A new tool to help eradicate homophobia in schools

May 17, 2016

OTTAWA – On this International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) is proud to release a new resource guide entitled Sexual and Gender Minorities in Canadian Education and Society 1969-2013 – A National Handbook for K-12 Educators.

“Canadian society has made steady progress towards the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs),” says CTF President Heather Smith. “Throughout Canada, educators have played an important role in this advancement. As the collective voice for Canadian teachers, we are committed to advocating for SGM teachers’ rights and to promoting equity and diversity in the classroom.”

This unique resource, which results from years of research by Drs. André P. Grace and Kristopher Wells, gives a detailed picture of where things stand for SGMs and lists many helpful resources for educators. The Handbook allows for a better understanding of the challenges facing SGMs and Canadian society in general, while promoting equity and diversity in education.

“In Canada today, much attention is focused on schools as primary sites in ongoing efforts to ensure that SGM children and youth enjoy the rights and freedoms associated with full citizenship, as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” states one of the two authors Dr. André P. Grace. For his part, Dr. Kristopher Wells adds: “There is also an increased focus on the rights of LGBTQ teachers in schools as their workplaces. Importantly, schools compose a collective and vibrant frontier where there are increased efforts to address the inclusion of students across sexual and gender differences in curriculum, instruction, extracurricular activities, and school culture.”

The handbook is now available from CTF’s e-catalogue: http://publications.ctf-fce.ca/en/.

Founded in 1920, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation is a national alliance of provincial and territorial teacher organizations that represent over 200,000 elementary and secondary school teachers across Canada. CTF is also a member of Education International.@@CanTeachersFed

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Spokesperson:

Heather Smith, CTF President

Contact:

Francine Filion, CTF Communications Director,
Office: 613-688-4314, or cell: 613-899-4247
ffili@ctf-fce.ca