June 29, 2011
Take Back the Night call for Submissions
We are now accepting submissions for the 2011 Take Back the Night zine!
We are happy to accept any submissions addressing violence against women. Email your submissions to publiced@sace.ab.ca, or download the PDF call for submissions for more information.
June 28, 2011
New Policy for Safer Schools
The Edmonton Public School Board has drafted a new policy regarding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. It was drafted to address the disproportionate amount of bullying, harassment, discrimination, violence and high rate of suicide that students, staff and family members, who identify or are perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, queer or questioning their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, experience at Edmonton Public Schools. The School Board has already voted to implement the policy and recently opened up a discussion for the public to look over its wording and provide feedback.
When I looked at the policy outline, I had no problem with the wording. I feel like the authors are making a commendable effort to protect everyone whose chosen or presumed sexual and/or gender identity and/or expression unjustifiably renders them targets for abuse.
The recent news coverage of this policy has focused on its opposition by representatives from religious programs that operate under the jurisdiction and authority of the Edmonton Public School Board. One group posted an alert on their website to parents, which warns this policy would have a “significant, negative impact on our Logos Christian Alternative Program” (quoted from website). Their main issue is with points in the policy that state all gender and sexual identities shall be affirmed in the school environment. In their school programs they do not want to feel obligated to affirm, in their words, homosexuality. Rather, they want their teachers and principals to have the right to teach that the “homosexual lifestyle is not in accord with their Christian beliefs” (quoted from website).
The Edmonton Public School Board and the Logos Christian program are in an ideological struggle; an ideology affirming that all sexualities and genders are valued is conflicting with an ideology stating homosexuality is wrong. The truth is, this struggle is much bigger than the Edmonton Public School Board policy and will continue long after people forget about this particular issue.
Still, let us focus on the Logos Christian Program representatives’ worry that their teachers would be forced to affirm homosexuality in their classroom.
To be honest, they don’t need to worry. Any opportunity for students and teachers to talk about and explore the values in these sexual and gender identities and expressions is already restricted because of much more powerful legislation. The government of Alberta determines the curriculum teachers are required to teach in their classrooms. Nowhere in that curriculum is a lesson plan ready to be created that focuses on the affirmation of diverse sexual and gender identities and expressions. Plus, the Alberta government’s legislation, Bill 44, dictates that if teachers want to plan lessons on sex, religion or sexual orientation, they must give parents written notice. The parents have the right to withdraw their children from those classes if they wish. Thus, despite the Edmonton Public School Board’s new policy, a teacher has no obligation to talk about “homosexuality,” and if they choose to create a lesson plan about minority sexualities, they are still going to have to respect parents’ decisions to remove their children from these classes. Contrary to their worries, this new policy will not force teachers to affirm homosexuality in their lesson plans and students to hear this message. However, it will require that in their day-to-day engagement with students, parents and teachers they show respect to everyone, even those with non-mainstream sexualities and genders.
Thinking about Bill 44, I have to wonder – Do the teachers in the Logos program have to send out a notice to parents each time they wish to teach their students that homosexuality is a sin? That lesson involves both sexual orientation and religion.
Bottom line – I believe the Edmonton Public School Board’s new policy is making a positive step towards less violence and more well-being for individuals in my community. To me, that’s always a worthy goal.
By Meagan Simon
References:
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton 