Board says no to so
"We commend any initiatives and efforts to reduce bullying," said Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board chair Pat Daly. "But would we have clubs in our schools called 'gay straight alliances?' No."
Daly's comments come just weeks after the province introduced new legislation that will compel school boards to take a harder line on bullying. The legislation will also require boards to support student led activities that Cheap Louis Vuitton Bags Uk promote respect for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including gay straight alliances or similarly named groups.
Despite its opposition to the term "gay straight alliance," Daly said his board supports the proposed changes and is committed to reaching out to gay students through dialogue with chaplains, guidance counsellors and staff. It will also back gay students who want to assemble under the broader banner of antibullying awareness groups.
"Saying that, any club or curriculum that takes place within our schools has to be in keeping with the teachings of our faith," Daly said. "That's essential for us."
The Catholic Church's general teaching is that while being a homosexual isn't sinful, acting on it is.
Although Bill 13 tabled Nov. 30 and going through second reading doesn't speak to what the clubs are called, Minister of Education Laurel Broten insists they be "issue specific." That means boards won't be able to lump them into broader "equity" groups, as some Catholic schools have done.
In an interview with The Spectator, she said there is an expectation that schools will facilitate groups that allow students to discuss topics that promote awareness and understanding of issues specific to sexual orientation.
Moreover, Broten said, students should be involved in naming the groups. She expects there will be a range of names for gay straight alliances coming out of both the Catholic and public school systems, "but let me tell you, it will be absolutely clear what that group is about."
For local activist Deirdre Pike, the Catholic board's stance signals a "continued ignorance around the urgency of this issue."
"The message is we still don't truly acknowledge that you exist or that you need support," she said. "This kind of move just reinforces isolation and that is the key concern of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) youth."
Though Pike called the proposed legislation a "success in this province," she also noted the province's use of the term gay straight alliance is "very narrow," saying she'd prefer the groups be LGTBQ identified.
While the Catholic board's stance has drawn criticism, it isn't alone in its tack. Last spring, a Mississauga high school cracked down on a student who tried to form a LGBTQ club. Officials at St. Joseph eventually relented, as long as it didn't reference "gay straight alliance," rainbows or anything related to LGBTQ or questioning in the name.
Halton's Catholic school board, too, came under fire in early 2011, when the media found out it had quietly passed a blanket ban on gay straight alliances. Trustees later overturned the controversial policy, yet students are still not permitted to assemble under the banner of "gay straight alliance."
In December, meanwhile, the head of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association said the term "gay straight alliance" has become controversial and is "associated with the homosexual act."
"We want to avoid the controversy and get on with setting up groups to support these kids who sometimes get bullied so badly, they see no option but to commit suicide," said OCSTA president Nancy Kirby. Contacted late last week, the OCSTA said its position to support the formation of gay straight alliance groups under alternate names stands.
The decision by Hamilton's Catholic board doesn't surprise Mitch Burke, though he says it is disappointing. As an openly gay student at Bishop Tonnos, the 16 year old has endured his share of bullying. In particular, it's the homophobic slurs shouts of "fag" hurled in the hallways of the Ancaster high school that have left the deepest impression.
Burke says the verbal attacks have let up since he came Gucci Trainers out about his sexuality a year ago. But he's far from the only target.
"Anybody who people identify as a closet gay or someone who they think is gay, they will pick on you," he explains.
He said the creation of gay straight alliance groups would help combat bullying, but identifying them as such is important.
"The objective of the gay straight alliance was to make people comfortable talking about themselves, coming to terms with themselves," he said.
Both the Hamilton public school board and the province's Catholic teachers union said they're open to students forming gay straight alliances under any banner.
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