Muslim parents protest against 'gender ideology' studies in Canada schools

Muslim and Christian parents have joined objecting groups and others in "leave the kids alone" protests outside three schools in the Canadian capital against inclusion of "sexual and gender identity" education into the public school system.

"I don't want the kids to learn about this because they are kids, not adults," a Muslim mother said at the protest site in Ottawa on Friday.

"They [the kids] do not go to the school to learn about this stuff."

Parents who chanted "leave our kids alone" accused the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board [OCDSB] and pro-LGBTQ protesters — also protesting at the site — of "indoctrinating" kids and supporting "mutilating of innocent children".

"Our kids are learning the stuff in the school that they are not supposed to learn at this age," said another protester. "I've a brother in kindergarten who is learning about this stuff. This is not appropriate."

Friday's protests took place near Nepean High School, Notre Dame High School and Broadview Avenue Public School.

The controversial gender-change therapies have come under the spotlight at a time when there's a push by concerned parents against the normalisation of homosexual relationship discussions in schools.

Parents and medical practitioners in many countries are raising concerns about complicated and unproven medical interventions administered to minors.

In the US, UK and other so-called advanced economies, children are frequently encouraged to choose their own "pronouns" which in some cases has created confusion in their minds, experts say.

Chris Elston, an activist who organised Friday's protest against the new education policy, told Canadian Broadcaster CBC News that he was not fazed by the counterprotest by pro-LGBTQ supporters, but he felt "parents need to understand what their kids are being taught."

Pro-LGBTQ protesters were separated from the parents' protest by a police line.

Police said they made five arrests but didn't give information about who or why they were detained.

The OCDSB, which says "gender identity is specifically included in the Ontario provincial curriculum in grade 8," has urged the protesters to move their demonstrations from the schools.

Similar struggles in US

In the United States, protesters in Maryland state this week demonstrated against a change in the curriculum that does not inform parents in advance about the books being taught to their children in classes.

Montgomery County Public Schools system said in 2022 that it plans to change the curriculum with a new one that would include a new list of books, including "sexual and gender identity," for students from pre-kindergarten up to eighth grade.

Agitating parents have asked the schools to bring back the "opt-out" option.

Last year in October, in Dearborn, the only Muslim majority city in the US, many parents were shocked to learn that books being taught to their kids in schools contained sexually explicit content.

The school district temporarily restricted access to the books after parents protested at the school board meeting.