to VicPD, “At approximately 12:30 p.m., counter-protesters pushed past police and rushed the stage, creating an unsafe environment, and a decision was made to cease further planned activities.”

Two arrests were made.

A contingent of rainbow-wearing counter-protesters, some of whom support sex change surgeries for minors and giving information about fringe sex acts to preteens, was of a distance from the main protest. However, busloads of young counter-protesters wearing black hoodies began arriving at the grounds, and streams of the masked agitators headed straight for the stage.

https://tnc.news/2023/09/22/police-shut-down-victoria-march/

Not being in Canada I have no idea of the politics of tnc.news but interesting they managed to make a report without referencing christian fundamentalism or homophobia.

Yes, there was some chatter about this. If you recall, it was very much about what possible avenues there could be to deal with a government who had, arguably, suspended many basic civil liberties, with no end in sight.

It is, theoretically, a possible tole of the GG to respond in that kind of situation.

Overblown in this instance? Quite possibly. But it very much speaks to the kind of frustration that many people had with a government that was restricting movement, freedom of association, and a media that was refusing to question any of it.

And to maybe put this in context for those outside of Canada, there were significant interruptions in the House sitting during covid. Really an unprecedented level of centralizing of power in the PMs office. In my province, the legislature did not sit for over a year.

All of which is to say, the normal ways citizens might challenge government decisions in a democracy were suppressed, so perhaps it should be no surprise that frustrated people were discussing what other options might exist within the law, even if they were far-fetched.

Every country was restricting movement at the time. Provincial mandates were about to be lifted /changed. The people involved with the organizing were just very anti (this particular) federal government, and having failed at their ‘wexit’ and anti-UN yellow vest rubbish, locked onto this as their protest.
Bringing it back to this particular protest, some of the same people were involved- they aren’t hiding their homophobic views. The only thing which is a bit surprising, to me, is that fundamentalist Christians have joined forces with fundamentalist Muslims in this particular instance /for this March.
it just feels odd, considering the Islamophobic rants we saw from some of the convoy organizers.