Front Burner

The origins of 'parental rights'

As provincial governments in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan change policy to require parental consent on pronoun changes at school … a deep dive on the concept of “parental rights.”
People lined up in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building with pro-transgender posters
Hundreds of people showed up to rally in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building to show their disapproval of the Saskatchewan government's new name and pronoun policy for schools on Saturday, Sept. 2. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

Over the last couple of months, the provincial governments in both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have made controversial changes to their LGBTQ+ policies at schools.
Parental consent is now needed when a student under 16 wants to use a different name or pronoun in the classroom.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has also been saying that schools should leave conversations about LGBTQ issues to parents.

This is all happening at a time when the concept of "parental rights" is a top issue for U.S Republicans. A parental rights bill was passed in the Republican-held House earlier this year and more than two dozen statehouses have passed similar legislation. 

Today on Front Burner, the Washington Post's Emma Brown on the origins of the parental rights movement in the U.S. and how it became a massive political force and how that might help us understand the implications in Canada.

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