METRO VANCOUVER — Parents are planning a rally Tuesday evening to protest a policy drafted by the Burnaby school district to combat discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.
While agreeing there are serious issues to be addressed, many parents say they are angry at school trustees for not consulting them while the policy was being developed and not providing sufficient information about what lessons their students will be taught about homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism if the policy is approved.
“(There) appears to be a lack of transparency,” said James Gray, whose children are in Grades 4 and 6. “Many if not most of the parents that I’ve talked with feel that they’ve been blindsided by this process.” Although the policy was two years in the making, many parents didn’t find out about it until last month.
Gray said he was appalled to learn recently that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are 16 times more likely to commit suicide than straight students and that “unacceptable” plight requires swift action. But solutions must be found by adults in the community and not through the “sexualization” of schools, especially K-7 schools, he added.
“I have two young children in the school system and I don’t want any adult to look at them in a sexual way. Whether or not my daughter is heterosexual or a lesbian is none of their business.”
Board chairman Larry Hayes admitted the district could have made a greater effort to involve parents while the policy was being developed and said the deadline for public comment has been extended to compensate. But he said he’s heard “loud and clear” from students and staff that the homophobia/heterosexism policy is necessary.
“(It’s) all part of creating a safe, caring and respectful environment for all of our students,” he stated in an interview Monday.
More than a dozen B.C. school districts already have similar policies, and Hayes said he expects others will follow suit, given court cases signalling that schools must be proactive in protecting students from discrimination, not reactive.
In recent days, the board has received many emails – pro and con – and expects to hear from six delegations at Tuesday’s board meeting. Parents packed a similar meeting late last month, with most expressing opposition to the policy.
Hayes suggested some of the pushback has been organized by church congregations, including members of the large Willingdon Church, where half the congregation is ethnic Asian. Some of that was based on a belief that the policy would result in major changes to curriculum, and that’s not the case, he added.
The B.C. Muslim Association argues that laws already exist to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students – along with ethnic and religious minorities – from harassment and discrimination. Schools aren’t required to educate students about various religions and nor should they be expected to teach about sexual practises, the group says in a news release.
“We feel that receiving education about the details of this lifestyle should be left up to the individual choice of students and parents, just as gender identities and sexual orientations themselves are matters of personal choice,” it states.
Daud Ismail, past-president of the association, said the board needs to develop policy that respects the rights of everyone, not a single group. “We have no problem with the rights for the homosexual community,” he stated in an interview, but school district policy should be based on community consensus.
Asked what he would change about the proposed policy, Ismail said it’s difficult to make suggestions because the wording is vague and the district has not released any teaching materials that might accompany the policy.
For example, in discussing student programs, the policy says: “Teachers shall be encouraged to embed and integrate LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit and queer) issues into existing curriculum in age-appropriate ways to help students acquire the skills and knowledge to understand the impacts of homophobia and transphobia upon society.”
Gray said a parent might interpret that differently than an activist teacher.
The policy also decries heterosexism, which it says is the mistaken belief that all people are heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior and the norm. “Heterosexism perpetuates negative stereotypes and is dangerous to individuals and communities,” it says.
A poster announcing tonight’s rally suggests that is bullying for children from families with traditional views about family, marriage and sex.
Trustees are expected to vote on the policy next month and while they’re open to hearing other views, they are unlikely to start the process again, Hayes said. “We’re elected to do the right thing and I think we’re doing the right thing."
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