Current protests in Canada are are striving to pit parental rights against LGBTQ+ rights.
NPD leader Jagmeet Singh offered this succinct comment on the situation (from the CBC):
"We want parents involved. I think it's a bit of a red herring argument. There's no question that parents should be involved in everything that their kids are engaged with at school, that parents should be incorporated," he said.
"It's also important to acknowledge that for some kids, home is not always a safe place."
@sumpnlikefaith He is right; but, I want more information. Parents argue that schools have gone well beyond "safe space" into areas (if what I've being told is true) that are inappropriate for minors. Schools have had a tendency to push beyond their authority in other areas in the past. Is that what is happening? I'm confused.
@smittycanada1 Admitting confusion is a brave step! I wish more people would do it.
Instigators on the right are filling a lot of people's confusion with paranoia and conspiracy theories, presented as fact.
In short, almost none of what they are worried about is happening. There are red herrings everywhere.
All the reading material I've seen personally is age-appropriate; helping the broader project of inclusivity & safety for all. Parents arguing against that end up arguing for prejudice.
@smittycanada1 Parents want their kids to be safe, and they're being told that they're being indoctrinated.
The only indoctrination is acceptance and inclusion.
A gay friend told me this: "The gay agenda is for everyone to love everyone."
So the fear and suspicion about this scare me; I've watched (esp religious) conservatives rail against political correctness and now what they call "wokeism" my whole life. I grew up in their ranks.
I don't trust people defending their right to be cruel.
@sumpnlikefaith I agree. People are being whipped into a frenzy. However, if parents are this concerned, it must be addressed. I'm probably going to come down on the side of sensitivity and inclusion; but, indepth discussions be held by someone with more expertise and guidelines than a homeroom teacher.
@sumpnlikefaith I agree. Chaos agents with bad intentions definitely are trying to take advantage of the strong emotions. I'm not sure of the solution. People more knowledgeable than I I'm sure could develop a better program than what is currently in place. A counselor with specialization in the issue could take more indepth conversations outside the classroom. That may settle down the moderates who are upset. The extreme homophobes and transphobes will never be happy, no matter what.
@smittycanada1 I think you're right, but how does this get addressed?
If these protests serve to further undermine the trust parents have in the system generally, and teachers specifically, how can we fix this? How does more expertise help when expertise is increasingly mistrusted?
To me, it's just adding to the colossal and growing credibility vacuum we have in our culture.
I'm concerned that the chaos agents who just want to watch the world burn are starting and stoking the fires already.