Category: GSAs

Before I move on from the issue of gay-straight alliances, I’d like to address one misconception: that this was about a name. As if to suggest that had these support groups been called something else, the Catholic school boards wouldn’t have banned them.

This is one of the greatest untruths of this debacle. The objection was always with the notion that these clubs accepted queer youth as normal. The idea that it was about a name was merely the latest politically acceptable formulation of a much less palatable reality.

As the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association said in a leaked memo:

From the outset, the concern [with gay-straight alliances] has been about the content more so than the name.

Don’t forget that students were also denied their petitions to start a group when the name was something else, such as “rainbow clubs.” It didn’t matter what they called it, the schools wouldn’t have allowed them.

The problem that the Catholic leadership has with these clubs is that they spread the idea that these kids are fine as-is. This is contrary to their beliefs, which views sexual minorities as morally evil*. To suggest otherwise is to disagree with their teachings, which is why there was accusations that the Accepting Schools Act would violate religious rights.

Despite their actions, the Catholic leadership never saw themselves as marginalizing anyone. There was a disconnect between their talk of embracing inclusivity and their gestures to the contrary. This resulted in self-contradicting quotes such as the following from a superintendent at the Bruce-Grey District Catholic School Board:

“No, I wouldn’t say we ban them. We support student clubs that support inclusiveness, especially for students who might otherwise feel marginalized. But all our clubs must, however, adhere to the Catholic teachings and values,” says [superintendent of education for the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board Gerald Casey]. Could students at a Bruce Grey Catholic school start a GSA? “The answer would be no,” admits Casey.

When you reject the validity of a population, it becomes possible to foster notions of inclusiveness that exclude entire swaths of people. A consequence of prejudice is that you are blind to the bias which you are exercising. That’s why I was unsurpised to see the opponents of the Accepting Schools Act at committee express their sentiment that homophobia** was, unlike other forms of prejudice, illegitimate.

Nevertheless, the religious leaders are sensitive to the fact that their views resonate with fewer and fewer Ontarians. Placing the blame on the name was merely a tool to obfuscate the nature of their opposition as to increase their odds of success.

That the name argument even worked at all, much less as well as it did, does highlight the comfort this society has with discrimination against particular subgroups. There is no doubt in my mind that had the vitriol thrown about by the opponents been less carefully directed, they would have triggered uproar from the public.

*If being gay was morally evil, being trans* was unspeakable. The guidelines issued by the Ontario Catholic School Trustee’s Association forbid students from even broaching the topic of gender identity in their official diversity clubs.

**The discussion was mostly focused on sexual orientation, I suspect, because the majority of opponents were too ignorant to know of anything else. 

As of a few minutes ago, the Accepting Schools Act (Bill 13) is law.

Come September, Catholic schools will no longer be able to ban support groups for queer students. According to the Globe & Mail:

Bill 13 passed with 65 MPPs voting in favour and all 36 Progressive Conservative MPPs voting against it.

The PCs had explained their opposition by quoting a piece that appeared in the Toronto Star, accusing the bill of “support for prejudice against minority, religious and cultural groups.” The PCs then said it would “weaken democracy.” As I lamented the other day, this rhetoric is deeply mismatched with the contents of the bill. They also seem to forget that those students who are in these clubs are Catholics. To say that allowing them a safe space is an attack on their identity is somewhat suspect.

The Liberals’ Minister of Education, Laura Broten, affirmed that there was nothing anti-Christian about clubs like gay-straight alliances. She said that it was about doing what you can to keep your neighbour safe. She spoke of the students who testified in favour of support groups, and the threats of legal action by the adults who opposed them.

Another Liberal MPP, Liz Sandals, spoke of the vitriol directed towards LGBT students she witnessed during the hearings. She explained why the bill mentioned these kids at all:

What we did find with the Safe Schools Action Team was that, in many cases, if the kids wanted to deal with homophobic bullying, it was denied. … Then it was, “You can’t do that.” You could do everything else, but you couldn’t do that. We heard that over and over.

