Catholic schools balance gay-straight alliance clubs wh beliefs | Natnal Catholic Reporter

Contents:

• 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' NAME FORC BATE ONTAR
• ALL ABOUT GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC
• GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC: MAKG ONTAR SCHOOLS SAFE AND INCLIVE
• 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC' GET GREEN LIGHT UNR ONTAR BILL
• CATHOLIC SCHOOLS BALANCE GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE CLUBS WH BELIEFS
• STUNTS ULD LL GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE A 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' UNR NEW ONTAR LEGISLATN
• PREMIER FENDS 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
• ANTI-BULLY BILL TO ALLOW GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC
• 'MORE VAL NOW:' GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC GO VIRTUAL DURG RONAVIS PANMIC
• ANTI-BULLYG BILL PASS, CLEARG WAY FOR GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC ONTAR SCHOOLS
• CATHOLIC TEACHERS SUPPORT ONTAR’S GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE IATIVE

'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' NAME FORC BATE ONTAR

Participatg stunts may intify as two-spir, lbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, qutng, tersex, asexual, pansexual, nonbary (2SLGBTQ+) and many other inti. Prevly referred to as Gay-Straight Allianc, now the acronym “GSA” more equently stands for “Genr and Sexualy Alliance” to reflect the full spectm of sexual and romantic orientatns, and to explicly clu trans and genr diverse muny members.

Many GSAs functn as support groups that provi safety and nfintialy for stunts qutng their inty or stgglg wh homophobia and/or transphobia. Some also te themselv and the broar school muny about sexual orientatn, sexual inty, genr inty, genr exprsn and create awarens about the effects of and how to challenge sexist stereotyp, homophobia and transphobia.

Many straight, cisgenr youth are volved bee they regnize that endg homophobia and transphobia are important civil rights and human rights issu. This clus homophobia and transphobia, but n also clu racism, sexism, ableism, relig discrimatn, and more. Homophobic and transphobic harassment and vlence are very mon schools and among teenagers.

ALL ABOUT GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC

While addrsg transphobia and homophobia is the rponsibily of all TDSB employe, GSAs that nduct stunt and teacher sensivy trags typilly see a crease slurs, name-llg, and harassment followg their advocy efforts. Even other stunts (not the GSA) will be drawn to the school-wi discsn of homophobic and transphobic cints and attus.

In the past, homophobic admistrators Ontar have told stunts they nnot ll their group a Gay-Straight Alliance. The Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH) champns the health of 2SGBTQ+ men Ontar.

Ontar policians are batg legislatn on bullyg schools, while the provce's Catholic bishops object to g the name "gay-straight alliance.

GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC: MAKG ONTAR SCHOOLS SAFE AND INCLIVE

What they object to is that Bill 13, the acceptg schools act, giv "particular emphasis" to "LGBTTIQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenred, transsexual, two-spired, tersexed, queer and qutng) people. " They also oppose a particular clse that would enable stunts to ll anti-bullyg groups they form at school a "gay-straight alliance. Protters outsi a high school Flour Bluff, Texas, on March 4, 2011, support a senr at the school, after she was nied permissn to start a gay-straight alliance club.

'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC' GET GREEN LIGHT UNR ONTAR BILL

A 2011 study fund by Egale Canada Human Rights Tst, a gay rights advocy group, found that "20. Stunts support GSAsThere is also strong support for gay-straight allianc om stunts both public and Catholic schools a 2011 survey of over 7, 000 stunts for the Ontar Stunt Tste' Associatn, 88 per cent agreed, "that a stunt wantg to tablish a Gay Straight Alliance club their school should be allowed to do so.

Found bullyg of sexual mory stunts is ls mon schools that have an anti-homophobia policy and/or have a gay-straight a May 28 terview wh CBC Rad's Matt Galloway, Ontar Edutn Mister Lrel Broten fend her new amendments. "To many of our stunts, we know that the term gay-straight alliance has great meang and that words matter and that if you n't name somethg, you n't addrs , " she Squire, chair of the London District Catholic School Board, told CBC Rad's Wei Chen that "no stunt has e forward and said they want a gay-straight alliance.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS BALANCE GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE CLUBS WH BELIEFS

'We are all sners'Thomas Cardal Colls, archbishop of Toronto, oppos an Ontar ernment bill that would allow stunts any school to form groups lled gay-straight allianc. (Alsandro Bianchi/Rters)The Toronto archbishop views GSAs as "a particular method of addrsg one form of bullyg, and providg personal support" and a mol closely related to the gay his May 28 prs nference, Colls asked, "Why are Catholics and Catholic schools not ee to atta the same goal, of love and rpect for everybody, not allowed to atta the same goals their own different ways?

"She poted to the example of Newfoundland and Labrador, which she se as "way ahead" of Ontar and the rt of Canada alg specifilly wh anti-gay bullyg.

STUNTS ULD LL GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE A 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' UNR NEW ONTAR LEGISLATN

What is a Gay-Straight Alliance? Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs are stunt groups that une youth who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, two-spir, and all other non-normative genr and sexual inti, such as non-bary (LGBTQ2+). Gay Straight Alliance For Safe Schools (GSAFE).

