Pro- and anti-SOGI 123 groups clashed again in Chilliwack, this time outside the school district office.
Approximately 80 to 90 people lined both sides of Airport Road before and during the school board meeting on the evening of Oct. 10.
SOGI stands for ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ and SOGI 123 is an educational resource for teachers addressing these topics in the provincial curriculum.
The pro-SOGI group of about 50 to 60 people was already set up before the people against SOGI 123 arrived.
When the anti-SOGI group started showing up around 5 p.m., they were met with a line of rainbow flags, multi-coloured chalk drawings on the sidewalk, and signs reading ‘Rainbow Country is for everyone,’ ‘This is my Chilliwack,’ and ‘Have a nice day.’
By about 6 p.m., approximately 25 to 30 anti-SOGI supporters could be seen standing across the street, waving Canadian flags, holding signs and shouting “leave our kids alone.” Their signs read ‘Believe de-transitioners,’ ‘Taxpayers say stop SOGI 123,’ and ‘Open your eyes – SOGI 123 is grooming your kids.’
It wrapped up around 7:30 or 8 p.m.
The rally came nearly three weeks after a much larger protest took over Five Corners in downtown Chilliwack where an estimated 500 people lined the streets on Sept. 20.
READ MORE: Crowd of 500 at anti-SOGI protest in Chilliwack chants ‘leave our kids alone’