Crowds gathered outside the provincial Legislature on Mar. 27, 2019 to protest the UCP's proposal to claw back protections related to GSAs. (Credit: Bobbi Cullum)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

UCP Plan Opposed

Rally for QSAs and GSAs happening Tuesday in Red Deer

Apr 5, 2019 | 1:36 PM

The fight to maintain current protections around gay-straight and queer-straight alliances is coming to Red Deer.

Rallies have already been held in Edmonton and Calgary in response to a proposal from the United Conservative Party that states, if elected, they would roll back policy to allow teachers to use their discretion if they think a student’s parents should know their child is in a GSA or QSA.

Another rally in Red Deer is taking place Tuesday, April 9 from 5-7:30 p.m. at Red Deer City Hall. Simultaneous rallies are slated for Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

Rally organizer Shay Vanderschaeghe says this event should shine the spotlight on one demographic in particular.

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“Certainly the community organizations that work with LGBTQ folks are super interested and supportive of this event, but the people it’s most impactful to is actually the youth currently in school and certainly those in grades seven all the way through 12,” she says. “It’s a scary time.”

Watercolour, as she asked to be called, is in Grade 9 at Hunting Hills and is planning on becoming a member of its long-standing QSA.

She says anyone supporting the UCP’s proposal needs to understand something.

“They keep saying things like ‘the parents will be supportive,’ but that’s not always the case. Some parents will kick their kids out of the home, or even ridicule them at home,” she says. “A GSA is just a safe space for kids to go where they can be themselves if they can’t do that at home.”

Watercolour doesn’t believe a teacher should have the power to out a student, whether they’re using their discretion or not.

“All the power to tell anyone should be with the child,” she says. “I am fearful for those who won’t have the support they would need to have because they can’t get it at a GSA, or they can’t have someone reliable enough to have secrets with.”

Watercolour’s mother says she also opposes the UCP’s proposal.

“Having a child who does define herself as queer and friends of hers that are similar, having met some of those parents, they just don’t have the same support,” she says. “If (Kenney’s) Education Act does come in and takes over, I’m afraid for children. GSAs are just another club that they can go to.”

GSAs and QSAs have been widely celebrated by experts who say they reduce the risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.

A pre-rally event is also happening on Monday, April 8 at City Hall Park starting at 5 p.m.