Last June, late one night after my kids had gone to bed, I stumbled across a Twitter Space for parents concerned about what their children are being taught at school. There were 60 or so participants, mostly from Ontario: Canadians from a diverse range of backgrounds who weren’t happy about kids being told that maths is racist or having access to graphic books such as Gender Queer. Many of the parents in the Space had been shut down or shamed for asking questions about lessons. Some had been labelled bigots or transphobes. That evening, the discussion was about a recent parents’ rights protest in Ottawa, which was being depicted in the news as a movement of hateful, conservative Muslims who were anti-trans and didn’t want their kids learning about LGBT issues in school.