[GSAs are in the legislation] not because it’s the only thing we need to do, but because it’s the one thing where kids are consistently denied permission to deal with the issue of homophobic bullying. That’s how we got to where we got.

The bill’s passage is wonderful news. However, my hopes that this would be the last chapter in this saga were dashed by the contents of a leaked memo by the Ontario Catholic Schools Trustees Association:

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association – anticipating what it called “objectionable” new provincial anti-bullying legislation that is expected to pass Tuesday, requiring schools to allow GSAs – outlined a strategy in a memo to its members. This includes making GSAs a “subset” of broader anti-bullying clubs and ensuring that they adhere to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, which asserts that homosexuality is “intrinsically disordered.”

Why can’t they just leave the students alone? We’ll see what happens in September, but I really hope I won’t have to revisit this issue.

Minister Broten will appear on TVO’s The Agenda tomorrow to discuss the legislation.

Bill 13 is going into final vote, and this has the Catholic leadership, religious groups, and the Sun incensed. It has mobilized protesters and grabbed the national headlines. It’s a fury the likes of which we hadn’t seen yet for this.

They say that this is a violation of religious freedoms, that they’ll sue the Ontario government for years to come, that this violates parental rights, that this is giving privileges to one group of people, that this is government meddling.

They are saying this because of this amended passage in Bill 13:

Every board shall support pupils who want to establish and lead activities and organizations that promote a safe and inclusive learning environment, the acceptance of and respect for others and the creation of a positive school climate, including,

…

(d)  activities or organizations that promote the awareness and understanding of, and respect for, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including organizations with the name gay-straight alliance or another name.

All this aggressive rhetoric because students will have a safe space to talk. The religious leaders are framing themselves as martyrs, which may work today, but is so deeply disconnected from reality that it will certainly be looked back upon with incredulity.

Their rights aren’t impinged because students are able to find solace in each other, but there’s no denying that the opponents are up in arms. The thought that these students would be seen as normal is unacceptable to them.

I don’t expect ignorance to disappear tomorrow. But that such views would still be so prevalent among school administrators and enabled by complacent staff members is deeply disappointing. I am equally dismayed that a major political party, the Progressive Conservatives, have embraced this bigotry with open arms.

History will not look back upon these players favourably. They all had a chance to do the right thing. Not only did they squander it, but they fought it every step of the way.

Update: I received a message from a teacher who raised a good point. I post it here with permission:

Hi Julien, I searched Bill 13 and found your recent blog. I am a Catholic secondary teacher and I want you to know that we are not all complacent. I agree with your eloquently written message and want you to know that many teachers are trying to stop the homophobia that is being displayed by some people higher up in our boards. Thanks!

I got up early this morning and headed over to the Marriott hotel where I attended the public hearings for Bill 13 & 14. It was a full-day affair, lasting from nine to five. My boss knew I wouldn’t be in today and was very supportive.

There were 29 groups and individuals scheduled to speak, each in 15 minute blocks. The people would come up, give a speech, sometimes accompanied by slides. Then, if there was any time left, the parliamentarians would be able to ask them questions. Otherwise, it was on to the next block. All three political parties (Liberals, PC, and NDP) were represented.

I sat and prepared to take notes. My MPP for Ottawa-Centre, Yasir Naqvi, walked in and recognized me from our previous encounter. He asked me if I’d be among those speaking. I told him that I was too late. I nevertheless showed him the speech I had prepared, and he helped me submit it so that all the parliamentarians on the committee would at least be able to read it. He also invited me to attend the press conference he was holding at 1PM. Awesome.

The deliberations started. First up was the legal counsel for the Coalition for Parental Rights in Education. He indicated that if Bill 13 were to pass, the province could expect years of litigation over claims of infringements on denominational rights. The simple solution was to remove all mention of homophobia and sexual orientation from the bill. He claimed there was preferential treatment by including them, but unsurprisingly did not take issue with the same wording as it applied to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or disability.

