In light of competing protests about the rights of trans children and youth and schooling that unfolded yesterday in different Canadian cities, how should people understand what is happening around movements for “parent rights?”

Today in The Conversation Canada, Corinne L. Mason and Leah Hamilton of Mount Royal University challenge the idea that protests against inclusivity are simply parents who are invested in their children’s education.

They trace the history of the parental rights movement to the United States in the 1970s when it opposed protections for lesbians and gay men against discrimination. Today, this movement has grown and is highly organized and strategic with organizing bodies on both sides of the United States and Canada border.

“According to the Southern Poverty Law Centre,” they write, the parental rights movement is fuelled in the United States by Moms for Liberty, “an anti-government and right-wing extremist organization with ties to white nationalists including the Proud Boys.”

“2SLGBTQIA+ children and youth are being targeted by hate-motivated extremism under the guise of parental rights, and there are several concrete actions Canadians can take to combat this movement.”

Also today:

All the best.

Susannah Schmidt

Education + Arts Editor

Protesters demonstrate against sexual orientation and gender identity programs in schools in Montréal on Sept. 20, 2023. The protest was one of many across Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

How the ‘parental rights’ movement gave rise to the 1 Million March 4 Children

Corinne L. Mason, Mount Royal University; Leah Hamilton, Mount Royal University

The ‘parental rights’ movement isn’t actually about education or protecting children — it is a conduit for right-wing extremism that will only harm 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

People gathered outside of the Consulate General of India in Vancouver on June 24, 2023 to protest the recent shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

The fraught history of India and the Khalistan movement

Reeta Tremblay, University of Victoria

Hardeep Singh Nijjar is one of three high-profile Sikh political activists to be killed in recent months.

Obesity is itself a disease, in addition to contributing to the onset and progression of other conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and stroke. (Shutterstock)

Obesity is a dangerous disease that shares key features with cancer

Besma Boubertakh, Université Laval; Cristoforo Silvestri, Université Laval

Obesity is a disease that shares several characteristics with cancer, but does not get the same society-wide recognition of its disease status, so people with obesity are less likely to get treatment.

The resounding ‘yes’ vote in a referendum on halting oil extraction in the Yasuní, an area of vital ecological importance, is a huge victory for Ecuador. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A month after Ecuador’s historic vote to end oil extraction in Yasuní National Park, its lessons are as vital as ever to Canadians

Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo, Queen's University, Ontario

The decision of the people of Ecuador to halt oil extraction in the Yasuní is a trend-setting precedent of global importance and a victory that Canadians should build upon.

Pictographs on the shores of Mazinaw Lake, or Mazinaabikinigan-zaaga’igan, which in Algonquin means ‘painted-image lake.’ (Robber Esq)

Ancient pictograph vandalism at Bon Echo Provincial Park reveals an ongoing disregard for Indigenous history and presence

Jackson Pind, Trent University

The deeper spiritual, cultural and Anishinaabe connections at Bon Echo Park can only endure if we actively commit to their protection.

Increasing inclusivity in entrepreneurship will foster more equitable economic participation across the board. (Shutterstock)

How Canada can make its startup ecosystem more inclusive

Leanne Hedberg, MacEwan University

Increasing entrepreneurship among women and racialized people calls for the development of more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.

La Conversation Canada

Dormir dans le même lit que son bébé s'appuie sur des données scientifiques probantes, qui permettent aux parents de choisir l’aménagement de sommeil qui leur convient, à eux et à leur famille. (Shutterstock)

Dormir ou pas avec bébé ? Voici ce qu'en dit la science

Gabrielle Fréchette-Boilard, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR); Evelyne Touchette, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)

Dormir ou pas avec bébé? Les questions autour du cododo sont souvent noyées dans un tourbillon d'informations… et d'opinions. Or, la science peut apporter certaines réponses.

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