(LifeSiteNews) — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) has unveiled a new social media attack campaign against parental rights.
The museum claims that Canadian parental rights movements “aim to deny 2SLGBTQI+ youth their fundamental rights” and are rooted in so-called “transphobia and homophobia that can have very serious consequences.”
In an X post released on “Transgender Day of Visibility,” the Winnipeg-based institution outlined a variety of criticisms directed towards the parental rights movement, branding it as being a shield for removing the rights of gay and trans-identifying students.
CMHR is a national institution established by Parliament and funded primarily through federal tax dollars. Its self-described purpose is being the “first museum solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights.”
The group stated that parental rights movements attempt to “force teachers to notify parents if a student changes their pronouns or asks to go by another name,” “make sex-ed less accessible to students” and “remove books from school and libraries that contain 2SLGBTQI+ content.” These tactics are accused of being a “guise” for a hidden agenda, which it describes as being hateful and disenfranchising, despite the fact that many of these are common positions of parents advocating for protection of their children.
CMHR also goes on to list what it refers to as “myths” about the parental rights movement. The first self-described myth is the assertion that “parents should have full control over the lives of their children.” The museum responds that children are not property, noting that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the rights of all individuals, including children.
It references the 1993 Supreme Court of Canada decision in Young v. Young, which states that the “best interests” of the child “supersedes” parental preferences in certain contexts. Young v. Young was a family law dispute that referenced custody access and the legality surrounding children’s role in it, a case that significantly differs from the modern-day parental rights issue.
The museum also points to protections for “gender identity and expression” under the Canadian Human Rights Act since 2017, another federal legality that does not directly govern schools or parental rights.
Another “myth” raised in the campaign addresses school policies on gender identity. The CMHR argues that forcing teachers to inform parents when a student requests to change names or pronouns can lead to “harmful consequences.” It claims that youth who are “misgendered” face elevated risks of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
The museum also addresses the fact that there are only two genders, describing it as a “myth.” It claims that “for as long as humans have existed, there have been more than two genders,” citing “two-spirit identities” among Indigenous peoples in Canada and “non-binary” individuals in various cultures as evidence for their claim.
A further “myth” identified by the CMHR is the idea that schools are indoctrinating children with gender diversity and sexual health information. The museum denies this claim, instead arguing that excluding access to such information imposes the will of parental rights movements, and that education on these topics supports critical thinking rather than indoctrination.
The campaign states that “we’re just protecting our children” is a false and deceptive narrative, maintaining that this is justification for “hate speech.” It states that words such as “pedophile” and “groomer” are used to “vilify 2SLGBTQI+ communities and their allies,” referencing a 2025 Ontario court decision in which an individual was ordered to pay $380,000 in damages for social media posts using such terms in relation to drag performers.
The campaign has received significant criticism on X, with comments on the original post outnumbering likes by a significant margin. Despite replies being curtailed to limit negative feedback, the vast majority of replies echo a disgusted sentiment.
“Parents have a right to know what’s happening in their children’s lives,” the most-liked reply to the post states. “If any province ought to know that it’s wrong to legally force parents to hand over their children to the state, and then have the state impose their own beliefs on them (i.e. gender ideology) it’s Manitoba.”
“This is deeply disturbing. It shows that ‘Human Rights’ in Canada has nothing to do with human rights and is all about enforcement of radical far left ideologies,” another X user added. “@CMHR_News hates Canadian parents and wants to destroy the very fabric of our society – which is family. Shame.”
The host of The Shadoe Davis Show chimed in as well: “Completely off the rails. Canada was founded on the family unit & parents are the only thing stopping these kids from falling off a cliff. The sick ‘trans’ ideology will be stopped & as an organization funded by tax dollars you best retract this nonsense and get back to reality!”