Next up was the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Homophobia, they argued, was a slur to bully those it is used against into silence. This was followed by another speaker, who indicated that homosexuality was intrinsically disordered and that the bill was against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that gave precedence to the Christian God, the God of Abraham.

This was the tone for the day. Nearly all speakers espoused such views, and all against three particular passages of the legislation. The first passage, quoted below, because it includes the word “homophobia”. As hinted above, a number of speakers insisted homophobia didn’t exist. As one person put it, it was an “imagined prejudice.” Or as another stated, it was “a term used by activists and militants to oppose Catholic teachings.” Numerous were the calls for the bill to be amended to remove all references to it.

The purposes of this Part include the following:

1.  To create schools in Ontario that are safe, inclusive and accepting of all pupils.

2.  To encourage a positive school climate and prevent inappropriate behaviour, including bullying, sexual assault, gender-based violence and incidents based on homophobia.

3.  To address inappropriate pupil behaviour and promote early intervention.

4.  To provide support to pupils who are impacted by inappropriate behaviour of other pupils.

5.  To establish disciplinary approaches that promote positive behaviour and use measures that include appropriate consequences and supports for pupils to address inappropriate behaviour.

6.  To provide pupils with a safe learning environment.

The second passage that raised the ire of the religious representatives was that quoted below. They interpreted it as meaning that religious groups would not be able to worship in schools, because their views would be inconsistent with the code of conduct. This would be, according to one speaker, a “violation of freedom of conscience, of association, of religion… a clear infringement of the constitution and the charter.”

If a board enters into an agreement with another person or entity, other than a board, respecting the use of a school operated by the board, the board shall include in the agreement a requirement that the person or entity follow standards that are consistent with the code of conduct.

The third passage, and the one that elicited a strong reaction from every speaker, was the one cited below. It would put an end to the ban on support groups for queer students that are in place in many Ontario schools.

Every board shall support pupils who want to establish and lead,

(a)  activities or organizations that promote gender equity;

(b)  activities or organizations that promote anti-racism;

(c)  activities or organizations that promote the awareness and understanding of, and respect for, people with disabilities; or

(d)  activities or organizations that promote the awareness and understanding of, and respect for, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including organizations with the name gay-straight alliance or another name.

It caused some speakers to label the bill “anti-Christian.” Another claimed that a “radical sexualized agenda” would “seep into the school curriculum in the name of equity, inclusivity and anti-bullying.” Yet another warned that this bill “would cause a Godless society where people would act impurely and on a whim.”

“I do not accept practising homosexuals, as a Catholic,” stated another. “Homosexuality is intrinsically disordered.” A speaker lamented that not only were they forced to “tolerate” LGBT students, but now they would have to accept them too – and that was just too much. “This is indoctrination” affirmed a few. They all wanted those passages removed.

 

Not all speakers were like this. Most were, but not all. The Ontario Student Trustee Association said that they had run a survey in 2011 of 7,000 students and 2,000 parents. 88% of students thought a support group like a gay-straight alliance was a good idea, as did 79% of the parents. Kids Help Phone came in support of the bill.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association stated that gay-straight alliances no more made straight students gay than gay kids straight, alluding to claims that these clubs would confuse children. “Why would anyone want to choose to be called intrinsically disordered, to be forbidden from birth to death to feel an intimate moment?” (A number of speakers had advocated life-long celibacy for gay youth.) “We must set aside what makes us different and embrace what makes us one,” was the conclusion.

The Youth Service’s Bureau strongly supported the legislation, as they found that the most effective model to support youth was to empower them. Get them involved, with student-run groups like gay-straight alliances. Their representative noted that sexual orientation was a big factor in bullying at the secondary level, with 50% reporting incidences.

