A right-wing group with ties to the Freedom Convoy is now taking responsibility for the Alberta government’s attack on LGBTQ2S+ books in school libraries.
This week, when Alberta minister of education Demetrios Nicolaides announced that the province was investigating “extremely graphic and age-inappropriate content” in K-12 school library books—specifically naming three LGBTQ2S+ graphic novels aimed at young people—he said the impetus came from concerned parents who had reached out to the province.
However, the Investigative Journalism Foundation reported this week that at least two conservative advocacy groups are behind the Alberta school book announcement: the “parental rights” group Parents for Choice in Education or PCE, and a group called Action4Canada with ties to Christian nationalism and the Freedom Convoy.
On its website, Action4Canada says its mission is to “protect Canada’s rich heritage, which is founded on Judeo-Christian biblical principles.” Its founder, Tanya Gaw, has said of sexual orientation and gender-diversity guidelines that she believes “we’re in a spiritual battle of good versus evil.”
In a message shared to its website calling the announcement a “Massive Win!,” Action4Canada thanked Nicolaides for meeting with its members and claimed the group has been communicating with government officials over several months, providing evidence of inappropriate books in schools and a “comprehensive binder” about the dangers of LGBTQ2S+-inclusive education.
Senior editor Mel Woods breaks down why it’s important to point out that so many of these policies over the past few years have not come from a few genuinely concerned parents, but coordinated advocacy efforts from organized groups with explicit anti-LGBTQ2S+ agendas.
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