While Last Month’s protests were enough to send Premier Dalton McGuinty’s sex ed. curriculum back to the drawing board, a William Lyon MacKenzie Collegiate Institute group is fighting hard to have greater sexual and gender tolerance in schools.
The Rainbow Club, which has 12 members, supports the school’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ) community. Last month, 600 school students participated in the national Day of Silence, protesting the silencing of those who live alternative lifestyles. Openly gay teacher Alvin McIntyre founded the club in 2007 and said every year events get bigger.
Next month is the first official Pride Week at the school. Members are also currently filming a video on the homosexual and transgendered community that they hope other schools can use as an educational tool. However, while teachers at the school wear rainbow pins, there are still instances of homophobia.
Last fall, some students decorated the halls with stickers portraying two males holding hands with a slash across the image. Outside the school, there is less awareness of the club’s mission. Out of nearly 600 schools in the Toronto District School Board, only 20 have clubs that address gender and sexuality issues.
But the Ontario educational system is making strides to create a more tolerant school atmosphere. A few months ago Bill 157 (Keeping Our Kids Safe at School) came into effect, requiring all school staff to support students if they wish to start a LGBTQ club. As for McGuinty’s contested curriculum — which includes learning about same-sex relationships in Grade 3 — Kim Martyn, sexual health educator for the Toronto District School Board, said the point was to offer more inclusion in the schools.
That has been the mission of the Rainbow Club since day one. “I would run the club even if no students came back,” said McIntyre. “Just the fact it’s in the school helps.”
