One of the most common entry points of anti-2SLGBTQ+ hate organizing in schools is targeting queer representation in library books under the guise of concerns about their age appropriateness. This tactic has gotten a lot of traction in the United States and has sometimes been successful, with some school boards clearing bookshelves to ensure they do not violate new restrictions on the content of books provided to students. These restrictions are primarily focused on equating queer representation with sexually explicit material as well as banning books that talk about racism or other inequalities.
In Canada, groups have targeted school boards with false allegations that certain books are exposing students to child pornography. One such allegation from Action4Canada resulted in an RCMP investigation that said it “became clear” that the materials did not contain child pornography once an investigator examined the books in the complaint. In WRDSB the book complaints about sexually explicit material have almost exclusively targeted books with 2SLGBTQ+ representation.
By trying to reframe the issue around books, these groups hope to gain more public support because they know that the vast majority of people support 2SLGBTG+ inclusion and support. They seek to impose their personal beliefs about sexuality and gender on a whole school board because they do not want their children (and by extension, any other children) to be exposed to ideas contrary to their own. This is a restriction on a child's right to access information beneficial to their well-being and health. An important aspect of creating a 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive environment is ensuring their representation in every place possible.
The end result of these efforts, if they are successful, is to push 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to the margins. Eliminating their existence from educational materials is one step in removing their existence in public completely. The removal of these materials sends a message that 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are not welcome to express themselves publicly and even pose a threat to others. This is an eliminationist effort, that essentially removes the option of being queer from society by forcing individuals to hide their identity and existence.
Anyone that has followed anti-2SLGBTQ+ actions for any amount of time has probably heard efforts by people to claim “parental rights” to control some aspect of the education system. From child labour laws to racial integration, the idea of parental rights has historically been raised in opposition to the expansion of children’s rights. These efforts were often rooted in a religious, often Christian, worldview that considers parents as the sole authority over their children. The idea that a public institution would have the power to educate children without a parent being able to dictate the content goes against these purported parental rights.
Anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizers seek to use the spectre of parental rights to force their worldview upon the education system. And while many schools have allowances for students to be exempt from sexual education, these exemptions do not extend to stopping a student from ever learning about different genders or sexualities. While there have still been efforts for parents to get these expanded exemptions, they have also turned to trying to remove these conversations from the education system altogether. In this, they seek to use so-called parental rights to force their personal beliefs upon all other students.
In Canada, the concept of parental rights is not even established in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In fact, legal precedent from the Supreme Court of Canada established that “There is no basis for this Court to interpret parental wishes as having priority. Ultimately, the best interests of the child are paramount.” The argument of parental rights is one of the easiest to combat from a human rights perspective since the courts and laws have already clearly outlined the importance of the rights and best interests of the child.
Just like individuals do not have the power to remove books from schools just because they disagree with the content, people are not allowed to dictate what content is taught to students. The effort to control these things further contributes to the eliminationist goal of removing 2SLGBTQ+ existence from schools. The targeting of books and teaching targets 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in schools as it seeks to further marginalize their identity in the classroom and restrict their freedom of expression.
Along with parental rights, accusations of educators misleading and hiding things from parents are common talking points from anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizers. Since efforts to completely remove any discussion about gender or sexuality from that classroom have primarily failed so far, many are demanding that schools notify parents anytime these subjects come up. When parents don’t find out about these ahead of time, they accuse schools of intentional deceit. However, when school boards are transparent by releasing open letters about ongoing issues regarding sexuality and gender, the same people claiming to want transparency, decry the actions and make more complaints. This shows that this tactic is another attempt to frame any conversation about gender or sexuality as unsafe and not appropriate for children, further stigmatizing the existence of 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Another aspect of this tactic is the outcry about school board policies that respect the privacy of students by not outing them to their families. As already mentioned, these policies are in place for school boards to fulfil their human rights obligations. In any situation, the well-being of the child is paramount and their right to privacy must be respected. Violating these rights could directly threaten the safety of 2SLGBTQ+ students depending on their family situation.
Accusations of grooming, pedophilia, and child abuse have been used historically against various minority groups as a means of discrimination and oppression. False accusations of sexual violence were used against black men to justify lynchings and other forms of violence in early America. Where homosexuality was widely stigmatized and criminalized in many parts of the world, gay men in particular were often accused of being pedophiles or engaging in "deviant" sexual behaviour. These accusations were often based on harmful stereotypes that portrayed 2SLGBTQ+ people as dangerous and were used to justify discrimination, harassment, and violence against them.
These types of accusations are now being used against educators in the school system, often claiming that people are attempting to "groom" children into accepting sexual orientation and gender diversity and that they are engaging in pedophilia or other forms of child abuse. They often use these accusations to argue against 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive education or policies, claiming that they are a threat to the safety of children.
However, these accusations are not supported by evidence and are based on the historically harmful stereotypes that seek to demonize 2SLGBTQ+ people. These accusations are baseless attempts to spread fear and prejudice. Inclusive education and policies are important for creating safe environments for all students, and the accusations of grooming and pedophilia seek to undermine these efforts. In fact, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence. While these organizers may claim they care about the safety of children, their efforts directly threaten the safety of students.
These tactics are also being used against performers at drag shows, especially shows at public libraries. Locations across the country have seen hateful individuals show up to protest with signs accusing the drag performers of pedophilia and grooming. Whether these accusations are levelled against education workers or drag performers, they serve to further demonize 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and their allies. This tactic lowers the barrier of justifiable violence against them and is one of the most serious threats to the safety of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.
One of the foundational tactics used by anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizers is to focus on the idea of targeting ideologies rather than people. By turning the existence of 2SLGBTQ+ people into an idea rather than a reality, they can more easily convince others that their attacks on 2SLGBTQ+ people are justified. This reframing allows them to hide their hate under the guise of “debating ideas” and wanting to hear “both sides” of an issue. This tactic dehumanizes 2SLGBTQ+ people, reducing their existence to a topic to be discussed. Organizers may use this argument in many ways, particularly in advocating that authorities must hear “balanced” input on any policy or decision. This opens the door for hateful individuals to be platformed by institutions such as school boards.
One common term used is “gender ideology” a term originating from the Catholic Church’s efforts to combat the UN’s effort to recognize gender and sexual rights. This term is often used as a catch-all accusation against anything from sexual education to gay marriage. It is also specifically used in arguing that gender does not exist apart from biological sex. Anti-2SLGBTQ organizers use this argument to deny the existence of transgender and other gender-diverse people altogether. On its own, this is already an eliminationist effort, but it also leads to the argument that gender-diverse people cannot be discriminated against or targeted since they are not a real category of human being.
“Transgenderism” is another term that has become more commonplace and particularly targets transgender people. In March 2023, Daily Wire host Michael Knowles said that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.” This was said while he was a speaker at CPAC (the “largest gathering of conservatives” in the United States) and is a concerning escalation in violent rhetoric from anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizers. Knowles tried to defend his statement by further arguing that transgender people are “not a legitimate category of being.” By focusing so much on ideology, hateful individuals are veiling their calls for the elimination of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.
All of these arguments contribute to an effort to eliminate 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. The most accurate way to characterize the cumulative effect of an effort to eliminate a group of people is genocide. These arguments and the motives behind them make it clear that 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are facing a concerted effort to eliminate their existence. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide has specifically called out the targeting of transgender people, categorizing these arguments as “genocidal logic” and drawing connections to similarities with other genocides such as the Rwandan Genocide, Residential Schools, and the Holocaust. It is important for people to understand the implication of the arguments used by anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizers because the goal of these arguments is often to minimize the harm they are trying to cause.