PREMIER FENDS 'GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE' CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Gay-straight allianc (GSAs) have bee wispread Ontar schools and, startg 2012, all schools are required to perm stunts to form GSAs. This study, based on a survey of 30 tors workg wh GSAs, suggts that policy chang Ontar have had a posive impact on school climate for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ) stunts, and that GSAs ntribute to the velopment of safer and more clive schools.

From Gay-Straight Alliance to Genrs & Sexuali Alliance, check out our prs release on why we changed our name. TorontoStunts would be able to ll anti-homophobic clubs "gay-straight allianc" unr chang to proposed legislatn that prevly allowed prcipals to veto the name, Ontar's Edutn Mister Lrel Broten announced Friday. Stunts would be able to ll anti-homophobic clubs "gay-straight allianc" unr chang to proposed legislatn that prevly allowed prcipals to veto the name, Ontar's Edutn Mister Lrel Broten announced change the Liberal ernment's new anti-bullyg bill — the Acceptg Schools Act — is part of a ernment iative to create a "safe and acceptg climate" schools, cludg Catholic schools.

ANTI-BULLY BILL TO ALLOW GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC

"Schools need to be safe plac for kids to be themselv, and for some kids, that means beg able to name a club a gay-straight alliance, " Broten said. "It specifilly mak reference to lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenred, transsexual, two-spired, tersexed, queer and qutng crics argue the bill is an afont to their fay, Broten said she hoped the opposn parti would support the bill, cludg the namg provisn, and exprsed appreciatn for the backg offered by the Ontar English Catholic Teachers tak credThe provce's New Democrats were quick to take cred for the "posive" amendments to the bill, sayg the party has been phg the mory Liberals for explic protectns for stunts who want to start groups aimed at batg homophobia.

Whether named Gay-Straight Alliance, Inclivy Club, or somethg else, Catholic schools Ontar now allow lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) acceptance stunt groups bee they have to, but many districts are proactively supportg gay-straight allianc, and many stunts fd their school to be a much more empathetic place. "A lot of people do get the imprsn of oh, gay club, and they're like, oh I n't go bee I'm not gay. And 's like, well, no, that's the reason 's 'gay-straight alliance, ' " said Katie Butler, a 12th gra stunt at St.

'MORE VAL NOW:' GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC GO VIRTUAL DURG RONAVIS PANMIC

It's been five years sce the provce of Ontar implemented the Acceptg Schools Act, or Bill 13, which requir all public schools, secular or Catholic, to allow stunts to name their clubs "gay-straight alliance. Butler said her high school lnched s gay-straight alliance soon after the bill was implemented 2012. The gay-straight alliance self has grown, but also the knowledge of what is and what means.

At first, she said two stunt lears hosted prentatns at the gay-straight alliance's biweekly meetgs, but now many stunts are volved anizg meetg them: whether learng history of the LGBT movement or discsg the LGBT climate different muni Europe, North Ameri and the velopg world. Anne's gay-straight alliance's lead teacher, Vice Prcipal Arlene Davis — or on the Wdsor-Essex Catholic school board admistrators.

It discs bullyg regard to genr inty and sexual orientatn, but never the words, "gay" or "straight.

ANTI-BULLYG BILL PASS, CLEARG WAY FOR GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC ONTAR SCHOOLS

Some high schools his district have ed "gay-straight alliance, " but others choose not to — one ed their school mast, a rdal, the tle of their anti-bullyg club.

Of the 32 high schools the Toronto Catholic School District, some may have gay-straight allianc, but others ll them "clivy clubs" or may have other nam, acrdg to Nick D'Avella, supertennt of stunt succs.

Communitns officer Carlee Vendram told NCR via email that each of their four sendary schools have gay-straight allianc and diversy groups, supportg "a variety of stunts. Before Bill 13, Djards-Koloff said schools the Wdsor-Essex Catholic District may have had social jtice clubs, or took notice of at-risk LGBT stunts, but immediately after the bill passed, she received a letter om a stunt formally requtg a gay-straight alliance.

CATHOLIC TEACHERS SUPPORT ONTAR’S GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE IATIVE

Wh s fal school creatg a gay-straight alliance this past school year, all eight sendary schools the district now have them. Callg the transn to gay-straight alliance-labeled clubs "un-navigated terrory, " Djards-Koloff said asi om a teacher's llege urse, many heterosexual Catholics see this as "a long journey, a huge shift of perspective bee we're all challenged by gettg past our own unnsc bias.

The wir Wdsor pri muny troduced Djards-Koloff to opportuni to support stunts, cludg trips and scholarships to OUTShe, a natnal stunt gay-straight alliance summ. Blendg gay-straight alliance wh Catholic ethos. Djards-Koloff unrstands that some members of the muny may fear that a gay-straight alliance would "value the tradnal sense of a fay, " but she is quick to pot to the nvergence of a gay-straight alliance and Catholic ethos.