John Hilton-O’Brien is the Executive Director of Parents for Choice in EducationToday, Alberta’s Minister of Education issued a call for consultation. The province is asking parents, teachers and community members to weigh in on the presence of sexually explicit and age-inappropriate books in K-9 school libraries. The issue isn’t theoretical: these books — including Gender Queer, Fun Home, Flamer, and Blankets — were confirmed by the government to be sitting on actual library shelves in elementary and junior high schools.Parents for Choice in Education has been aware of this issue for years. Over the last two years, we worked with concerned parents who were alarmed about graphic sexual content in school libraries. These weren't vague fears. Parents at the grassroots level verified that specific books — containing explicit material — were indeed accessible to children in Alberta schools. That information was sent directly to the Minister of Health's office last fall, sparking further investigation.Let’s be clear: the books in question aren’t classic literary works like Catcher in the Rye. These books are designed primarily to normalize and encourage sexualized behaviour in children. Gender Queer, for example, is a graphic novel containing explicit graphic illustrations of sexual acts which encourages minors to explore sexual identities without parental involvement. Sexualization is the entire point of the book..The books aren’t in school libraries because one person decided they should be. And we can’t just blame the writers — many of whom acknowledge that they are not suitable for elementary schools. Activist groups — including teachers’ unions — encourage the formation of “Diversity, Equity, and Human Rights” committees. They even give grants to buy the books. There are also external groups that provide “resources” to Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs. No less a person than Alberta Senator Kristopher Wells has provided a book on how activist teachers can “build an inclusive library collection”(see pg. 12.)Why does this matter? The sexualization of children causes them real psychological harm. As the American Psychological Association (APA) warned in a 2007 task force report, sexualization of children has profoundly harmful effects. The APA found that it leads to cognitive, physical, and mental health problems, undermines confidence and comfort with one’s body. It is linked to gender dysphoria, emotional distress, and vulnerability to sexual victimization..Unlike passive media influences, school libraries are spaces that children are taught to trust. Material on those shelves carries the weight of authority. When you put it in the library, it's not just a book. It’s a message that the school endorses.This isn’t a debate about literature. It’s about the well-being of Alberta’s children. When schools present sexually explicit content as appropriate for minors, they normalize harmful behaviours and encourage premature sexualization. This risks creating exactly the confusion and distress that activists claim they want to prevent.The minister’s public consultation is a welcome step. But let’s not kid ourselves.Public discourse is flooded with radical professionals who are paid — directly, or indirectly — to push a particular agenda. These include people working in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) departments, teachers’ unions, university departments and advocacy organizations. Almost all of them are funded by tax dollars. Their careers — and those of their colleagues — depend on normalizing sexual and gender minorities. That means labelling anyone who disagrees as an evil bigot or a transphobe..This is presented as a way to prevent discrimination. But in practice, activists are willing to blur the lines of ethics. For them, sexualizing children is simply an effective tool for normalizing alternate sexual identities.The radicals tell themselves stories that turn their jobs into a crusade — regardless of the harm they actually do. The human capacity for self-deception is universal.The APA’s research is stark: sexualization undermines healthy development. It encourages gender dysphoria and leads to lasting psychological harm. By treating explicit sexual content as appropriate educational material, these activists aren’t protecting children — they’re exploiting them for political gain.These paid professionals will bombard the minister’s consultation with mountains of flawed studies, media coverage, op-eds, and so-called expert testimony. Their efforts will come with the intensity of a World War I artillery barrage. Every channel — academic, media, and social — will be used to drown out ordinary parents.That’s why Alberta families must speak up. Now. The consultation process is a crucial opportunity — but only if families make their voices heard over the paid activists. Alberta families must speak up. If we don't, the consultation will be dominated by a professional class whose livelihoods depend on pushing an agenda most parents oppose.I urge all concerned parents to go to the consultation page and share their experiences and concerns. Tell the minister what you’ve seen and heard. Tell them what you want for your children’s schools. Don’t let the so-called experts drown out the real experts — parents.And to the minister: this consultation cannot become a token gesture. You must ensure parents' voices are not marginalized or dismissed by paid professionals with ideological agendas. This is about protecting children, not advancing special interests.Alberta’s children deserve schools that safeguard their innocence, respect parental authority, and focus on real education — not indoctrination.Let’s make sure parents’ voices are heard.John Hilton-O’Brien is the Executive Director of Parents for Choice in Education, www.parentchoice.ca
