For years LGBT activists brazenly lied to the public, claiming that all they were asking for was tolerance, acceptance, and a live-and-let-live attitude. A few may even have believed it—most did not. We are now seeing this everywhere. This fact is highlighted by recent clashes in Canada between parents who do not want their children inculcated with LGBT ideology and activists who insist having their values taught to other people’s children is their human right.
An ongoing fight between LGBT activists and the Toronto District School Board showcases this fight. According to the Toronto Star, some parents and school staff are “demanding that the Toronto District School Board stop allowing students to opt out of drag queen storytime events.” The activists behind the push, Toronto Pflag and the board’s 2SLGBTQ+ Community Advisory Committee. ”have been advocating unsuccessfully for weeks since the issue over attendance and consent arose at a Pride celebration at Bruce Public School in early June. They say the opt-out violates the Ontario Human Rights Code and are calling for an apology for the harm caused by the decision. The board, they add, has not been particularly responsive.”
Remember when people raised concerns about these events and were told “if you don’t like them, don’t go?” Yeah, that brushoff was for suckers. The plan was always to make every aspect of LGBT education mandatory—even having drag queens read to your kids. As the National Post’s Jonathan Kay put it on Twitter: “This is where we are in Canada: Allowing parents to opt their kids out of ‘drag queen storytime activities’ would apparently create ‘hate.’”
For now, the TDSB is staying firm and permitting an opt-out for parents who wish to keep their children out of such events (although as I’ve noted before in this space, LGBT ideology has been integrated into every aspect of the curriculum and so it is impossible to opt out of everything—and that’s by design). Grace Lee, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Education, stated that “we expect school boards to respect parental decisions when it comes to their children”—but the board has already stated that it will consult with human rights specialists and “the community” to “determine a path forward.”
To me, that sounds like they’re preparing to cave—and even that isn’t good enough for LGBT activists, who cited the recent protests across the country as a key reason for school boards to double down and force children to attend the events. The board told the Star that “we have heard from the community and staff members that this approach was deeply hurtful and not respectful of the human rights of 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Their concerns are being taken very seriously … We should have spent more time in consultation with the community and our students and staff prior to providing this guidance and for that we apologize.”
