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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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We are excited to announce the launch of the Queer Ontario Pressing Issues Survey, one of the many new projects we will be rolling out in the next couple of months to reach out to LGBTQ* individuals across Ontario, and to expand our work beyond Toronto.
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The survey has been created so LGBTQ people across the province can provide us with a list of the issues they feel are most important to them as LGBTQ persons, which we will then use to develop projects and initiatives that are relevant to a greater number of LGBTQ people province-wide. As such, your participation will be greatly appreciated and will be invaluable to our work and direction as an organization.
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About the Survey
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The survey itself consists of five questions, which should take approximately 3-10 minutes to answer. We have both an online version and a Word (.doc) version available for you to use.
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Indeed, this research and re-focusing will take place while we continue our work on our two core issues: the fight for ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ in the Ontario Human Rights Code, and the creation of safer spaces for LGBTQ youth across Ontario.
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If you have any questions about any of the above, do not hesitate to contact us at info@queerontario.org — we will be more than happy to answer them!
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Looking forward to serving you better,
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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PO Box 822, Station A
Toronto,Ontario M5W 1G3
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Website: www.queerontario.org
Email: info@queerontario.org
Facebook: Queer Ontario
Twitter: @queerontario

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* Note:  For the purposes of this survey, ‘LGBTQ’ will refer to individuals who are marginalized because of their sex, gender, and/or sexuality. This includes, but is not limited to: individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, agender, two-spirited, cross-dressing, intersexed, neutrois, asexual, pansexual, polyamorous, kinky, and/or nudist. This survey is also open to allies who can assist us in our work.
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We know that forms of oppression based on sex, gender, and/or sexuality cannot be seen in isolation from other forms of oppression, so we encourage their joint articulation as well.
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