Hundreds of Counterprotesters Send Antitrans Activists Packing at Legislature

Today antitrans activists were planning to march across the city spreading their ideology; that plan got cancelled because VicPD could not guarantee their safety facing overwhelming numbers of counterprotesters.

[Note: This article was published the day after because I experienced an Internet outage in the evening.]

The 1 Million March 4 Children had to cancel its plans in Victoria after hundreds of trans rights supporters overwhelmed them on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. That meant no march across town, fewer speakers, and far fewer protesters standing their ground.

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Of course hatred of transphobes is fair game.

The protest, which drew somewhere over a hundred people by 11AM, was part of a nationwide campaign against trans ideology in school, the organisers under the impression that our teachers’ job is to indoctrinate kids into undergoing sex change treatment or even surgery, which is a huge stretch from the truth. But then it’s difficult to argue with people whose arguments invariably revolve around “God” and “Think of the children.”

Hundreds of people by 12:30, protesters outnumbered by a 2:1 ratio.

They were met early on by at least twice as many trans rights counterprotesters hell bent on chasing to the last of them from the Legislature precincts, and the ratio would only widen as the event unfolded—not at all according to plan. Their speakers were drowned with chants from hundreds of fiery opponents. At some point VicPD advised cancelling the event, and even decided not to escort the protesters on their projected march across town.

I wasn’t wearing any symbols or carrying any signs, so I was able to cross the aisle to take pictures from the other side without drawing too much attention. Still, I had to convince a few fellow counterprotesters that I was on their side because they would otherwise block my camera.

Tell me again, why didn’t this degenerate into a brawl?

“Sorry, ma’am, there won’t be a march today.” Boohoohoo.

The organisers are sent packing under the opprobrium of hundreds of detractors. That’s quite a blow to the ego.

The mood was most hostile, each side shouting at the other, often within inches of each other’s faces, poking over the shoulder of the nearest cop. The police presence was impressive; I counted no less than 36 officers at some point, forming double ranks between factions. CTV News reports two arrests, one of which I witnessed: a wheelchair-bound lady carried off the premises by multiple officers—without her wheelchair.

Double ranks of police officers standing between factions. I swear I’ve never seen that at any other protest. By the way, I took that picture with a smartphone camera, no zoom, standing mere inches from the action.

Lots of attendees arguing with cops. Please don’t, it’s not a good idea. I witnessed someone getting arrested for pushing too hard.

While it’s been speculated that the protesters would be mostly offshoots of the Freedom Convoy movement, that would not be my appraisal; I did recognise a few, like the tulip ladies, but for the most part they looked like supporters of religious conservative groups like Action4Canada. As for the counterprotesters, most of them were young, probably university students, followed by high school students later in the afternoon as classes ended. Trans people and queer supporters showed up in large numbers too.

The media seemed to have come to cover the march and showed little interest in the counterprotest. I only saw them interview the million march organisers and supporters.

I would say less than twenty protesters were left standing their ground by 3PM. They were completely surrounded and overwhelmed.

More counterprotesters joined in past 3PM. Many were high school students and educators.

While the million march’s organisers were quickly sent packing, many supporters chose to entrench themselves. There were still a few dozens left by 3PM, completely surrounded by a couple hundred counterprotesters yelling at them “Go home, fascists!” and even less flattering imprecations. By 3:30PM, even the police officers outnumbered the protesters. By 3:45, VicPD was begging the rare few irreducibles to go home. Still they stood their ground, manifestly out of sheer spite.

Meanwhile, party mood on the steps of the Legislature.

The counterprotest’s main event started around 4PM. Multiple speakers came forward, mostly teachers defending their stance; one of them pointed out that if she had the power to indoctrinate her students, she would be making them wear deodorant. Trans people meanwhile lamented that access to gender affirming therapy and social integration were already pipe dreams for many to begin with, without having to face extreme prejudice at a political level on top of it, which was of course every counterprotester’s main grievance. The last thing trans people need to hear is that inclusive policies such as SOGI somehow rank as biblical evils.

The main event is about to start. Hundreds attended, even as hundreds stood their ground against the protesters at the other end of the site.

Lots of cops, everywhere. At least this many were still holding ranks between factions.

I went back to the protesters’ last stand by 4:30PM, and they were still there. Some submitted to the walk of shame, between ranks of VicPD officers, but roughly a dozen remained even past 5PM, which is roughly when I left. But don’t worry, there were still hundreds of fellow counterprotesters standing their ground by then, determined to stay until the last protester retreated.

Some protesters stood their ground near the entrance for a while instead. They were quickly swarmed. Cops had to intervene.

I left some time past 5PM, and it still looked like this.

Of course all of this could be avoided if people like them just behaved like grownups instead of hysterics susceptible to every gust of moral panic. In a diplomatic fashion, my message to them would be: Quit trying to control the message. Nobody will take you seriously if you complain about sexual education in school while pushing for mandatory religious education—as long as it’s your religion, of course. Your hypocrisy in this regard is condemning your platform to irrelevance. And you know what? It’s just fine. Nobody is asking you to like these people or agree with them. I myself don’t agree with everything they say. So what? Just let them be. Then you’ll realise there’s no problem after all. And if indeed it’s your kid who someday reaches out to you pertaining to their gender ambivalence and queer sexuality, maybe that’ll teach you a modicum of respect for people who don’t fit in the mould. Ask a certain Dick Cheney for his views on the topic.