Hundreds attend March for Trans Rights in downtown Ottawa

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Ottawa Friday evening for the March for Trans Rights, calling for greater support for transgender people in Ottawa and across Canada.

The march kicked off a busy weekend of events for the Capital Pride Festival, leading up to Sunday's Pride Parade in Centretown.

"We are calling out the staggering rise in anti-trans hate and we are showing trans kids and trans people that this city supports them," said Fae Johnstone, March for Trans Rights co-organizer and this year's Capital Pride Parade Grand Marshal.

"We need to show trans kids that we have their back. A lot of these kids are waking up where they see headlines where their identities and very humanity is under attack."

The event comes as many are questioning how trans issues are taught in schools. In Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, teachers must start seeking parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns. Critics call the move harmful to LGBTQ students.

"Our own chief of police has sounded the alarm over anti-queer and anti-trans hate in the city," Johnstone said. "We are seeing governments rolling back on trans rights. It’s happening in New Brunswick and in Saskatchewan and at a Calgary school board."

In June, hundreds of trans-friendly counter-protesters gathered outside three schools in Ottawa's west end to take a stand against a British Columbia man who was protesting what he called "gender ideology" and gender identity being taught in schools.

"The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is incredibly proud to be one of the few school boards that hires a trans-equity coach and has unequivocal support for LGBTQ students," Lyra Evans, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Chair, said.

"It’s incredibly disappointing to see school boards across the province do harm to trans students in the name of parental rights."

Events this weekend during the Capital Pride Festival includes the TD Main Stage at Bank and Slater streets, the Family Pride Zone in Dundonald Park, the Capital Pride Street Festival on Saturday and Sunday and the Capital Pride Parade on Sunday afternoon.

Ottawa police say there will be an increased police presence during Capital Pride events this weekend.

"The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Special Events Section, along with our city partners have worked with Pride organizing committee throughout the planning phase of the Parade," police said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"OPS has developed a plan with police resources to ensure safe and fun Pride activities associated with the event all weekend."

Police say there will be an integrated command team set up for Sunday's Pride Parade.

"OPS will have officers engaged along the route to ensure Pride participants feel safe and that Ottawa residents feel secure that their community is being protected," police said.

"OPS has officers of all ranks that have signed up to ensure a successful Pride parade."