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Queer Ontario Requests a Meeting with Premier McGuinty and Minister of Education Laurel Broten to discuss supporting LGBTQ Youth in all publicly funded schools

October 24th, 2011 Comments off

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

October 24, 2011

Queer Ontario Requests a Meeting with Premier McGuinty and Minister of Education Laurel Broten to discuss supporting LGBTQ Youth in all publicly funded schools

TORONTO – The election has come and gone but the issue of supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) students in all publicly funded schools is still a very real one. Given that Premier McGuinty committed to ensuring that all students in publicly funded schools would have an LGBT support group come this Fall*, a commitment that has yet to be followed through on, we once again call on him to follow through on his word and if he’s serious, go a step further.

We have written to the Premier and the Minister of Education requesting a meeting to discuss the issue of properly supporting LGBTQ students in all publicly funded schools through organizations such as Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs). We also expressed our interest in discussing the integration of LGBTQ content into curriculum, including the long-delayed updates to the sex education curriculum.

The recent tragic passing of Jamie Hubley is a firm reminder that it only gets better when we make it better. Moving forward on supporting our LGBTQ students through groups and updated curriculum are just two accomplishable ways the Premier and the Minister of Education can make it better and we truly hope they are committed to do so.

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*“Ontario to mandate ‘LGBT support groups’ in Catholic schools” by Andrea Houston, Xtra! Canada, Saturday, July 2, 2011

The 2011 Queer Ontario Elections Report Card

September 15th, 2011 Comments off

.The four years since the 2007 provincial election in Ontario have been riddled with commendable advancements, broken promises, and reprehensible misactions from all three major parties. Many of these have had a direct effect on LGBTQ Ontarians, their families, and their communities, and the time has come to highlight some of these in advance of Election Day, on October 6th.

As with every provincial election, Queer Ontario has developed a Provincial Election Report Card to outline the Progressive Conservative, Liberal, and New Democratic actions and statements around pertinent issues that affect LGBTQ persons in Ontario. Our hope is that you vote in favour of human rights and unconditional support for LGBTQ persons, and consider the many ways in which LGBTQ Ontarians are still being marginalized and going under-recognized  throughout the province.

The Queer Ontario Steering Committee

Note:

1. As much as we would have liked to, the Green Party of Ontario was excluded from this edition of the Report Card because no Green Party candidates were elected in the 2007 provincial elections. This has prevented us from being able to document and analyze the party’s performance, as we have done for the other three major ones.

2. “LGBTQ” will be used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, intersex, two-spirited, queer, pansexual, polyamorous, and kinky individuals; and all other individuals who are marginalized for their sexual or gender differences.

3. Lastly, Queer Ontario is a non-partisan group. The information in this Report Card is informational and should not be read as an endorsement of any political party or candidate.
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GSA News Round-Up: McGuinty’s Non-Response

March 23rd, 2011 Comments off

Here’s your digest of recent news coverage on McGuinty’s lack of commitment to enforce Program / Policy Memorandum (PPM) 145:

1. “Banning gay-straight alliances goes against equity grain, McGuinty warns.”
The Globe and Mail

2. “Gay-straight groups not mandatory, education ministry says”
The Toronto Star

3. “McGuinty dodges GSA question, says Catholic schools create alternatives”
Xtra!

Indeed: as mentioned in the Xtra! piece, we will be hosting an exciting Education Forum on Sex-Ed, GSAs, and Religion in Publicly Funded Schools on April 13th — the International Day of Pink. Further details will be released in the near future as they become available. But for now: save the date and mark your calendars!