Protesters in Saskatoon calling for new pronoun and education policies to be scrapped

Dozens gathered in Saskatoon on Aug. 27 to protest new policy about student pronouns and sex education in schools.

Dozens gathered in Saskatoon on Aug. 27 to voice their concerns and show support for the province’s LGBTQ2S community.

The protest took place in front of MLA Don Morgan’s office Sunday afternoon. Those in attendance expressed disagreement to new policies implemented just as students returned to the classroom.

On Aug. 22, education minister Dustin Duncan introduced policies for parental inclusion and consent, which include schools seeking parent’s permission when changing the preferred name and pronoun of students under 16 and for parents to be informed and able to opt out of their children’s sexual health education.

In an interview on The Roy Green show, Duncan said, “This is really trying to get parents closer to the classroom, not further away; really trying to involve and include parents in their children’s lives.”

Protest organizer Fran Forsberg said she found these policies unacceptable, as she believed they put children’s lives at risk.

“They say it is for the safety of the children; it is not,” she said.

“They have not consulted with educators, they have not consulted with parents or youth; they should all be sitting at the table when these decisions have been made and they have not been,” Forsberg said.

Protesters told global news they want the government to think about how these policies will impact young people and to have them scrapped.