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“It sent a really strong message of hope and support to those students when finally they were able to exist, and it’s terrifying that there’s a party out there who’s willing to sort of put that back on the table,” said Newbert.

Schweitzer said in a prepared statement Thursday that he has always been and continues to be an advocate for the LGBTQ community.

“I am saddened to see that my opponents have turned such a critical issue for our vulnerable youth into a divisive topic, when we should be working to find a strong path forward together,” he said. “I am committed, alongside my United Conservative colleagues, to ensuring that Alberta has the strongest legal protections for gay-straight alliances in Canada.”

The Alberta NDP issued a news release earlier Thursday saying Schweitzer “has a choice to make.”

“He can either stand up for vulnerable students or he can side with Jason Kenney and roll back their legal rights,” Calgary-Elbow NDP candidate Janet Eremenko said in the release.

Rally participant Yardena Batshaw said there wasn’t a gay-straight alliance in her high school, but such a group would have helped her “greatly.”

“Even when I knew my sexuality when I was in high school, I did not share that with my parents,” Batshaw said.

“I would not have wanted the school to be the first point of my parents finding that out. That’s definitely something everyone should have their own control over.”

Liz Bergeron said she attended the Calgary rally because she thinks “it’s terrible that anyone would want to repeal Bill 24 and take away the safety and security of groups for people who don’t feel safe and secure probably anywhere else.