Protesters Clash over Trans Policy

On September 20, protesters in the 1 Million March for Children gathered across the country to denounce the teaching of gender identity, pronouns and gender ideology in curriculums and use of mixed bathrooms in schools. The movement is said to be a unification of diverse backgrounds and faiths to safeguard the wellbeing of children, calling out families to protest in the streets and to take their children out of school for the day to participate in the protest. 

The march hosted in Montreal was met with counter protesters, who are fighting for the preservation of teaching gender identity, pronouns and gender ideology in school – as they say this is lifesaving for transgender youth.

Both protests were organized beside Roddick Gates, outside of McGill University's downtown campus. The counter protest organized first at 8 a.m., with demonstrators giving speeches, including trans rights activists Celeste Trianon. Around 10 a.m., the crowd for the 1 Million March for Children grew from a few people to dozens. By noon, both protests had accumulated hundreds, with the 1 Million March for Children outnumbering the counter protest. 

The 1 Million March for Children welcomed people of various backgrounds and many young children were also in attendance with their families. Some protesters brought signs with statements including, "we go to school to learn languages and science", "my parents know best", "do not impose your ideologies", and "I belong to my parents". Many chanted, "leave our kids alone" as counter protesters responded chanting, "fascists, go home". Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) police officers on bike created a barrier between the two protests, with one officer donning a smoke gun.