A local group looking to be a safe space for children in the 2SLGBTQ+ is planning on still continuing to offer programming despite backlash from some people in the community. The group is called Rainbow Kids Stratford, and it aims to be inclusive.
“The group is about giving gender diverse kids a sense of community, so they don’t feel alone” said the organizer who asked to not be identified due to fear of community backlash. “This group gives kids a place to play, be themselves and connect with others that are different in the same way as they are.”
The local parent who has hosted playgroups for children from junior kindergarten through Grade 6, posted a poster with details about an event last year to various Stratford-based Facebook groups, but that's when the verbal attacks started.
“People seem to get really upset,” the organizer said. “I feel like a lot of times those people are upset because they feel like it's being pushed on these kids. Transphobia has really kicked off, and when it comes to kids people seem to get really riled up and upset. The comments did get quite aggressive and threatening.”
One comment said, “I think everyone should show up and boycott this…and all these parents and anyone involved should be arrested.” Another stated, “Leave the kids alone. Most trans are born out of sexual abuse. They need therapy, not more abuse.”
The comments lead to the cancellation of the playgroup, out of an abundance of caution, especially since the playgroup is usually held in public areas including schools.
Despite the trolls, the organizer was happy to see that it wasn’t all bad in the local realm of the internet.
“While there were lots of negative comments and aggressive things like that, there were quite a few comments that were really supportive including stories saying I could have used this group when I was a kid,” the organizer said. “It was nice to see the number of people who said they could have used a similar group. I talk to other parents who come to the playgroup who say its helping their child.”
Promoting events has been a challenge as safety for everyone is top of mind.
“I don’t know how to promote an event without making it public. How do you keep it quiet but also reach the right people, that’s the challenge,” the organizer said. “If the group was for adults, and people wanted to come yell obscenities, you just march on, but you can’t do that with the kids, I won’t risk it. I just want this to be a safe space for the kids.”
Rainbow Kids Stratford started when the organizers' own child told them that they identified as non-binary.
“I didn’t really know what to do and there wasn’t really anything out there for my child,” the organizer explained. “So I wanted to find a way to not only for my own child to not feel alone, but so that others who were feeling the same way wouldn’t be alone. It’s also a way to allow parents to connect and navigate some of the complexities of being a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community with other parents.”
Despite the negativity, Rainbow Playgroup Stratford isn’t going anywhere. In fact the playgroup will be meeting on Saturday, but out of an abundance of caution Stratford Today will not be releasing any more details.
