Parents pull children from class over gender diversity school lesson taught by drag queen

Multiple parents of students enrolled astatine a Canadian schoolhouse pulled their kids retired of people connected Friday aft learning astir a gender personality position that took spot past week. 

It emerged that nan position to seventh to ninth graders - ranging successful ages from 12 to 15 - astatine Oyster Pond Academy was successful portion delivered by Teo Ferguson, a nonbinary resistance queen pinch plentifulness of risqué photos connected their societal media profile.

Per their Facebook profile, Ferguson is besides employed arsenic a imaginative programming provider astatine The Youth Project, a non-profit statement that provides support to young group struggling pinch their gender personality aliases intersexual orientation. 

The position covered topics relating to intersexual orientation, gender personality and relationships. Ferguson told DailyMail.com that children were taught really queer-identifying group mightiness definitive their gender.

While immoderate parents of kids astatine nan Nova Scotia schoolhouse were outraged by nan contented of nan presentation, it is understood that others were furious erstwhile they recovered retired that nan presenter is simply a resistance queen successful their spare time.

Ferguson told DailyMail.com that erstwhile parents discovered this, they attacked them connected Facebook and sent nonstop messages to condemn nan behavior.

Much of nan outrage has allegedly travel from nan truth that Ferguson shared their resistance relationship pinch an underage student.

Two of their profiles, 1 connected Facebook and 1 connected Instagram, incorporate images of Ferguson wearing scantily-clad outfits while successful provocative poses. 

Ferguson's shape sanction is 'Cookie Cunningham.'

The Halifax Regional Center for Education, which houses Oyster Pond Academy, acknowledged that this occurred successful a connection to CTV News, though didn't sanction Ferguson specifically.

'One of nan presenters shared their individual societal media details, which prompted immoderate of nan students to position contented that is intended for an big audience,' nan connection read.

Hollie Riggs was 1 of nan parents who opted to propulsion their kid retired of schoolhouse for that day.

'It went supra and beyond what should beryllium taught successful nan classroom,' Riggs told CTV News. 

'It was nan truth that really overmuch of it was discussed and what nan kids had entree to aft nan meeting,' she added, referring to resistance relationship being shared by Ferguson.

In aggregate societal media posts and statements to nan DailyMail.com, Ferguson explained that they gave retired nan specifications to their resistance relationship by mistake.

'The reality is simply a coach was really excited initially to spot maine successful their schoolroom talking astir gender, identity, and intersexual predisposition from people 7-9,' Ferguson primitively wrote successful a Facebook post. 

'Now grades 7 to 8 did not perceive astir my societal media, but successful people 9 they did owed to a teacher's excitement.'

Ferguson went connected to explicate that toward nan extremity of nan people 9 presentation, different coach and a student approached and asked for their societal media.

'In that infinitesimal is erstwhile I made nan correction successful judgement and gave my resistance relationship information,' Ferguson told DailyMail.com, adding, 'I did not physically show them my relationship whatsoever.'

'I must besides accent that astatine nan commencement of each presentations I told each classes do not look for maine connected societal media,' Ferguson besides said.

Another parent, Greg Austin, told CTV News that students weren't allowed to time off nan presentation. 

'My boy came location from schoolhouse yesterday. He was telling maine astir nan interactions he had pinch nan influencer,' Austin said. 'Mostly for maine arsenic a parent, we had nary thought that anybody was coming to talk to our kids.'

Austin added that his boy told him others weren't comfortable pinch nan speech being given.

'He could spot group were not comfortable and that different group asked to leave, and they weren't allowed to,' Austin said. 'There wasn't immoderate different option.'

Lindsey Bunin, nan communications serviceman pinch nan Halifax Regional Center for Education, told DailyMail.com that students were 'encouraged to be nan convention based connected contented that aligned' pinch Health Education curricula provided by nan Nova Scotia Department of Education.

'If a student felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to enactment for nan presentation, they should person been allowed to leave,' Bunin added. 'This has been addressed pinch nan administration, and they person been instructed to let students to excuse themselves respectfully successful early if they person concerns astir a speaker’s presentation.'  

After receiving complaints from parents, nan main and vice main of nan schoolhouse sent a missive to parents explaining that they were legally required to travel nan Health Education curricula.

Curriculum documents seen online for 8th graders outline immoderate of nan topics that wellness educators are mandated to screen successful class.

Students 'will analyse methods for preventing unintended gestation and sexually transmitted infections. They will research puberty, encephalon development, and changing relationships arsenic markers of nan teen shape and really these subordinate to assemblage image,' according to nan document, past updated successful 2022.

Students are besides introduced to 'pornography, consent, and intersexual violence,' and are fixed guidance connected 'how to activity thief related to intersexual and reproductive wellness concerns.'

One genitor told CTV News they had nary problem pinch nan position astatine nan schoolhouse and said their child, who is struggling pinch their gender identity, recovered it helpful.

The Halifax Regional Center for Education besides said administrators visited nan ninth people class to talk nan aftermath and explicate that nan societal media relationship shouldn't person been shared.