Protecting Children by Empowering Parents
Parent and Student Testimonies
Received Since implementation of the Gender Diversity Guidelines in PEI
TESTIMONY 1 – (Parents & Students)
I am a parent of an autistic child. He was attending school, and in the winter of 2020, a note was sent home advising me of a health class my son was going to be taking. It was not a permission slip. I thought nothing of this since health class is a common thing for kids in grade 4. However one evening my son was extremely agitated and this is not normal for him. When I finally was able to calm him, he was able to tell me what happened.
At school that day they had a non-binary person in to talk to the class about their journey. This person told my child he was not born male, that he could choose his own gender, and that he could change his name if he didn’t like the name he was given at birth. Now mind you, my child was not old enough to understand this. This completely undermines all the teaching he received from his Christian parents. It was heartbreaking to see him try to wrap his brain around this. It was, in my opinion, completely wrong. No one has the right to decide what our children are taught with regard to their biology. That comes from the parents and God. If a person with a psychological disorder, specifically gender dysphoria, wants to change their gender that is their responsibility and that is ok for them. but for it to be allowed to be pushed on unsuspecting children, that’s criminal, and should be prosecuted for child sexual abuse. No school has the right to push this on children and certainly not without parental consent.
TESTIMONY 2 –
In grade 4, our child, together with the whole class participated in a classroom activity for which the school officials made no attempt to obtain our parental consent. Transgender youth came into the classroom to “educate” children, and read books to students, such as about same-sex marriage. This was presented as anti-bullying activity. When we inquired as to why a consent form was not provided by the school, the teacher apologized, while the principal advised that the subject should be raised with the school board as this was a school board’s initiative. We explained to the teacher that this type of activity should never be offered without our explicit signed consent to our child again. We indicated in a written email to the principal and the school board that the material was not age-appropriate and expressed concern that this may unnecessarily confuse our child and introduce topics that our child may not be ready to process safely. In response, the principal offered counselling services, which we declined.
Neither the principal nor the school board took responsibility for the material that was taught at that session. Instead, we were directed to a Gmail address, without even as much as a contact name, to find answers to exactly what our child was “educated” in.
Recognizing that school officials will not be taking responsibility for such future sessions and that parental consent is no longer respected by the school officials on PEI, we started considering alternatives to public education. Our children are no longer attending a public school because we feel that they are no longer safe in a public school environment from undesirable initiatives of school staff and of advocacy groups who are given access to our children on school premises.
TESTIMONY 3 – (Parents & Students)
My heart is literally broken from the whole gender thing, but now I just have to go with it or I am a bad parent. I was told I was violating my child’s human rights and being emotionally abusive to my child for not using the proper [chose] pronouns. You have no say in anything anymore when it comes to parenting. Trust me. Everyone knew except me, the parent. We should be advised on what the school is doing with our children.
I know someone who works as a youth worker that challenged this [gender ideology] and told them [school] that the content they are presenting is not factual. They shouldn’t be driving it down the kid’s throats as sometimes kids have things going on at home that aren’t so good and then they [kids] think that [trans-gendering] is their escape from the real world. They are probably feeling the way they do because they [think] they are not in their right body instead of looking at the big picture of what is really going on with themselves. It’s so sad really that kids are being influenced.
TESTIMONY 4 –
Grade 9 student on the first day of school in September 2022 was given a form to fill out.
The teacher instructed the students to “Keep this Quiet” and “No Phones Out”. This parent’s child took a photo fo the form. The form had 3 Questions:
- What name do you prefer to be called?
- What pronouns do you prefer? For example, he, she they.
- Can these new names and pronouns be used in front of the class and parents?
TESTIMONY 5 – (Parents & Students)
A Grade 11 student informed parents that all students in the class were asked to verbally announce what name they go by, what pronouns they use, and what gender they are identifying as. The child replied, “My name is____ and I identify as normal.” The teacher responded with “Office Now!”
TESTIMONY 6 –
My child recently told me that she was confused as to why teachers asked all students in the class to fill out questionnaires about what name students would like to be called. She did not quite understand why teachers who knew her name for several years would be asking such silly questions. She thought the teachers were inquiring about nicknames., which they too know; the idea of pronouns did not cross her mind. Sometimes our children’s innocence protects them from this indoctrination. What really bothers me is that our children are robbed of that innocence way too early by their teachers, counsellors, and third-party activists thanks tot he unwise decisions of the bureaucrats and politicians.
