Thousands of students protest UCP's GSA plan with Alberta-wide walkout

Thousands of Alberta students have walked out of their classes Friday in protest of the new United Conservative Party government’s position on gay-straight alliances (GSAs). 

New Premier Jason Kenney, however, says the  UCP plan will maintain “the strongest legal protection for gay-straight alliances in the country.”

The student-led, provincewide effort spans nearly 90 schools — all of which saw teens step out of their classrooms at 9:30 a.m. MT for 20 minutes, despite snow falling in parts of the province.

The recently elected UCP, which was sworn in on Tuesday, opposed legislation enacted by the previous NDP government that banned school administrations from informing parents of their child’s involvement in gay-straight alliances. The UCP promises to reverse that ban.

LGBTQ rights advocates say notifying parents who do not approve of their child’s sexuality could lead to suicides and dangerous situations at home.

“We think that this is a problem because in some cases parents might not be very accepting of their child and it could pose a danger to their child. This is not to say that all parents are going to do this but there are definitely some,” Grade 10 student Aimee told the Calgary Eyeopener.

“Additionally, we believe that it should be up to the child themselves of when they want to come out and how they want to come out.”

Other Albertans shared their support of the students by posting on social media. 

‘They are fearful’

Teacher Kevin McBean, who is the GSA faculty sponsor at M.E. LaZerte School in Edmonton, says his school’s club is a social space for kids to discuss social issues, watch movies and make pizza.

“Certainly many of my students aren’t necessarily out to their parents, or if they are, it’s already a rather contentious issue at home,” McBean said.

“The GSA provides them with a space where they can be themselves and just connect with other people, and so I think they are fearful that these kinds of policies could hurt them.”

Kenney promises to maintain ‘strongest legal protection’ in country for GSAs

Kenney has said he would replace the NDP’s Bill 24 with the seven-year-old Education Act — in essence removing some legal protections for Alberta LGBTQ students and school staff.

The Education Act, proposed under the former Progressive Conservative Party, does not have the change the NDP passed, including:

• The requirement for school principals to grant student requests for GSAs.
• The requirement for private schools to have public policies on protecting LGBTQ students.

Kenney has said that the UCP’s proposed Education Act would still protect GSAs.

At an Edmonton event in March, he said that parents would only be notified by school staff of their child’s involvement in rare cases, a position he reiterated when reached Friday.

“We’re keeping our election commitment, which is to modernize the Education Act in Alberta and to maintain the strongest legal protection for gay-straight alliances in the country,” Kenney said ahead of the rally.

“It’s great to see young people taking an active interest in issues. I’d suggest better for them to do rallies or protests after school hours and not during them. We want to make sure young people are actually learning in class instead of doing politics.”

University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas said on Twitter that she felt students had to protest during school hours as many take long bus rides to get home at the end of the day.

“Goal is to be inclusive,” she Tweeted.

The UCP’s promise had sparked protests in Calgary and Edmonton during the election campaign.

Upon Kenney’s victory, the students organized the cross-Canada protest.

Student organizers say the protest will be a short 20 minutes so they can take a stand without missing much class time. They encouraged students to seek parental permission to miss class, as some schools will count the protest as an unexcused absence.

Schools where students protesting

The following schools are among those with students participating:

• Western Canada High School (Calgary).
• Bishop David Motiuk Catholic (Edmonton).
• Queen Elizabeth High School (Calgary).
• Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (Red Deer).
• Rundle College (Calgary).
• Kim Hung School (Edmonton).
• Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School (Calgary).
• Central Memorial High School (Calgary).
• Lacombe Composite High School (Lacombe).
• M.E. LaZerte High School (Edmonton).
• Lillian Osborne High School (Edmonton).
• Crescent Heights High School (Calgary).
• Branton Junior High School (Calgary).
• W.H. Croxford High School (Airdrie).
• Bert Church High School (Airdrie).
• Samuel W. Shaw School (Calgary).
• Hunting Hills High School (Red Deer).
• Notre Dame High School (Calgary).
• Sir John A. Macdonald Junior High School (Calgary).
• Bev Facey Community High (Sherwood Park).
• Connect Charter School (Calgary).
• Eastview Middle School (Red Deer).
• Sherwood School (Calgary).
• St. Francis Xavier High School (Edmonton).
• Jasper Place High School (Edmonton).
• Elboya School (Calgary).
• Ross Sheppard High School (Edmonton).
• A.E. Cross School (Calgary).
• Sturgeon Composite High School (Sturgeon County).
• William Aberhart High School (Calgary).
• Foundations for the Future Charter Academy, High School Campus (Calgary).
• Ardrossan Junior Senior High (Ardossan, east of Sherwood Park).
• Langevin School (Calgary).
• Vernon Barford Junior High School (Edmonton).
• St. Joseph Catholic High School (Edmonton).
• St Mary’s School (Medicine Hat).
• Lester B. Pearson High School (Calgary).
• Canmore Collegiate High School (Canmore).
• Gilbert Paterson Middle School (Lethbridge).
• Peter Lougheed School (Calgary).
• Balmoral School (Calgary).
• Fort Saskatchewan High School (Fort Saskatchewan).
• Gateway Christian School (Red Deer).
• Florence Hallock School (Edmonton).
• Louis St. Laurent Catholic Junior/Senior High School (Edmonton).
• Mary Butterworth Junior High School (Edmonton).
• David Thomas King School (Edmonton).
• Bishop Grandin High School (Calgary).
• W.P. Wagner High School (Edmonton).
• Charles Spencer High School (Grande Prairie).
• Beaumont Composite High School (Beaumont).
• J.E. Lapointe School (Beaumont).
• Winston Churchill High School (Lethbridge).
• Bishop Carroll High School (Calgary).
• F.E. Osborne Junior High School (Calgary).
• Salisbury Composite High School (Sherwood Park).
• Westminster School (Edmonton).
• Parkview Junior High School (Edmonton).
• Chestermere High School (Chestermere).
• Westlawn School (Edmonton).
• Calgary Academy.
• Thomas B. Riley School (Calgary).
• Alternative High School (Calgary).
• Ernest Manning High School (Calgary).
• Ivor Dent School (Edmonton).
• Henry Wise Wood High School (Calgary).
• Calgary Arts Academy.
• Johnny Bright School (Edmonton).
• Eastglen High School (Edmonton).
• Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Edmonton).
• Senator Joyce Fairbairn Middle School (Lethbridge).
• École McTavish Public High School (Fort McMurray).
• Westwood Community High School (Fort McMurray).
• St. Francis Junior High School (Lethbridge).
• Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School (Calgary).
• Chinook High School (Lethbridge).
• Archbishop O’Leary High School (Edmonton).
• Bob Edwards Junior High School (Calgary).

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