A group of Chilliwack students are flooding social media with a positive message of inclusion to counter what they describe as 含羞草研究社渉omophobia and bigotry含羞草研究社� in the school board election campaign.
含羞草研究社淎s students with a diverse spectrum of gender identities and sexualities, we are calling out some statements made by the far-right candidates in the upcoming school board election,含羞草研究社� said Isabella Oberst, who helped create a YouTube video titled 含羞草研究社榃e need change.含羞草研究社�
Oberst is a 16-year-old in Grade 11 in Chilliwack, who identifies as a gender fluid person, and she led the effort to create the video by the group Students含羞草研究社� Voice to correct misconceptions.
The video the students wrote, filmed, and edited themselves takes aim at the inaccuracies being repeated during the campaign and previously about students and the SOGI 123 (sexual orientation gender identity) program.
含羞草研究社淚 chose to speak out because I have witnessed first-hand the homophobia and bigotry in our school systems,含羞草研究社� Oberst said. 含羞草研究社淭hese candidates do not support us and do not speak for us. We have joined together in an effort to make a change for the better in our community.含羞草研究社�
Several school board candidates, including some incumbents during the campaign, have made negative comments about SOGI 123, against gender diverse washrooms, or in favour of book-banning to censor LGBTQ content.
It was incumbent Barry Neufeld in 2017 who launched the first salvo against SOGI 123, ignoring its calls for respect and inclusion, labelling it a 含羞草研究社渨eapon of propaganda含羞草研究社� and that allowing students to talk about gender was 含羞草研究社渃hild abuse.含羞草研究社� Neufeld, who claimed to support 含羞草研究社渢raditional family values含羞草研究社� made the post on his Facebook page that: 含羞草研究社渢he BC Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools.含羞草研究社�
The post was later taken down but led to widespread condemnation, as well as calls for Neufeld含羞草研究社檚 resignation and censure.
John Rene said he含羞草研究社檚 heard students referred to as 含羞草研究社減olitical pawns含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渂rainwashed含羞草研究社� and that they were forced into situations 含羞草研究社渢hey didn含羞草研究社檛 want to be in含羞草研究社� as a result of SOGI.
含羞草研究社淣one of these statements are true,含羞草研究社� Gabe Rowaan underlines in the video. 含羞草研究社淲e recognize that everybody has their opinions but infringing on our most basic human rights is something we won含羞草研究社檛 stand for. These candidates do not speak for us.含羞草研究社�
SOGI 123 is a curriculum resource designed for students to understand themselves better, 含羞草研究社渘ot an item of the gay agenda,含羞草研究社� clarified Anisha Huq.
She also offered clap back at the inaccurate assertion that students are being shown 含羞草研究社減ornography and explicit content含羞草研究社� during sex ed, adding simply: 含羞草研究社淭hat is not true.含羞草研究社�
What is sometimes forgotten is that SOGI is about respect.
The sole purpose of SOGI 123 is to provide 含羞草研究社渁 safe environment for students to be themselves,含羞草研究社� Jaden Welch continued, adding the program focuses on the fact that 含羞草研究社渆verybody deserves respect含羞草研究社� regardless of how they identify.
The video was posted on the Students含羞草研究社� Voice Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
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