City, YEU condemn ‘Million March 4 Children’
A protest planned for tomorrow in downtown Whitehorse is causing consternation across the city.
A protest planned for tomorrow in downtown Whitehorse is causing consternation across the city.
Late Monday afternoon, the City of Whitehorse issued a news release condemning the intent of the “Million March 4 Children” event.
“While the city supports people’s right to organize and protest, we stand by our 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and their right to live their true selves safely and free of harassment and hate,” the news release stated.
“The promotion of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ ideas has no place in our community, and messages that target fellow community members will not be tolerated.
“No member of our community should ever feel targeted, especially because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, age, or background.”
Bylaw Services has been made aware of the event, which will begin at Shipyards Park, along with plans for a counter-protest, the city added.
“Bylaw officers will be on-site to ensure the safety of all participants, and compliance with the city’s bylaws. We are also in touch with the Whitehorse RCMP, who are aware of the event.”
Coun. Michelle Friesen also spoke on the issue during Monday evening’s council meeting.
“I’m really proud of the city for speaking up on this issue. It means so much to queer and trans youth that their city supports them,” Friesen said.
“I want to take the opportunity to speak out against the anti-trans protest that’s been planned to fuel hate and encourage discrimination and to cause harm to our community.
“Unfortunately, this hate has found its way into our community, and I think it’s important that we come together to celebrate love and acceptance and let it be known there is no place for this behaviour and discrimination here.”
The Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) has also released a statement criticizing the march event.
“The Million March for Children is a rally to promote hatred and exclusion. It’s a march against science, against human rights, and against human dignity,” the statement reads.
“Coercing children to skip school and march against the rights of their peers is misguided and regressive, and it’s anti-2SLGBTQIA indoctrination,” the YEU said.
“We invite you instead to join the counter-protest, taking place September 20th, noon at the Yukon Legislative Building.”
The statement continues, “Yukon Employees’ Union stands proudly in defence of the rights of trans youth.
“We stand united against bigots and bullies threatening harm to any member of our community. We will continue to fight to help ensure everyone can live safely and thrive here, including two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual Yukoners.”
Comments (13)
Up 13 Down 0
Conditional equality on Sep 25, 2023 at 1:38 pm
I noticed my son's teacher using they/them pronouns on his report card last year. So I sent a polite email requesting my son be referred to by the gendered pronouns he uses. No response feom the teacher, and the next report card they/them was still in there.
To me, that's it, in a nutshell. This group wants respect, inclusion, and equity. They're just not willing to give it.
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Groucho d'North on Sep 23, 2023 at 6:03 pm
Love or Hate. That's all there is these days, no middle ground where polite discussion can take place to arrive at an understanding between the involved parties. I suspect it is a communications tactic as frequently demonstrated by our federal Liberal government. If you disagree with their policies you are labelled as racist, misogynistic, hateful or any other derogetory term intended to bully their opposers into submission or silence them at a minimum. Cowards who cannot support their opinions with measured dialog will resort to accusing the other of being hateful as the final cut to end the debate. I attended school when Debate was taught in Grade 10 and upwards. Perhaps it should be returned to the curriculumn -it appears to be needed.
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Anie on Sep 22, 2023 at 5:28 pm
Sarah Davison, you have captured the sentiments of the majority. Thank you for stating it so eloquently. If only we could get the radicals (on both sides) to read what you have written.
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Louisa Gee on Sep 21, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Sarah Davison, everything you said is 100% and thank you for saying it so eloquently!!!
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Al on Sep 21, 2023 at 11:40 am
It boils down to what has been universally accepted around the world: It is the parents obligation to raise their children, providing them with all the essentials available to them. It is the obligation of the "state" to provide education services and not interfere with the family obligations. The educational system is not, and should not interfere with the parents rights. Full stop...
In short the government needs to cede to the will of the parents when it comes to moral ethics and life choices until such times that the child is either emancipated or of legal age.
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Douglas Martens on Sep 21, 2023 at 10:37 am
For those who may not know the protest is about bill C4 and the unanimous (if you can believe it!) decision of canada's parliament to strip canadian parents of their parental rights and forbid them from objecting to the official state indoctrination agenda under penalty of prison and massive fines.
Of course, the authorities will paint parents who insist on keeping their rights to raise their own kids the way they see fit as hatred though.
Dear overlords: Stay in your lane.
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Beverly Greek on Sep 21, 2023 at 6:42 am
It seemed the hate came from the side the Governemnt of Yukon, YEU, City Whitehorse were on... the counter protesters were the one yelling hate, swearing, and being aggressive towards many grandparents and parents on the other side.
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Nathan Living on Sep 20, 2023 at 7:51 pm
Time to dial this back.
Do not push idealology on children but allow pronouns and a safe school environment for all children.
Where there is hatred there is fear and often profound ignorance. Parents should be protective of their children because there are bad people out there who will take advantage of their innocence.
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Sarah Davison on Sep 20, 2023 at 4:19 pm
A protest about educational content is not hate, nor is threatening, nor is it bullying, or bigotry, or whatever other inflammatory destructive and mendacious rhetoric these adult children are spouting. A free society depends upon tolerance, most especially the tolerance for free speech. Free speech exists not for the speech you like, but specifically for the speech you actively hate. This is a basic pillar of western civilisation and the fact the educational establishment struggles with the concept - along with politicians who are intentionally inflaming this dispute rather than leading by example - is both worrying and disappointing. Parents have every right, in fact they have an obligation, to defend and protect their children from content they view as harmful, and what anybody else happens to think about that is irrelevant. Teachers, school boards, and politicians should have been using this dispute to show kids how to navigate conflict effectively. Instead they've become part of the problem. The bottom line here is that teachers are NOT paid to impose their own controversial political and social views on vulnerable children whose parents rely on both them and their local school board to uphold basic standards of professionalism. That's the issue here: the refusal of school boards, teachers, and politicians to respect their representative obligations to ALL voters, not just some.
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B. Foster on Sep 20, 2023 at 12:30 pm
When did not sharing the belief system of another person become defined as hate? The fact that I may not agree with you does not mean I hate you. It also does not mean that I need to abide by your belief system in leu of my own.
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Democratic Compromise? on Sep 20, 2023 at 8:22 am
Neither side seems to have any inclination to compromise. No matter how strongly you may feel about any issue, to engage in politics without the willingness to listen and value the beliefs of others is what leads to the hate. It is even more shameful to see our democratic leaders jump at the chance to smear their constituents. The very folks who are meant to live by example just don’t anymore and we see the results in the breakdown of civility, increased radicalization and the empowerment of hate from both sides.
For my part, it appears that outside the media bubble the sane middle majority is waiting quietly for the extremists to exhaust themselves into compromise.
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bonanzajoe on Sep 19, 2023 at 8:06 pm
And why won't City and government officials support marching for Children's rights? I know who I won't be voting for next election.
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It's not anti-2SLGBTQIA !! on Sep 19, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Who researched this bulls**t? Seriously?
“The Million March for Children is a rally to promote hatred and exclusion. It’s a march against science, against human rights, and against human dignity,”
No its not.
It's against elimination of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in schools.
20, heck even 10 years ago this would have been a no brainer but the leftist did a fine job brain washing the current 20 something generation, counter protest? Give you head a shake, we are a woke laughing stock of a country.