18 Comments

Excellent piece. Josh is an amazing and courageous young man, a hero for our times. I signed the petition. I'm not the best example as I am a Christian, but all of us who see this for what it is need to support Josh in whatever way we can. I too hope this includes non-Christians who care about civil liberties.

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Amen my brother

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#saveCanada I am thrilled to watch Josh taking a stand! Thank God for young people like him and may they all rise up together & show what a sound mind is!

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Rooting for Josh from blue state USA, which also needs more brave souls to speak out. Would love to see a conservative inter-faith coalition on this, with Muslim and Hindu and other diverse groups joining forces against this insidious ideology in schools. Woke indoctrination is an assault on the separation of church and state because it enforces a system of beliefs that should be up to individuals and their God or conscience, not government. Thanks for your excellent work in spreading the word while mainstream media capitulate to the mob.

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As examples of the indoctrination, today's local public elementary school assembly is "rainbow themed" openly in support of LGBTQ+, and the high school library has the 1619 Project and other so called Anti Racist texts displayed for Black History Month with no attempt at viewpoint diversity or texts by conservative black authors such as John McWhorter's "Woke Racism." Voices like Josh are sorely needed!!

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Awesome story I'm pumped up now, lol, I loved the call to people that are not active Christians yet, I really hope people take their belief on our God, which is bent on man-made religion, and stand up for Josh's rights as you stated they are rights that are for all Canadians Christian or not yet Christians

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This transgender garbage has been seepong into our schools for the past ten years. Jordan Peterson

warned everybody about it when the Trudeau government and the McGinty governments amended their Human Rights Acts recoginzing transgender rights, but the interpretation of that law has gotten completely out of control and here we are. As said the legacy media remains completely mum on the subject. What Canadian parents need to do is what American parents are doing and confront school boards that approve this garage and get rid of the trustees who are steep in this extreme ideology because is is not

onlythe gender garbage they are indoctrinating kid with it is also CRT. I have detailed how this has evolved and infected schools in Ontario, in my own Substack column.https://roxannehalverson.substack.com/p/why-parents-need-to-wake-up-to-wokeism

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The lesson that should be drawn is that not only teachers but students can be censured or cancelled by the hysterically righteous and vicious woke puritans. There is no longer viewpoint diversity in most classes and schools. Allegiance is to Marxist group equality. It is a cultural war that pits some groups against others and threatens enlightenment values like free speech.

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This intelligent young man shows a lot more maturity and clarity of thinking than most of his peers he obviously has the courage of his convictions and defends what should be his right as a Canadian to voice his opinion on this subject. Unfortunately the principle and quite a few others at this school do not.

Perhaps our educators and those in a position of power who exercise control over children should reflect on the nazi type response to those whose opinions differ from theirs.

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I think it may be easier in the public school system to assess whether Josh has stepped over the line. Given the Catholic system is based on an ideological religious framework that assumes certain falsehoods are true, and these claims are sacrosanct based on religious belief, does the school system/board thereby get to state the “rules” in this case too? There’s also some ambiguity in terms of sex vs gender. Biological sex is agreed in science to be binary but gender is a broader social classification system, albeit with high correlation to biological sex. In the public system your religious belief is generally private and irrelevant.

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Gender ideology is a belief system. There is no such thing as “trans” and no one is born in the wrong body or has a gendered soul. There is no description of “trans” or “gender identity” that doesn’t rely upon stereotypes. They just substituted one religion for another.

