Hundreds of people gather in front of the Saskatchewan legislature to show their opposition to the school pronoun policy being forced into law. Oct. 10, 2023 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By CJME News

PRONOUN POLICY

Hundreds rally in Regina against pronoun policies as province pushes forward

Oct 11, 2023 | 8:06 AM

Protesters against Saskatchewan’s controversial education policies gathered at the Legislative Building on Tuesday as the government worked to make the new policies law.

The new policies require parental approval for sex education classes, and when a young student wishes to change the name or pronouns they use in school.

Those policies expected to be turned into law in the next two weeks.

An injunction late last month put the policies on hold as a lawsuit makes its way through the courts, but Premier Scott Moe quickly announced his intention to use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to bypass the court’s injunction. Moe also brought legislators back from their fall break early to push ahead with his goal to make the new policies law.

But as MLAs returned to Regina two weeks ahead of schedule, demonstrators both for and against the policies also descended on the provincial capital.

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At first, both sides had music blaring, slowly ticking louder on either side. But once the protest against the policy began, the counter-protesters shut their music off.

Speakers and those in attendance explained their frustration with the government pushing ahead on the law and on using the notwithstanding clause to force it into place. They also shared their worries and fears for trans kids.

Police kept the peace as demonstrators both for and against Saskatchewan’s new education policies met in Regina on Tuesday. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Memphis Hartman, 17, spoke to the crowd talking about his own experiences as a trans person in school. He said acceptance from his family wasn’t a given, so he experimented with his identity as school before coming out at home.

“I had support in my teachers, and that was the safe space, so going to them first was essential. There’s no one else who understands you like your teacher; they see you the most of the time other than your parents. If my parents hadn’t been supportive, I would have had my school to fall back on,” said Hartman.

He said for others, not having that support in school is a nightmare. Hartman said he knows others in the community who don’t have a supportive home and said they’re suffering right now.

Memphis Hartman, a trans teenager, explains how much being able to test out his identity at school helped him before coming out to his family. He spoke at Tuesday’s rally. Oct. 10, 2023 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)