Hundreds of protesters gather in Hamilton to show support for LGBTQ+ community

Hundreds of people have gathered in front of a school board in Hamilton to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Hamilton Police are on scene as a march and protest takes place in front of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board office near Lime Ridge Mall.

The school board has issued a statement saying it supports all students and is committed to providing a safe environment for everyone.

Hundreds of protesters and counter protesters have gathered across Canada for competing protests, screaming and chanting at each other about school policies on gender identity.

While a protest was planned in Niagara-on-the-Lake, it's not clear how many people attended.

Posters created by a group called "1MillionMarch4Children" say rally participants are standing together against what they call "gender ideology" in the nation's schools. 

They say that schools are exposing children to inappropriate content about sexuality and gender identity, and they support the policies requiring parental consent.

Meantime in Ottawa, thousands of people faced off in front of Parliament Hill, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh led a group of counter-protesters down Wellington Street.

"We know that there's a lot of folks that don't feel safe because of the rise in hate and division that's targeting vulnerable people," Singh said. "But then you see a lot of people coming together, and it shows the strength of solidarity, of us supporting each other, of having each other's back."

He said politicians need to go beyond acts of solidarity and show up with "real protections," whether that be strengthening constitutional protections or by introducing new legislation.