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Gay-straight alliances in schools

Students are trying to make classrooms safer. Why on earth are schools stopping them?

By
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Originally published in Today's Parent September 2011

I have a very clear memory of the moment I learned that my son’s high school had a gay-straight alliance (GSA), a club dedicated to helping gay and lesbian kids feel safe and accepted. Back then, I had no inkling one of my sons would turn out to be gay, but I immediately thought of another boy I knew who I felt pretty sure was (he came out about six months later). I remember thinking, “Am I ever glad Chris [not his real name] is going to this school.” I’d heard stories of gay kids who’d been mistreated, suffered mental health problems and even committed suicide because of the rough ride they had in high school. A recent US study found that one in five gay and lesbian high school students reported attempting suicide in the previous year — five times more than straight students.

So I was troubled to hear about schools and school boards that do not support students who want to start GSAs.

In November 2010, the Halton Catholic District School Board near Toronto) banned GSAs. Controversy erupted in January, and the school board chair commented that students are not allowed to form “Nazi groups” either. (She later apologized; the ban was rescinded, but the board’s current policy on GSAs is vague.) Then, last spring, students at St. Joseph’s Secondary School, in a neighbouring Catholic school board, tried to launch a GSA and were thwarted by their principal who told them they could have a group to discuss various equity issues. Later, the school allowed a group that focused on homophobia, but without the words “gay” or “lesbian” in the name.

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