Comedian Colin Mochrie, wife, join transgender daughter at Queen's Park protest
Protestors called on new PC government to re-think decision to replace sex-ed curriculum
Comedian Colin Mochrie and his wife joined their transgender daughter Kinley at a protest at Queen's Park on Thursday, calling on the new PC government to re-think its decision to replace the sex-ed curriculum.
Premier Doug Ford's government has repealed the curriculum and wants to replace it with one from 20 years ago.
- How the rule of improv helped Colin Mochrie support transgender daughter
- Trans March in Toronto draws hundreds in support of transgender community
"I grew up in a time when there really wasn't any sexual education," Mochrie said.
"Everything I learned was on the streets, a lot of misinformation a lot of rumours. It was a time of a lot of homophobic slurs, slut shaming, a lot of things that were totally inappropriate and all came from ignorance."
The sex-ed curriculum taught in 1998 did not cover LGBTQ issues, gender identity, consent, online safety or sexting.
'Unfair and very problematic'
Mochrie quoted from the sex-ed curriculum introduced by the Liberal government that embraces diversity and teaches students about same-sex relationships and how to protect themselves against online bullying.
Kinley Mochrie said replacing it would result in transgender people being "short changed by the education system."
"Being transgender . . . there is a lot of bad information out there. We owe it to everyone to have a solid understanding."
Standing with transgender daughter
It's not the first time that Colin Mochrie has publicly supported his transgender daughter.
In 2017, the Whose Line Is It Anyway star showed support for her transition on social media.
My 90-yr-old mother-in-law and 87-yr-old mother love and acceptance of our trans daughter warms me. Wonder why some who are younger can't.
—@colinmochrieHis tweet brought him a lot of attention — positive and negative.
But the family continues to stand together.
His wife, Deb McGrath, also spoke at the Queen's Park rally on Thursday.
"These kids are talking about [sex] anyway. Give them the facts," she said.
"They will have knowledge that will serve them long beyond their childhood years. If you tell people about trans, if you tell people about gays . . . they are going to know what's going on when the time comes."
Left in limbo
Meanwhile, Ontario school boards say they have been left in limbo just weeks before students return to classes.
The Ontario Public School Boards' Association said it is yet to receive any direction from the provincial government on the issue.
Earlier this week, Ford said that reverting to the older version of the sex-ed curriculum would only be temporary until the completion of the consultations.