dan kellar Kitchener, ON – On September 20th, the 2nd annual #1MiillionMarchForChildren will be at Kitchener city hall for a planned day-long rally. Uniting under the banner Hands Off Our Kids, the rally organizers say they are concerned about parental rights and how sexual orientation and gender identity are being taught in public schools.
Also planning to be at city hall is the group Queer Youth Defense, who have organised a 2nd annual counter demonstration to “drown out hate with a little bit of light”.
This show features an interview with Acer Bonaparte of Queer Youth Defense along with statements CKMS News received from trustee Cindy Watson of the Waterloo Region District School Board, from jeewan chanicka, the Director of Education at the WRDSB, and from Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. CKMS News tried to contact local organizers from Hands off Our Kids, but did not receive a response, however, material from the group’s website is referenced.
1 – Waterloo’s Trinity Bible Chapel at the forefront of christian fundamentalist anti-LGBTQ movement.
Waterloo based pastor Jacob Reaume of the Trinity Bible Chapel again brings national attention to Waterloo through his anti-LGBTQ sermons and involvement in nationwide network Christian fundamentalist churches who have been supporting anti-LGBTQ candidates in municipal and school board elections across the country.
2 – Former teacher has her day in court over book censorship presentation “censorship”.
Former teacher Carolyn Burjoski’s has taken the Waterloo Region District School Board to court demanding she be allowed to continue her presentation which was arguing that some books available to students with LGBTQ themes were not appropriate and could mislead those who read the books about sexuality and gender.
3 – WRDSB trustee Mike Ramsay takes the school board to court over “free expression” suspension.
Represented by the the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, WRDSB trustee Mike Ramsay was in Ontario Superior Court on June 6th as he tries to have a suspension struck from his record and for the court to declare that the School Board violated his charter right to free expression. The school board still holds that the suspension was based on an accurate assessment of the situation, and that freedom of expression does not mean freedom from consequences.
4 – ACORN launches in Waterloo Region to support tenants’ rights.
On May 25th, 2023 a chapter of the Canada-wide social and economic justice organisation ACORN launched in Waterloo Region in an effort to support tenants and form strategies to combat “High Rents, Renovictions, and Slumlords.”
This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, Heritage Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
This piece features an interview with Spectrum of Waterloo Region president Cait Glasson.
Spectrum is Waterloo Region’s first rainbow LGBTQ community space.
Glasson discusses Waterloo Region and the actions that have been taken around the community to recognize Pride Month in June.
The interview took place June 22.
Glasson says there is more work to be done, but positive strides have been made of late, including the Waterloo Region Catholic District School Board raising the Pride flag for the first time.
— This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
Check out the archived versions of this program and other episodes onradiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative atcanada-info.ca.
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