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Toronto, ON June 5, 2012 — Queer Ontario is pleased that Bill 13, the Accepting Schools Act, passed third reading today with explicit amendments to protect the rights and safety of students in all publicly funded schools. This includes the right for students to establish LGBTQ support groups in publicly-funded Catholic Schools, with names that describe and affirm LGBTQ identities.
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“We feel very strongly that LGBTQ-identified youth, who we know are heavily targeted for bullying, should receive the protections and supports they require regardless of what school board they are enrolled in,” says Nick Mulé, chairperson of Queer Ontario. “We expect the province’s Catholic School Boards to abide by this new legislation or reconsider accepting public funds.”
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We thank the Ontario NDP and especially Rosario Marchese, Peter Tabuns and Cheri DiNovo, for their support of LGBTQ youth during this needless struggle.
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We appreciate the support of Liberal MPP Laurel Broten, the Minister of Education, who up until May 25, was abdicating her duty to support all youth in Ontario schools. We also appreciate Premier McGuinty’s change of position on May 29, where he assured the public that Catholic School Boards will need to abide by Bill 13 and support students who wish to form LGBTQ-focused student groups. This is clearly a drastic change from his position since the beginning of this struggle in January of 2011.
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Most importantly, we want to thank Leanne Iskander, Christopher Mckerracher, and all the other students implicated in this fight, for their resistance and resilience over the past two years. This change would not have been possible without them.
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Our Bill 13 Fact Sheet [attached] gives our account of Bill 13, and calls for further actions to support youth, teachers, and staff in Ontario Schools.
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For interviews or more information please contact info@queerontario.org.
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Queer Ontario’s Statement on the Passage of Bill 13

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Queer Ontario’s Fact Sheet on Bill 13

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Queer Ontario Awards 2011 John Damien Award to Queer Youth in

Catholic School System

Award recipients reiterate importance of naming GSAs
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TORONTO:  On Sunday, December 4, 2011 during the Queer Ontario hosted 25th Anniversary celebrations of Sexual Orientation’s Inclusion in the Ontario Human Rights Code, the host group presented the 2011 John Damien Award to St. Joseph’s GSA and Catholic Students for GSAs.  The recognition was cited for the courageous work of these youth advocating for the right to form and participate in GSAs in the Catholic School System.

During the acceptance speech, the youth reiterated the importance of having the agency to name the group as they choose, using the term ‘gay’ without shame, regardless of being in a Catholic school system.

Queer Ontario revived the award which had been established by its predecessor, the Coalition for Gay Rights in Ontario (CGRO) which went on to become the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario (CLGRO).  Awarded 13 times between 1979 and 2004, the award recognizes individuals, groups or organizations that promote liberation for gender and sexually diverse people.  The award’s namesake is that of the late John Damien, who had been fired in the mid ‘70s from his job as a racing steward for being a ‘homosexual’.  The high profile case played a major role over a ten plus year campaign to have the Ontario Human Rights Code amended to include ‘sexual orientation’ as a ground for protection from discrimination, which was passed on December 2, 1986.

The celebration at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre included reminiscences, vigilance (ongoing campaign to have trans people recognized in human rights legislation), history and ongoing struggle for social rights beyond legal rights.