Jer’s Vision meanwhile had two speakers. One had gone to a Catholic school and had wanted to start a GSA, but was not allowed. She stated that students needed help, and schools needed to be accessible by making them safe for students. It was right to let students talk about LGBT issues and that the only way to deal with bullying was to talk about it. “Silence equals death.”

These views of support were in the minority in the proceedings. A protest had also formed outside to object to Bill 13. The presenters were stacked in a way that did not reflect general opinion. I went up to the Liberal party’s press conference, where advocates for the bill’s passage were able to share their views. There was a law professor from the University of Ottawa, Jer’s Vision, and the Youth Service Bureau.

There was talk of the research that had shown that gay-straight alliances made schools safer for all students, not just those who participated in the club. Jer’s Vision had engaged with 75,000 youth across Canada, and its representatives discussed the kind of issues that some kids were facing.

The media asked a few questions and the press conference ended. I re-joined the principle deliberations. More of the same ignorance. Finally, it was down to the last speaker, who called upon the parliamentarians to “come clean” if the bill had as a goal to “promote homosexuality.” She wanted, like so many before her, all references to homophobia, homosexuality, and gay-straight alliances dropped. “Homosexuality is a serious sin. Warning about immoral sexual behaviour shows how much the church cares,” she stated.

The day was over, and I was exhausted. I tried to be as emotionless as possible as I took notes, but it’s difficult when every person sees you as something nefarious. I feel so sorry for the children of these speakers who might not end up fitting the narrow scope of their parent’s world view.

The deadline for ammendments to the bill is 5PM on May 24^th.

On May 28^th, the bill will be debated, clause by clause in Parliament. If it passes come the parliament’s last session before the summer break on June 7^th, it will come into force for September.

Note about the quotes: I was transcribed all I could during the day, but some quotes might be not word-for-word what was said. Please refer to the hansard for the accurate transcription.

The Standing Committee on Social Policy will be in Ottawa on May 22^nd to hold public hearings on Bill 13 and 14. Among the confirmed speakers will be the Catholic Women’s League of Canada and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (“homosexual activists … subvert already weak Catholic sexual teaching in the schools”).

When: 9:00am, Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Where: Ottawa Marriott Hotel on 100 Kent St., Victoria North Ballroom (2nd Floor)

I got in touch to be among the speakers, but I was too late. Nevertheless, I have the following prepared should the opportunity present itself:

To my esteemed parliamentarians and participants here today,

My name is Julien McArdle. Full disclosure: I organized in the spring of last year a petition to lift the ban on Gay-Straight Alliances, or GSAs, in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. I amassed over 700 signatures to this effect. The accompanying Facebook group has over 400 followers.

I’m here today to talk about Bill 13, and more specifically to discuss Gay-Straight Alliances and the clubs like them. I believe it to be the elephant in the room with regards to this bill and the reason why there is such strong opposition from a dedicated minority.

What I propose is simple: listen to the students. I find that they are so easy to forget when we hold these sessions away, both in time and place, from schools.

If you listen to the students, they have already spoken. They did so when they tried to set up Gay-Straight Alliances. Let me remind you that it was not the students who subsequently forbade their establishment.

I must also speak out on the “Respecting Differences” clubs. I would find it a wonderful asset were it not actually utilized as a tool to legitimize the prohibition of genuine support to students. The guidelines for the Respecting Differences group forbid conversations on gender identity. I ask you: how is a group where you can’t even discuss what you’re facing supposed to be of any help? It can not. Imagine how ineffective an anti-racism club would be if its participants were not permitted to talk about issues surrounding race.

On the matter of religious freedom, an argument oft-cited by opponents, I ask this: how is one’s religious freedoms impinged by the existence of a group whose mandate is to foster understanding? It is not.

That some speakers before you have made comparisons to slavery and the residential school abuses in reference to a mere support group attests to the toxicity in the public sphere that makes clubs like GSAs so necessary to the young recipients of this ignorance.

I conclude with a simple message: the beneficiaries of this bill are the students. They have already spoken, they just need for you to listen.

Thank you very much for your time.