The BC Conservative Party plans to replace SOGI 123 if elected, which has some doctors concerned

By Tommy Osborne

SOGI in schools

Conservative plans to replace SOGI 123 “raised alarm bells” for physicians

Oct 17, 2024 | 4:28 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Following a recent announcement by the BC Conservative Party to replace SOGI 123 with zero-tolerance anti-bullying programs, several physicians in Prince George and Northern B.C. are raising their concerns that this could potentially cause serious harm.

“That really raised alarm bells for us because we as health care providers can see or foresee the health risks that we could see in these young people, with resources that are already working to help reduce some of those risks,” Family Physician Dr. Leigh Hunsinger-Chang said.

“It’s an anti-bullying program. It’s designed to support all students and students from diverse backgrounds with a focus on tolerance and acceptance. And now we actually have research from UBC (University of British Columbia) that shows that the longer these programs are in school, the more successful they are, the more support and acceptance they foster,” Hunsinger-Chang continued.

Family Physician Dr. Ingrid Cosio says LQBTQ+ students are already an at-risk, marginalized group, and believes replacing SOGI would make this problem far worse.

“The rates are basically triple in terms of suicidal ideation. It goes somewhere from 17% to 45% in gender diverse youth specifically. And in terms of suicide attempts, we’re talking about rates going from 8% to 27% of attempts of suicide. This is a huge, huge, health concern, not just an education concern,” Cosio said.

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In a press release, the Conservative Party says this move is to both support parents and protect kids.

“Ideology has no place in a classroom, and parents are tired of being called ‘hateful’ by the NDP for asking basic questions about the material that kids are being exposed to,” the release says.

“Parents trust and expect the school to provide a quality education in a safe environment — not activist ideology that could send kids down a dangerous path,” it continues.

Family Physician Dr. Ingrid Cosio disagrees with the idea that SOGI 123 is dangerous activist ideology, as she, like Dr. Hunsinger-Chang, says it’s an important resource that helps lower rates of suicide and mental health challenges.

“A lot of the fears around things like SOGI 123 are based in information that’s not accurate. There’s a lot of misinformation out there that’s easy to access. And it’s very hard for people to figure out what’s good information and what isn’t,” she said.

Cosio added SOGI 123 resources in schools don’t change the way a student would identify themselves, saying research has been done to dispel this idea.

“There’s a concept of ‘is this socially contagious the more we talk about it? Are we going to have more children and youth who are identifying as trans?’ We know that’s not the case, so that’s been looked at,” Cosio said.

“Yes, there’s more, maybe we could call it pushing the envelope or exploring gender and diversity, and not feeling so stuck in boxes, so we’re seeing more expression of gender diversity, not necessarily folks who are trans or who want to transition, but just this freedom of expression of physical expression. And I think we need to see that as a positive thing,” she continued.

Cosio says she encourages people to visit weareallies.ca to learn more about the research being done in SOGI related topics.

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