91原创 residents were on each side of the competing rallies for and against the SOGI 123 curriculum in Vancouver on Monday.
On the pro-SOGI side was local parent Stacey Wakelin, who was pleased with the turnout.
鈥淚t was kind of a celebration of the support that we know is in the community,鈥� she said.
She argued that the opposition to SOGI 鈥� sexual orientation and gender identity 鈥� isn鈥檛 just about the curriculum or students, but about broader issues.
鈥淎t the core of this, it鈥檚 an anti-LGBTQ sentiment,鈥� Wakelin said.
She noted that those opposing SOGI have sometimes misrepresented what is actually in the curriculum.
On the opposing side was 91原创-based right-wing activist Kari Simpson.
鈥淪OGI is about altering our culture and the political hijacking of our public education system to which parents are saying no,鈥� said Simpson.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to outlaw SOGI 123 in the public education system.鈥�
Also backing up the anti-SOGI side were about half a dozen members of the Soldiers of Odin group.
Soldiers of Odin is an offshoot of an anti-immigrant group of the same name in Europe.
Although the Canadian branches say they do not share an ideology with the European version, they have also clashed with anti-racism demonstrators.
Three Soldiers of Odin were arrested by Vancouver Police in March of 2017 after a scuffle with marchers organized by the Pacific Coalition Against Bigotry.
- with files from Black Press Digital
