Hundreds attend protest/counter-protest

Protests for and against LGBTQ2S+ inclusive education took place in Windsor and across the country on Wednesday.

IN PICTURES: Anti-'gender ideology' protest and counter protest

The message was clear.

“School's don't get a pass on warping the minds of our little ones,” said Jeremy Palko, a leader with Parents For Parents’ Rights who spoke to a crowd upwards of 800 people at Dieppe Park Wednesday morning.

He made it known he wants to make sure school boards are not indoctrinating students about LGBTQ2SI+ issues and gender identity policies.

“The best interest of the children is known best by the parents,” Palko said.

The protest was part of a nationwide rally supporting 1 Million March 4 Children, a group claiming to stand together against gender ideology practices in schools.

Protest on Windsor's riverfront in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

“We're here today for hopefully for a policy change on the sexual gender identity policy which excludes all parents regardless of the age of the child,” said Elton Robinson, spokesperson for Parents for Parents’ Rights.

A small group of about 30 counter-protested for their human rights, “Can we not all just respect that not everybody is straight, white and Christian,” said Hedy, who believes if parents are bothered, they should opt out of a system that is teaching their children something they don't want them to learn.

“There are families with two mothers. There are families with two fathers. There are families that have a single parent,” Hedy pointed out. “We all don't look the same. Why shouldn't children learn that there are people who are different?”  

Palko agrees with that but says not all children mature at the same rate.

“The parents are the ones who know their children best and when those topics ought to be spoken about to their children, and you gotta leave it to the parents on when that happens,” Palko said.

Protest on Windsor's riverfront in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

Samantha Brown was also one of the speakers, and said, “I am here because women and girls have lost our single sex spaces and because gender ideology is harming women and children and society at large."

She feels most parents at the rally want their kids to go to school without being told they may be a boy or a girl, or that they like different stereotypical activities.

She wants to know what is going on with her family and said, “If they're having a mental health struggle. Gender dysphoria is a monumental mental health struggle, and parents need to be involved if that's happening to their child.” 

The rally marched from Dieppe Park to the public school board. The board wouldn't comment on the rally and march but did say they listen to concerns and suggestions through established protocols.

“Diversity in our community is a wonderful fact of life that we celebrate,” said PR officer Scott Scantlebury. “We don't just handle it or deal with it. We celebrate it.”

Robinson feels a solution is out there to be had, “There is an answer here if people can get together in the middle and find a solution that fits all.”