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Dear Christopher Thank you for your extensive reply! I don't think the use of inflammatory, exaggerated rhetoric really helps a rational discussion of G.I. and G.D., science and sex. Having taught in the public h.s. system for 32 years, I know kids and I know how they can change in a year to three in mid-teens to late teens to 20's. These kids with G.D. /G.I.D. are suffering a self-body-image- identity crisis somewhat akin to the eating disorder crisis (also a social-contagion influenced crisis) of a number of years ago which appears to have neurological as well as social/environmental origins. Most have never been in the mental health care system, since for many it is difficult to access in smaller communities in particular; at most they may have been seen by a G.P., a one-off psychiatrist in a clinic or psychologist/social worker, not in a hospital for treatment for G.D./G.I.D. To demean them by stating they are "delusional" (whether true or not) "let out of the mental health care system" is not helpful to the discussion. They deserve support in schools, as does any student experiencing a difficult life situation, including safe washrooms/change rooms such as I suggested separate from 'sexed' areas. This does not mean negating science in schools, or discussions of science in schools, or other opinions (such as Josh's) being expressed in schools. Nor does it mean teaching Gender Ideology in schools. Linking G.I.D./G.D. to the purported "indigenous, black/sexual minority identity" movement "tails" wagging, what, a "civilized culture" (implying that non-white culture is "not civilized"??? that divergence from the "mainstream" is "not civilized"??? really???) in a power-war for various undefined goals, seems excessive. Yes, the psychiatric and psychological institutions have been over run with "affirm only" care for G.D./G.I.D., self-identification is the rule in clinics, but there are also other psychotherapists advocating for more variety in approaches to this phenomenon. See: Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (G.E.T.A.), Gender Dysphoria Alliance, Genspect, Parents As First Educators, and other groups seeking to revise this current rush to affirm based on self-diagnosis in clinics. Yes, the T.R.A. have taken over discussion of all of this at least in the media & various institutions. Yet in UK, Europe, Scandinavia WPATH guidelines are being set aside in favour of the older approach of "watchful waiting" in treating young people with G.D./G.I.D. It is a real disorder, and appears to have to do with the area of the brain which, like eating disorders, process PERCEPTIONS of the bodily self, along with social/environmental influences (including Internet chat room bingeing which can re-configure the brain's response to perceptions of self it would appear.) These kids deserve compassion and respect in schools as well as some support for their illnesses. Feminist organizations are also fighting for the rights of women and girls to safe spaces in public restrooms / change rooms & in women's sporting events. School boards are attempting to follow H.R. legislation in dealing with such students, simply because there is no other choice for employees/institutions when this is the law of the land federally and provincially; are they botching this in their approaches, of course they are; it is new to them also; they err on the side of supporting H.R. for a minority group. What they have failed to do in this case is to respond adequately to the rights of an individual to express a contrary view regarding the science of biological sex in classes where there are Trans-identifying students. In doing so they are denying his right to return to a school of his choice which appears to be another extremist reaction to the situation which has only compounded the problem. Extremism on either end of the discussion does not help to resolve the conflicts inherent to this subject. Meanwhile, poor Josh has to hire a lawyer to ensure his right to return to school? Crazy, I agree. I simply think there is another way to go about ensuring that all students in public schools are safe and that all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender-identification, religion, political views (within the limits of Hate Crimes legislation)etc. or any other "difference" are respected in society, jobs and schools. If, as a civilization, we do not allow divergence and respect for minority groups or individuals what are we but fascist? Should all manner of institutions be using G.I. as a 'bar', rather than biological sex, for distinguishing basic identity, probably not. For some small sections of society, G.I. represents who some people are (as adults---teen identities change very quickly); they also deserve respect and compassion, safe spaces (separate from women/children's spaces) and support. Should all of society have to 'conform' to the T.R.A. views, no of course not. Surely there has to be a middle ground in which individuals are respected, called by whatever they wish to be called, and are not 'writing the script' for all of society to change its nomenclature for males/females. Respectfully, we agree on some points, and not on others. Nonetheless, I wish Josh every success in winning his case to be readmitted and to have the right to express scientific arguments in class.

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Agree with Josh Alexander's scientific arguments; & his avoiding offending those individual Trans. students in classes by "dead-naming" them is simply polite good manners, & treating others as you would want to be treated in their position. Cannot support the religious argument introduced into the mix, however, because even in a Catholic school, do not see that religious belief affects scientific reality, nor should it. Josh has the right to his religious beliefs; he doesn't have the right to demand his religious beliefs be enforced on others in the school system, however; leave religion out of it. Stick to science. Nonetheless, wish him best of luck getting re-admitted. Re: female only spaces, completely agree girls and women require protection from stranger-males in safe spaces like change rooms and washrooms, long established right for women in society; nonetheless, those who identify as Trans-female and Trans-male students perhaps need a "non-gendered" washroom or change room in schools to ensure their own safety as well.

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If you believe that 'trans sexuality' is a delusional ideological fiction, which I do, & you live in a democracy committed to free speech within the limits of the laws of defamation, then I have the right to freely express my opinion & advocate for what I think are rational & evidence based views, regardless of the 'offendability' & 'vulnerability' of existential petals who might be 'crushed by the plink of a ping pong ball.

And yes, having separated private cubicles for washrooms may assist in putting off the inevitable social confrontations with Woke Loony Tunes, but in the end, this can only be dealt with by a firm refusal to co-operate.

I am sorry for the gender identity disorder victims who are likely to get caught in the crossfire, but unfortunately, it is not about them so much as a much larger conflict over the meaning of civilization & reproductive biology, and how that is mediated through the architecture of discourse.

