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