#1 Million March 4 Children to gather at Vernon City Hall

Photo: Jon Manchester

Opponents to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in schools will gather outside Vernon City Hall.

The group is part of the #1 Million March 4 Children movement.

Supporters will gather Wednesday, at 10 a.m.

At 11 a.m., they'll march from City Hall to Polson Park, where there will be speakers and entertainment.

Similar events are being staged across the country as SOGI, along with mixed bathrooms, "gender ideology" and students' right to use the pronouns of their choice have become a divisive issue among parents.

Organizers profess to have diverse backgrounds and faiths.

They encourage students to walk out of school and take part in the rally.

"Together, we stand united to safeguard the well-being and innocence of our children," an event poster states.

Local organizer Sibille Heike Beyer says as many as 26 communities in B.C. will be holding similar rallies.

The marchers seek the complete removal of SOGI curriculum from schools.

"We're not against adults making gender choices, that is absolutely respected and accepted," said Heike Beyer.

However, she continued: "The sexualization of children is happening globally."

She would prefer to "let our children organically develop their own sexuality" as they grow.

"When they become adults, they can choose whatever gender identity they desire."

Heike Beyer says the march will be peaceful.

"It's about loving, nourishing and cherishing our children," she said.

An accompanying handout from the group asks "Do you know what your child is learning in school?"

The group says SOGI "confuses and sexualizes" children with content such as the elementary-level book It's Perfectly Normal, which the group alleges depicts and instructs on masturbation and shows sex positions with all genders.