Ryerson students were first exposed to the anti-choice signs on campus at the beginning of last school year.

“We’ll be here for years. We’re in this for the long haul,” Alleyne said.

Their graphic images of dead fetuses can cause a lot of harm to people affected by abortion. The Eye has heard multiple accounts of unwanted altercations between the protesters and passerbys, such as being told “You should have been aborted,” and “Did you just misgender me?” when speaking to trans people, mockingly.

Alleyne is one of many CCBR employees paid for protesting on campuses. TAA does have paid staff but they are primarily made up of volunteers. CCBR accesses volunteers from TAA, who assist with outreach and activism.

Both CCBR and TAA are primarily funded by private donations. Since they are non-profit organizations they can also apply for grants.

Alleyne declined to provide The Eye with further information regarding the funding and costs for the campaign or how much staff get paid.

The counter-protests from the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) equity centre staff and volunteers eventually sparked the creation of Ryerson’s Reproductive Justice Collective (RRJC) in November 2016. The RRJC campaigned for the removal of these protesters on campus.

In the fall of 2014, an anti-choice student group called Students for Life at Ryerson (SFLR) attempted to get ratification to receive funding. The RSU denied the request on the basis of being opposed to groups that promote “misogynist views” and challenge bodily autonomy. SFLR took the RSU to court in December 2015, but the case was dismissed.

“We will be here for years. We’re in this for the long haul”