OneBC presses BC NDP over “queering outdoor education” article pushed on teachers

OneBC MLA Tara Armstrong read from a BC Teachers’ Federation article that she says frames the “birds and the bees” as a colonial, white supremacist narrative.

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B.C.’s minister for education nearly broke down in tears after being asked if kindergarteners should be “queering the outdoors” after OneBC MLA Tara Armstrong read from a BC Teachers’ Federation article that she says frames the “birds and the bees” as a colonial, white supremacist narrative.

During question period yesterday, Tara Armstrong read directly from a BCTF article that claims colonialism shaped ideas about nature, gender, and biological reproduction. The article argues that the common phrase “the birds and the bees” reflects “binary pseudoscience” tied to “white supremacy culture.”

Armstrong asked Education Minister Lisa Beare whether she supports teachers’ unions promoting these ideas to young children.

“What happens when left wing fanatics take over the union representing the province’s teachers?” Armstrong said. “You get ‘queering outdoor education,’ the latest module made by the BC Teachers’ Federation for kindergarten students. The birds and the bees are racist now. Does the minister agree that kids should be queering the outdoors?”

Beare did not address the article’s content, instead accusing Armstrong of using her “place of privilege” to “bring children down.” Beare said the government is focused on making all students feel welcome and supported, then delivered an emotional response about vulnerable youth.

Armstrong told True North that parents deserve to know what teachers’ unions are promoting inside the school system, stating her goal is to expose the “ideological capture of K–12 education.”

“They’re producing training materials for kids in kindergarten that say the birds and the bees are colonial, white supremacist narratives that must be countered,” she said. “Every time we shine a light on this, the NDP and their union allies pretend like it isn’t happening or that it’s hateful to repeat their own words back to them.”

The BCTF article, published earlier this month by a Vancouver teacher, promotes drag pedagogy, anti-colonial activism, and the rejection of biological categories in outdoor education. Teachers are encouraged to question whether describing animals as male or female reinforces “cis-heteronormative assumptions.” The article also urges educators to view biological reproduction as a political narrative rather than a scientific fact.

Armstrong said only a small minority of activists believe these ideas, yet they continue to shape curriculum materials. She argues that politicians, parents, and teachers need to “say loudly and clearly that the indoctrination of our children must end.”

She says OneBC plans to continue confronting the issue. Armstrong confirmed that MLA Dallas Brodie and local candidate James Davison will join parents at a December 9 event in Abbotsford to raise concerns about SOGI content and school board practices.

Armstrong said she has heard from teachers who feel they cannot speak openly and parents who have been punished for objecting.

“There was a parent on Vancouver Island banned from her own child’s school for posting criticism online,” she said. “It is out of control.”

A representative of the Ministry of Education and Child Care says “Minister Beare’s perspective remains the same as her response in the Legislative on Nov 27.”