Hundreds gathered along Windsor's riverfront as part of a protest and counter-protest over LGBTQ issues and gender identity policies in schools.
The protest was part of nation-wide demonstrations as members of the group "1-Million-March-4-Children" say rally participants are "standing together against gender ideology in schools."
The protests are linked to policies across the country, including in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, that require young people to get parental consent before teachers can use their preferred first names and pronouns.
More than 750 people gathered at Dieppe Gardens along the city's riverfront for the protest and counter-protest.
Jeremy Palko, with Parents for Parents Rights, says the rally is for children.
"We want to make sure that school boards are educating the kids not indoctrinating them," says Palko. "So we want the trustees to represent the parents. They have a responsibility to do that, they need to be accountable to the parents. They're accountable to the Ontario public and shutting down the school board, keeping us out , keeping secrets from parents, that's way out of line."
He says trustees, teachers and administrators are acting on the parent's behalf.
"Best interest of the children is known best by the parents," he says. "So don't shut down your school board, make sure you're listening to what we have to say and you do not sexualize a minor. Any adult that is interested in sexualizing a minor we have a problem with that."
Palko says they want no secrets.
"None of the sexual orientation gender identity politics, they're not part of your politicking, they're not part of this war, war on morality and we want that to be known very clearly and we want to partner with the trustees just to make that known, we want to partner with the trustees," says Palko. "We're willing to work with them but they need to come to their senses on this and understand the parents are the ones who know best."
Samantha Brown was at the rally and says parents want to be told if there's something going on with our children.
"If they're having a mental health struggle, gender dysphoria is monumental mental health struggle and parents need to be involved if that's happening to their child," says Brown.
Individuals with the counter-protest holding signs and flags at Dieppe Gardens in downtown Windsor, September 20, 2023 (Photo by AM800's Rob Hindi)
Hedy was at the rally in support of the LGBTQ community and worries children are being indoctrinated to hate.
"They're not allowing trans children and other children the right to be human," says Hedy. "The right to live in freedom and the right to live not in fear."
Hedy says if a parent feels strongly that the system is teaching their child something they don't want them to learn, they can opt out.
"There's no need to force everybody to believe in the straight white Christian dogma," says Hedy. "There are families with two mothers, there are families with two fathers, there are families that are single parent, we don't all look the same. Why shouldn't children learn that there are people who are different."
The Windsor demonstration also included a march.
The march started at Dieppe Gardens with individuals making their way up Ouellette Avenue to Park Street and walking on Park Street to the Greater Essex County District School Board building.
The rallies are being met with counter-protesters who say those policies are a violation of children's rights and that transgender youth should not be outed to their parents by teachers.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi, Rusty Thomson & The Canadian Press