And that is likely to wind up into a very nasty shitfight in the quite near future.

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Yes, everyone has the right to their own ideas and expression (barring hate-speech). However surely everyone also has the right to basic personal respect, in schools, and that includes those who believe themselves to be Trans individuals (whether this is a delusional idea or not is irrelevant; Gender Dysphoria is a recognized and real mental health concern for many youth today). Surely as a society we are judged by the protection of the rights of minority persons, of any type, in our schools. Thus a "compromise" position may be in order to protect BOTH girls/women's rights to their own spaces, for washrooms/change rooms etc, and the rights of Trans-identified individuals to use a specific non-gendered washroom/change room area in schools, in order to protect themselves also. There is room for all in any civilized society which seeks to help young people to grow, thrive, and to treat others with respect, & to disagree with respect for others' viewpoints. This does not nullify the right of persons to speak their minds on scientific principles, provided that opposing views are also dealt with respectfully, which Josh appears to have attempted to do. Clearly religion has little to nothing to do with the issue at all. It is about science, biology, and treating those with G.D. with respect for their own decisions about their identities. Do I agree with Trans. ideology? No I do not. I do however see the necessity for some young people to grow through their identities, not to be bullied or harmed, and to also speak freely about their beliefs, as anyone else should be able to do so. Appropriate, respectful discussion includes listening to both sides, making up their own minds, and not silencing the other side, or bullying individuals for any reason at all (none of which Josh seems to have done

by all reports). There is a middle path, here, with respect for all. He should be allowed to return to school. Trans individuals also should be allowed respect for their identities by classmates and learn to live and let live together without necessarily agreeing about causes or identity formation. Surely if young people can "respect the content of their characters" the world will do better than this.

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My dear Cathie, I wrote you a veritable essay which I somehow 'cancelled' just as I was finishing it. Perhaps that was a subtle hint that I had written too much.

Anyhow, the gist of it was that we are not really having a discussion about what is fair and reasonable. There is an all-out power struggle going on where indigenous/black and sexual minority 'tails' are being used to violently wag the civilizational and reproductive 'dogs'.

The trouble our young Canadian student is in has got nothing to do with what I think is a quite innocent and unremarkable stand that in more normal times would first have been reasonably sorted way before he arrived in the school (within a legitimate architecture of discussion and consent) but failing that, have had at least at a school level, a civil and rational discussion about how we deal with people suffering from delusional disorders who have been let out of the mental health system for us to accommodate/humor/indulge within the mainstream society, as well as working through the implications of this for girls, their rights and the female estate, and how they would be reasonably protected.

The discussion is not a rational one. The change in name of 'Gender Identity Disorder' to 'Gender Dysphoria' was not a result of any scientific discussion. It was a postmodernist heist inside psychiatric peak professional institutions that shifted the reality goalposts from an objective delusionality that the patient was responsible for sorting out in order to fit back into society, to a subjective 'discomfort' where in order not to 'distress' the patient, third parties are obliged to accommodate and 'accept' the patient's self-perception... because, 'We do not 'do' objective reality anymore, do we children?"......."No Miss!"

We are not having reasonable and timely adult discussions, let alone with very young people on the educational front line like Josh, who has shown enormous courage in putting himself on the line and been really screwed over by the Woke Loony Tunes set in authority over him, who just won't tolerate dissent from their enormously tendentious ideological claims, because they are too half arsed to survive five minutes in a rational debate, where the other side has a half fair chance to state its case without being ruthlessly overriden, insulted, defamed and dismissed by regime apparatchiks whose arrogance and conceit knows no bounds.

Those bastards are playing for keeps within a regime struggle they are absolutely determined to win, even if it means turning a once democratic society into a soft centered fascism, battered with sugary 'inclusion' and 'diversity' flavorings and deep fried in idelogical waste.

It was the same with the mother church at the end of the Middle Ages, that used the language of sanctimony and dogma to justify its extensive and institutionalized corrupt practices, which clearly demonstrated the extent its basic business model as a mechanism to assist congregations in the lifelong business of finding salvation, had been lost.

We are about to go through a similar social and probable economic convulsion in the foreseeable future. The fate of young Josh is just a straw in an ill wind. And we are all going to be playing for keeps on this for enormous stakes that none of us can afford to lose under any circumstances.

These are not normal conversations. They are pitstops on the road to war.

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Many non Christians will and do stand by Josh. He’s a good kid.

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