A group of Chilliwack students are flooding social media with a positive message of inclusion to counter what they describe as sa国际传媒渉omophobia and bigotrysa国际传媒� in the school board election campaign.
sa国际传媒淎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,sa国际传媒� said Isabella Oberst, who helped create a YouTube video titled sa国际传媒榃e need change.sa国际传媒�
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 Studentssa国际传媒� 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.
sa国际传媒淚 chose to speak out because I have witnessed first-hand the homophobia and bigotry in our school systems,sa国际传媒� Oberst said. sa国际传媒淭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.sa国际传媒�
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 sa国际传媒渨eapon of propagandasa国际传媒� and that allowing students to talk about gender was sa国际传媒渃hild abuse.sa国际传媒� Neufeld, who claimed to support sa国际传媒渢raditional family valuessa国际传媒� made the post on his Facebook page that: sa国际传媒渢he BC Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools.sa国际传媒�
The post was later taken down but led to widespread condemnation, as well as calls for Neufeldsa国际传媒檚 resignation and censure.
John Rene said hesa国际传媒檚 heard students referred to as sa国际传媒減olitical pawnssa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渂rainwashedsa国际传媒� and that they were forced into situations sa国际传媒渢hey didnsa国际传媒檛 want to be insa国际传媒� as a result of SOGI.
sa国际传媒淣one of these statements are true,sa国际传媒� Gabe Rowaan underlines in the video. sa国际传媒淲e recognize that everybody has their opinions but infringing on our most basic human rights is something we wonsa国际传媒檛 stand for. These candidates do not speak for us.sa国际传媒�
SOGI 123 is a curriculum resource designed for students to understand themselves better, sa国际传媒渘ot an item of the gay agenda,sa国际传媒� clarified Anisha Huq.
She also offered clap back at the inaccurate assertion that students are being shown sa国际传媒減ornography and explicit contentsa国际传媒� during sex ed, adding simply: sa国际传媒淭hat is not true.sa国际传媒�
What is sometimes forgotten is that SOGI is about respect.
The sole purpose of SOGI 123 is to provide sa国际传媒渁 safe environment for students to be themselves,sa国际传媒� Jaden Welch continued, adding the program focuses on the fact that sa国际传媒渆verybody deserves respectsa国际传媒� regardless of how they identify.
The video was posted on the Studentssa国际传媒� Voice Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
RELATED:
RELATED:
Do you have something to add to this story, or a news tip? Email:
jennifer.feinberg@theprogress.com
Like us on and follow us on .
