Dozens of Ottawa high school students take to the streets to protest gender ideology
dozens of students Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School in Ottawa staged a strike on June 15 to protest the gender ideology they say is being pushed by their school.
“There are Muslim, white and Asian students in the crowd. There are students of every ethnicity. This is not an ethnic or religious protest, this is a protest for the students who just… don’t want to be indoctrinated. We just want to have our beliefs that are different from other people’s,” said AT, one of the organizers of the strike.
AT, who did not want to be named for fear of school repercussions, said the event “LDHSS Students for Change” was founded in response to the LGBTQ “indoctrination” forced on students.
“If you want to be transgender, I have nothing wrong with that. But let me live my life and follow my beliefs, and don’t force me to believe what you believe,” he said.
Sammy, a Muslim student who helped organize the event, explained that the protest was not directed at LGBTQ students themselves, but at the school board promoting beliefs and values that go against the teachings of the school’s religious circles.
“There have been a few incidents where biological males have walked in [Muslim girls] adjusting their hijabs. So our problem is that now they’ve pushed it against religious circles and religious minorities,” he said. “We’re not here because we’re against their existence. We are here because we are against them forcing their beliefs on us.”
Ali Elwayd, who is also Muslim, said his younger siblings have been punished for resisting being taught gender ideology, even though it goes against what they were taught at home. Elwayd said he is concerned that the imposition of gender ideology leads children to believe they should identify as LGBTQ.
“They are children and they have no ideas of their own yet. And childhood is like wax for your adulthood. Whatever comes up, it comes with you. You may have grown up with something, like your traditions and beliefs, and you still have it now,” he said.
Nearly a dozen counter-protesters also attended the event, including Tim Dunn, who has two children in attendance Longfields-Davidson Heights.
“I just wanted to come down because it’s heartbreaking that so many people are against it, and the hatred is great,” he said.
“[I see this as] hatred towards the children who are part of this community. Kids these days have plenty to do. They don’t have to come to school and feel unsafe, and I think unfortunately there are a lot of children who feel unsafe.”
Other protests
The protest came two days after Muslim families led a protest against the gender ideology at headquarters of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and a week after hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters gathered in Ottawa at an event held by “Billboard Chris.”
In an email sent to parents on the day of the protest, Longfields-Davidson Heights principal Jennifer Borrel-Benoit said the school community “enriched by the diversity of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds”, but students who want to protest must do so outside the school grounds.
“Students walking away is one way to share a message, but there are many other ways to respectfully show support for issues that matter to students,” she said.
