On April 2, a pedagogue, with her training in education and her experience in youth work, dropped off her books and decorations at Sainte-Catherine for story time.
Quebecers demonstrated, driven by the fear of exposing young people to people who claim the freedom to choose how we present ourselves to the world, outside of codes and binarity. Their placards called for sanitizing places of learning.
Impossible not to think of the more general debate, coming back in waves, on what can be said – or not – in our schools. In the name of freedom of expression, a section of the population defends the freedom to say the words that provoke. Paradoxically, in this one, many find themselves today defending that “drag queens have no place in our schools”. There is a freedom they like to hold up and a freedom they fear. Freedom of expression can only be the tool of their fear, shield or weapon, depending on the group whose word is at stake.
On Sunday, story time had to be held in a secret location. Destroyers of freedom of expression, call for the consistency of your troops.
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