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Calls for more explicit language and a greater commitment to education and enforcement from the Ministry of Education and Ontario’s School Boards
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TORONTO – Queer Ontario submitted today a series of amendments to Bills 13 & 14 that would strengthen the language of the Bill, foster a greater understanding of equity and inclusivity amongst teachers and staff, and establish clearer guidelines of compliance and accountability in all publicly-funded schools.
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“A longstanding issue in our work around the banning of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in Catholic schools has been the reluctance of Catholic School Boards to enforce pre-existing policy, coupled with the Ministry’s lack of commitment to enforce its own,” says Queer Ontario Chairperson Nick Mulé. “We have continually contended that the Ontario Government’s existing Policy/Program Memorandum 145 already compels public school boards to support students who wish to form LGBTQ support groups, and that the lack of enforcement on the parts of the Boards and the Ministry of this Policy is at the core of the current struggle over LGBTQ youth wishing to form these valuable support groups.”
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Also included within the submitted amendments is language that explicitly establishes the rights of students to choose the name of the LGBTQ support group they wish to form. “As it currently stands, we feel that the language surrounding Bill Provision 303.1(d) regarding Board support of students wishing to form LGBTQ support groups is unclear,” says Casey Oraa, Queer Ontario Vice-Chair. “Adding ‘as determined by the pupil’ to this provision will ensure that naming rights rest in the hands of the students, as opposed to the school’s Board or staff.”
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Queer Ontario is also calling for the introduction of reporting mechanisms on school climate; the mandating of professional development programs related to anti-bullying and anti-harassment issues; and the inclusion of ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as social locations protected by the Bill.
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Queer Ontario’s Deputation on Anti-Bullying Bills 13 and 14
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Queer Ontario’s Amendments to Anti-Bullying Bill 13
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This week promises to be an eventful one, what with all the LGBTQ-related bills being debated and considered at Queen’s Park, among other exciting events. Here is a run-down of some of those events and the actions you can take to increase the likelihood (and speed) of these Bills being passed.

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1. THE SECOND READING OF TOBY’S ACT
– (Thurs. May 10, 2:00pm at the Ontario Legislative Building)

Toby’s Act is a private member’s bill that will amend the Ontario Human Rights Code to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds against discrimination. It is being co-sponsored by members of all three political parties and is expected to go into second reading on Thursday, May 10, at around 2:00pm. Any attempts to persuade your Member of Provincial Parliament to vote in favour of this bill would be of much help. This includes:

(1) Calling your MPP to let them know that you support Toby’s Act.
A list of current MPPs with their contact information can be found here. If you are unsure of the name of your Riding, then you can find it here,

(2) Signing our Online Petition
Signing this petition will send a letter to the leaders of all three provincial parties letting them know that you support this Bill.

(3) Joining us at the Ontario Legislative Building on Thursday, May 10th, 2:00pm
The more people we have there showing support, the better!

Information about Toby’s Act can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2574
This is the fourth time the Bill is being considered by the Legislative Assembly. We hope it will be the last.

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2. ONTARIO FEDERATION OF LABOUR OUT@WORK CONFERENCE
— (Thurs. May 10, 7:00pm at The 519 Community Centre, Toronto)

The Ontario Federation of Labour is holding its Out@Work conference at The 519 Community Centre in Toronto. It will feature a Rapid Rights Roundtable moderated by OFL President Sid Ryan and Toronto City Staffer Jane Farrow. It will also feature performances by performance poet / multi-media musician and transpride campaigner Nichola Ward. A poster invite has been attached.

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3. ONTARIO GSA COALITION RALLY
– (Sat. May 12, 1:00pm at Queen’s Park, Toronto)
— Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/352024081525735/

This rally is in support of the LGBTQ-protective clauses in Bill 13, the Liberal Party’s “Accepting Schools Act”, which seeks to mandate the establishment of LGBTQ-focused student groups in Ontario secondary schools — and the acceptance of LGBTQ-specific language to name them. It is currently being considered by the Standing Committee on Social Policy alongside the Progressive Conservatives’ “Anti-Bullying Act” (Bill 14), which is expected to be merged with Bill 13.

According to the GSA Coalition, there is a risk that the Progressive Conservatives may attempt to delay the advancement of the final Bill because of these LGBTQ-affirming clauses. The aim is to have a final Bill approved by June to make sure that Ontario secondary school students have these protections by the start of the new school year in September. This rally is in support of this LGBTQ-specific language and the speedy approval of the final wording.

Information on Bill 13 can be found here: http://ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2549
Information on Bill 14 can be found here: http://ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2550

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4. STANDING COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON ANTI-BULLYING BILLS
— (Various Days, Ontario Legislative Building)

Today (Monday, May 7) and tomorrow (Tuesday, May 8), the Standing Committee on Social Policy will be holding public hearings in response to both the Liberal’s “Accepting Schools Act” and the Progressive Conservatives’ “Anti-Bullying Act. We will be deputing at one of these hearings.

Other hearing are scheduled for Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15 in Toronto; and May 22 in Ottawa. If you wish to address the Committee at one of these hearings, then contact the Committee Clerk (Katch Koch) at 416-325-3526 or katch_koch@ontla.ola.org. Times are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Hi Everyone,
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This is to report that Queer Ontario had a highly successful presence at the 2nd Annual LGBTQ Volunteer Fair put on by the 519 Church Street Community Centre.
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Earlier this afternoon Research and Education Committee Chairperson, Alana Boltwood, and I staffed the Queer Ontario table which elicited the signing up of 56 new volunteers!  There was an exciting mix of ages, races, ethnicities, interests and skill sets matching the vibrancy felt in the room and at the event itself.  In addition to Toronto numerous were from other geographical areas including North York, Markham, Brampton, Oshawa, Ottawa, Ajax, New Lowell and Thunder Bay.
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This is the 2nd year Queer Ontario has taken part and received such a great response.  Special thanks are extended to Queer Ontario Secretary, Martin Otarola, for setting us up with the needed material resources and Alana for joining me for the full event in representing Queer Ontario to potential volunteers.
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We will soon be following up with each of these volunteers to see how best we can involve them in the important work of Queer Ontario.
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Cheers,

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Nick Mulé
Chairperson,
Queer Ontario
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