Mayor has blunt message for small group of ‘fringe' protesters outside City Hall

A local group contributing to a Canada-wide rally in support of parental rights was undeterred by low turnout at Friday's "1 Million March for Children" — but Sault Ste. Marie's mayor says the event is organized by a fringe group in a thinly veiled attempt at discrimination disguised as protecting kids.

Organized by a group known as "Hands Off Our Kids," Friday's event was advertised in cities across Canada as a way for parents to speak out against “sexually explicit content and gender ideology” distributed in Canadian classrooms. The group's website says its main goal is "fighting for our children to have the right to learn in a healthy education system free from biases and indoctrination."

The Sault Ste. Marie event was scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday but co-organizer Steven Hunter said with rain and low turnout, the rally was not likely to last the scheduled five hours. By 11:30 a.m. a group of about 20 people were holding signs at the front steps of the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre.

"We were hoping if there was a big turnout that we were going to do a march and then possibly go stand at Bay Street and recruit — and if there was enough people we were going to do another set of speeches at that too," said Hunter.

Hunter said he would like to see Ontario parrot a new policy being introduced at schools in Alberta, in which parents must opt in for their children to be taught sexual education.

"So now instead of a child leaving a room and being centred out by all his friends, which is not okay now, we're trying to switch it around where if you want to teach sexualization — if you want to bring a banana and put a condom on it — you have to opt in," said Hunter.

Hunter, along with co-organizers Tim Coderre and Arnold Heino, have organized a number of rallies against Sault Pride events this summer, including protesting along the Rotaryfest parade route earlier this summer because a Sault Pride float was allowed. Similar protests were held at the new rainbow crosswalk and during drag storytime events.

Heino said the group is imploring the government to not contribute to the sexualization of children by allowing Pride participation in schools — but he insists they are not anti-Pride.

"We're not against that, not at all. We're against the government interfering in our kids' and parents' lives," said Heino.

Unlike at earlier events, Sault Pride did not organize a counter-protest for Friday's event. Instead, the group issued a news release in which its chair Amanda Zuke said the withholding of information about sexuality is what actually puts children at risk.

"Education arms children and helps to keep them safe and engaged with the realities of today’s world; these attempts to control and diminish the extent of the knowledge imparted to children and youth endangers them," said Zuke.

"The position taken by the organizers of these events is that they are not anti-2SLGBTQIA+, while at the same time referring to Queerness as a lifestyle and an ideology, rather than an innate characteristic of some humans," said Zuke in the release. "This demonstrates a profound disdain for — or at best, ignorance of — the scientific realities of sexuality and gender identity," Hunter said his group is not deterred and will continue to hold similar events in the future.

Organizers invited mayor and council to attend the rally and the local school boards were invited to speak.

In an email, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said Sault Ste. Marie is a welcoming community that stands firmly against the forces of division, hatred and bigotry.

“The so-called 'Million March for Children' is a thinly veiled attempt to promote discrimination under the false guise of protecting children," said Shoemaker. "These protesters are objecting to the right of individuals to express love and live their lives. Diversity is our strength and should be celebrated, not condemned. These protests do not reflect the values of our community and should be recognized for what they are — the actions of a fringe minority."

"Throughout its history, Sault Ste. Marie has been a gathering place — a crossroads where people from various backgrounds have come together. The story of our city is one of unity, built on the principles of diversity, respect and mutual support," said Shoemaker. "Here, people of different cultures, traditions and identities have lived, worked and thrived side-by-side. The leadership of the City, with the strong support of Saultites, will continue to uphold the values of inclusivity, acceptance and equality. Together, we will continue to foster a spirit of unity and resilience in the face of intolerance.”

Fran Walsh, communications officer for the Algoma District School Board, said the board received an invite late this week.

"ADSB does not have staff available to attend this event as we are busy with school start-up and reorganization," said Walsh.

Danielle Dupuis, communications officer for the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board, said in an email to her knowledge no invitation was received by that board for the event.