GLBT groups in hands of the students, McGuinty says

Student pride. Premier Dalton McGuinty reiterated in early July that students have the power to decide if a sexuality and gender-based support group, often called a Gay-Straight Alliance, is necessary in their high school. Jordan Wolfe

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered teens can expect a more inclusive school community come September, after Premier Dalton McGuinty issued a firm reminder that students hold the power to form GLBT support groups in their high schools – no matter what their principals, teachers or school board might say.

“This is not a matter of choice for school boards or principals. If students want it, they will have it,” McGuinty wrote in a speech that was delivered by Toronto MPP Glen Murray on July 4, during Toronto’s annual pride parade. “We live in a world where teens are still taking their lives because of homophobia and we owe it to them to get them the support they deserve. It's all a matter of being understanding and supportive.”

McGuinty’s government passed an equity policy as part of the Safe Schools Act in 2009, which came into effect September 2010 and outlaws all school discrimination based on gender, age, race, ability, or sexual orientation.

McGuinty’s reaffirmation of the policy attempted to address the ongoing debate around whether students should be allowed to have specific sexuality and gender-related support groups, especially in Catholic boards where schools often struggle to reconcile their anti-bullying campaigns with religious beliefs banning homosexuality.

“I think the point of the announcement was to show that the premier values the policy, and it should be implemented because it’s the law,” said Ottawa Centre Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi. “The premier will keep reiterating the point because it sends a strong message that he takes this type of policy very seriously, and really stands behind it.”

Ottawa South Progressive Conservative candidate Jason MacDonald, who is poised to take on the premier in Ontario’s October election, said he believes local school boards should decide how discrimination of all kinds is dealt with in their jurisdiction, rather than the students.

“Local school boards have the responsibility to make decisions on how to fight discrimination in schools, and I would expect that they consult with both parents and students regarding how to best provide safe and inclusive environments for all students and encourage tolerance,” he said in an email.

In the past year, several Catholic schools have made headlines by refusing to allow “gay-straight alliances” in their schools or by banning traditional pride symbols such as rainbows. Many Catholic schools prefer to endorse more general student support groups that deal with all bullying issues, while some allow specific anti-homophobia groups as long as they have generic names that mask their purpose, such as equity or safe space groups.

The equity law that came into effect last year technically gives students the power to dictate whether a school has a GLBT support group and what it’s called.  However, the Liberal government has not ruled on whether the term “gay-straight alliance” (GSA for short) will be forced on Catholic schools.

“We should differentiate the name from the substance,” Naqvi said. “Our equity policy is focused on the substance and what student-led groups can accomplish, and this is applicable to all school boards. Let’s not get into the debate about semantics here, and focus on the fact that we have a very progressive program in place to combat homophobic bullying in our schools.”

Jade Pichette, co-ordinator of the Creating Safe Spaces program at Pink Triangle Services serving Ottawa’s GLBT community, said giving naming rights to students is a productive step, as it gives them a chance to be loud and proud or subtle and low-key as the student body sees fit.

“It depends on what the youth at the school feel they need,” Pichette said. “For some youth it is important that they say, ‘This is what we want. We want to stand tall and not be hidden away.’ And I’ve certainly heard cases where youth won’t necessarily feel comfortable being labelled as going to the ‘gay group’ or the ‘queer group.’”

She said the policy is a step forward in the fact that it gives students a boost in fighting unwilling administrators.

“This does give youth an extra leg up. They’re experiencing everything from sexual harassment and physical harassment and verbal harassment to just the silence of people not standing up and supporting them. So a group that is specific to GLBT issues allows youth to a have a safe space, which is important if the rest of the school is hostile,” Pichette said.

Students across the province have certainly faced their share of obstacles in fighting for GSAs and other sexuality-based groups.

St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ont., banned rainbows at an anti-homophobia event this spring because rainbows are connected to gay pride, prompting widespread media attention. In Ottawa, the controversy impelled a 15-year-old gay student in Stittsville, along with his father and brother, to place about 300 rainbow flags across Sacred Heart Catholic School's grounds in solidarity with other GLBT students.

But things are getting better, Pichette said, noting that the Ottawa Carleton District School Board is marching in Ottawa’s Capital Pride parade in August for the first time. She also noted that attending a Catholic or rural school doesn’t necessarily mean a GLBT student will face more hardships.

“There’s the stereotype that in Catholic and rural schools you’re going to have more issues, but it depends on the school. Certainly they have more issues overall, but it depends on the school,” she said.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board declined to comment. Catholic trustees and Ottawa’s Catholic School Parents’ Association could not be reached for comment.