TESTIMONY 7 – (Parents & Students)
xA student and his classmates were taken out of class for a presentation. This student was distressed by the presentation. The child shared with the parent that a group of women he had not met before told children that they should be having sex, as it is good for mental health. Sex with multiple partners and open relationships were discussed and encouraged, and the two female presenters shared their own experiences regarding uncommitted sexual relationships. Children were shown a video of two men engaging in foreplay, stopping just before the sexual intercourse. Children received lubricants, condoms, and anal sex protection and were encouraged to use these products as they were nearly expired.
Neither the parent nor the student was given any advance notice of the presentation by the school staff. The student was very uncomfortable being in the audience but did not feel that leaving the room was an option. The parent contacted the principal, who seemed to be uninformed about the content of the presentation. After several conversations with he principal, the parent shared concerns with the higher levels of education authorities to create awareness and make parental concerns known.
(This is so alarming that our public education system has permitted this extreme immoral lifestyle to be encouraged!)
TESTIMONY 8 –
A student came home and related that at the school there is a staircase that students are not permitted to sit and stand on, but there are students from the LGBTQ community that do hang out there. These students will yell at other students passing by such things as “slit your throat” or Go kill yourself”/ Some students dressed as animals will hiss and bark after students, chasing them down the hall. This parent figures the principal is too scared to address this issue for fear of backlash.
TESTIMONY 9 – (Parents & Students)
The grade 6 class watched a video in June about a child’s transition journey. Some students were uncomfortable and wanted to leave. The teacher told them to sit down. Parents were not made aware that the video was going to be shown and consent forms were not sent out. A student went home and told their parents what had taken place. Parents met with the principal who apologized.
TESTIMONY 10 – (Parents & Students)
A grade 9 student was sent to the principal’s office for wearing a t-shirt that one of the non-binary students in his class found offensive. When the student asked the principal what was offensive about the t-shirt, the principal stated that they did not know, but that the non-binary student was offended by it and the student was asked not to wear the shirt again. This was only one example where the student and others in the class were reprimanded for offending non-binary, bi-sexual, and trans students without understanding the reason why and with no guidance or support from their teachers. This student elected to leave the school system after finishing grade 9.
What Can Parents Do?
First, it important to understand parental rights and responsibilities, especially within the context of the public education system. According to the PEI Education Act (57) (2) (a) parents are primary guides and decision-makers with respect to the student’s education.
Familiarize yourself with the Gender Diversity Guidelines. Ask your children about:
- what they are learning in the Health Class
- any other activities and presentations taking place during school hours on topics of inclusivity, diversity, gender, sex, and pronouns
- group and individual discussions with the school counsellor
- anything else that is listed under the best practices in the Guidelines.
In the event that your child shares with you anything that raises a concern for you or you are concerned about the impact of the Guidelines in general, please notify the principal by asking relevant questions and engaging in a conversation via email. Summarize important points of your verbal discussions with the principal in an email as a follow-up to your meeting or conversation. Make sure to email your concerns not just to the principal, but also to the leadership of the respective school boards, Minister of Education, and Member of the Legislative Assembly in your District to make sure that all who implement and make decisions on matters of public education are aware of your concerns. Communicating your concerns in writing will enhance the accountability of educational authorities and legislators.
Resources for Parents
For your reference, the following websites offer good resources for parents on the topic of gender identity, including further advice on what to do whether your child is struggling with gender identity issues or not.
PAFE- Parents as First Educators is encouraging concerned Canadians to push back against gender identity theory in whatever form it enters our schools (in the curriculum, school events, assemblies, etc.) The link to an exemption form that allows parents to exercise their natural right over their children’s educations is available Here in both English and French.
Canadian Gender Report helps parents raise questions and concerns at their schools regarding gender identity theory or social transitioning of children (a psycho-social intervention that schools should not be undertaking without the involvement of parents and healthcare professionals). You can send an email to info@genderreport.ca if you’d like support through this process. you can also find excellent Guidance documents for schools and parents HERE.
Our Duty is an international support network for parents who wish to protect their children from gender ideology.
SexMatters is a UK-based organization that campaigns to establish that sex matters in rules, laws, policies, language, and culture. SexMatters works to enable people to speak up and make debate possible. Their website contains useful information, and specific suggestions for parents, especially under the Take Action and Advice tabs.