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Orillia students rally to protest sex-ed changes (6 photos)

A few dozen Orillia Secondary School students walked out Friday and marched downtown

As Orillia Transit riders stepped off the bus around noon Friday, they came face to face with dozens of high school students demanding change.

About 40 students walked out of Orillia Secondary School and marched to the opera house to protest the province’s decision to repeal the modernized sex education curriculum. They held signs and chanted, “Safe sex matters” and “I don’t know but I’ve been told ’98 is pretty old,” referring the 1998 sex-ed curriculum.

Jewel Sisson, 17, grabbed the loud speaker to rally her fellow students before handing out flyers to passersby.

“I was worried we wouldn’t get a lot of support, but with the amount of people honking and telling us, ‘Good luck,’ it feels great,” she said.

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government recently introduced a temporary replacement for the modernized curriculum that was implemented by the Liberals in 2015. Students critical of the move say it doesn’t go far enough in terms of education on modern technology and gender diversity.

“I’d like to say teenagers don’t have sex, but that’s not the case,” Sisson said. “We need to learn about healthy relationships.”

Her message to Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop: “I just hope she sees that this matters to us and realizes we are marching for our younger siblings and our kids in the future.”

Vanessa Leslie stood out in the crowd of demonstrators. She was the only parent to join the protest.

“I’m surprised other parents didn’t show up,” she said. “I love the (students’) enthusiasm, but why are there not more parents and more males?”

She said she decided to take part because the government’s approach to sex-ed is “backward.”

“We’re in the ‘Me Too’ movement and it’s because of the era that we lived in,” she said of her generation. “They’re trying to go back in time. It’s taking away the rights that we gave to this generation.”

Leslie joined her daughter, Carly, at the rally.

“It’s so important that we have (education) that’s relevant now,” said the Grade 11 student. “If we don’t learn things like consent, we don’t know if it’s wrong. We don’t know how to speak up for ourselves.”

She was heartened by the enthusiasm of her peers and the support shown by members of the public.

“I feel very connected with all these people who came here for the same thing.”

When asked if the students would face any consequences, such as detentions or suspensions, for walking out of school, Simcoe County District School Board communications manager Sarah Kekewich said, “We support student voice and can appreciate their desire to share their opinions. Having said that, this was not a school board-sanctioned event. The day will be treated as a regular school day. Schools were open for student learning and classes proceeded as scheduled. Students who were not in class will be marked absent.”

Friday’s walkout was one of many in the province, part of a movement dubbed, “We the students do not consent.”


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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