VANCOUVER | UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES – The David Suzuki Foundation supports everyone in Canada standing up for LGBTQIA2S+ rights today in response to protests taking place across the country opposing gender diversity education in schools.
We stand in solidarity with members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. We denounce the protests we are seeing today, which are grounded in discrimination and are fuelling disinformation, polarization and bigotry.
News sources credit misinformation and, in some cases, conspiracy theories as the basis for the gender diversity protests. Political leaders from all major parties have condemned the protests, given their grounding in hate and discrimination.
Society is facing unprecedented, intersecting crises. Solving and overcoming these collective, global challenges requires inclusion, input and supported leadership from all segments of society with a diversity of lived experiences, especially those who have been historically marginalized by forces of patriarchy, colonization and racism. These anti-LGBTQIA2S+ protests reinforce a status quo that harms both people and the planet.
In major cities across Canada, we are witnessing far larger numbers of counter protestors at these events. This display of allyship is helping move the national focus away from a minority movement fuelled by misinformation. Overwhelmingly, the crowds are filled with people and posters promoting love, inclusion and solidarity – tenets of the environmental movement as well.
The David Suzuki Foundation is an organization founded for environmental justice, and recognizes equity, diversity and inclusion as essential to our environmental emancipation. Today we stand in solidarity and love with all members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. We are grateful to everyone who hit the streets in counter-protest, and we stand with you in resolve to continue to work toward a world based on love, justice and inclusivity.
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For more information or a media interview, please contact:
Brendan Glauser, bglauser@davidsuzuki.org, 604-356-8829
DSF encourages you to learn more – here are some starting points: