After the devastating disappointment of the Senate's treatment of Bill C-279 this week, when they not only refused to add 'gender identity' to human rights law, but added an amendment to prohibit trans people from using gendered washrooms, I thought I would share a bit of better news.
Ontario has passed the Accepting Schools Act. Its recitals say that students cannot learn if they do not feel safe, and that "a whole-school approach is required and everyone - government, educators, school staff, parents, students and the wider community - has a role to play in creating a positive school climate and preventing inapproriate behaviour, such as bullying, sexual assault, gender-based violence and incidents based on homophobia, transphobia or biphobia". (I don't know why they left out racism and ablism)
It requires schools to set up policies to address those issues, and to set up disciplinary procedures to deal with offenders. It supports the establishment of groups like GSAs. And it say schools have to report annually about incidents they have dealt with, to the Mnistry of Education. Here is a great resource page.
Thanks to Cindy Holmes for passing this on to me.
This is not a new piece of legislation (2012) but it can serve as a starting point for BC initiatives. I would want a BC law to include other forms of student un-safety, like racism, or having a first language other than English; and I would want it specifically to address the accommodation of trans students.
Ontario has passed the Accepting Schools Act. Its recitals say that students cannot learn if they do not feel safe, and that "a whole-school approach is required and everyone - government, educators, school staff, parents, students and the wider community - has a role to play in creating a positive school climate and preventing inapproriate behaviour, such as bullying, sexual assault, gender-based violence and incidents based on homophobia, transphobia or biphobia". (I don't know why they left out racism and ablism)
It requires schools to set up policies to address those issues, and to set up disciplinary procedures to deal with offenders. It supports the establishment of groups like GSAs. And it say schools have to report annually about incidents they have dealt with, to the Mnistry of Education. Here is a great resource page.
Thanks to Cindy Holmes for passing this on to me.
This is not a new piece of legislation (2012) but it can serve as a starting point for BC initiatives. I would want a BC law to include other forms of student un-safety, like racism, or having a first language other than English; and I would want it specifically to address the accommodation of trans students.
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