Protesters Clash Over LGBTQ+ Education in Montreal

On May 25, activists from the group Ensemble Pour Protéger Nos Enfants (EPPNE) gathered for a demonstration on McGill College Avenue in Montreal, down the street from the Roddick Gates and the lower field where students are currently encamped for Palestine. The groups of parents and other Montrealers were met by a counter-protest of LGBTQ+ members and supporters in the early morning who were there in opposition to the EPPNE’s anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. EPPNE believes in not acknowledging LGBTQ+ identity in school and academic sex education, on the grounds of religious freedom — promoting that children should not be exposed to gay and trans identities because they believe it goes against religious morals. LGBTQ+ supporters believe LGBTQ+ kids also have rights to be protected — rights that protect their identity and freedom to exist. The two groups clashed previously near McGill in September 2023 as part of the Million March 4 Children.

Canada has largely been recognized as a relative safe haven for LGBTQ+ individuals, however, recent changes in Canada counter this idea. This includes the founding of Quebec’s Comité de Sages Sur L’Identité de Genre, a committee for trans and nonbinary people without trans or nonbinary people on it. Last year, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith proposed legislation to limit options for LGBTQ+ youth, banning hormone treatments for kids below 15 and requiring schools to notify parents of LGBTQ+ youth when they change their name or pronouns. This points to a new trend — a backslide when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights in the country. This regression in LGBTQ+ rights takes place alongside a rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and racist, anti-immigrant sentiments.