Every teachers’ collective agreement in this province contains antidiscrimination language that speaks to this issue. Patti Bacchus, the school board chair in Vancouver, wrote a great Letter to the Editor in the BCTF Teacher Newsmagzine a couple months ago. In it she said,

“I want to thank David Butler (“Coming out in elementary school,” Teacher, May/June 2009) for sharing his story not only with Teacher readers, but most importantly, with his students and school community.

That it was a difficult and anxiety-provoking step for Butler tells me we still have much work to do to make all students, staff, and families feel welcomed, safe, and appreciated in our schools for who they are.

By taking the courageous steps he did to tell his students and colleagues about who he is, Butler has contributed significantly to that work.

I am pleased to read that he found support among his school administrators and colleagues—as he absolutely should.

It is my hope that no one feels they need to check their identity at the door when they attend or work in a Vancouver school. We should all be able to feel proud of who we are and we must send the same clear message to our students, so they too can take pride in themselves and their families.

Butler has given his students a valuable gift and I believe he will continue to do so through his teaching career and it is my sincere hope that he is wrong in predicting that some students “will still grow up to be homophobic.” It’s our responsibility to make sure that isn’t the case. Thank you David Butler.

Patti Bacchus, Vancouver Board of Education”

You’ll find her letter on-line here: http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=19530

the Vancouver School Board has a stand-alone LGBTTQ policy, which can be found here: http://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-policy/acb-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-transsexual-two-spirit-questioning

The BC Human Rights Code also protects you, along with a whole bunch of court decisions on this topic.

So, between the Collective Agreement and various other things, you’re on solid ground.

If you want some more information, feel free to email me at glen@vesta.ca

Glen Hansman
Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association

You did NOTHING wrong. Calling a student on their use of homophobic language is completely appropriate. If you had done nothing it would have allowed the homophobia on the school ground to continue.

Students need positive role model who self identify as queer too. Not all their teachers are straight and they deserve to know this. Your faculty advisor is pretty insensitive to make those comments. Would he/she be telling you to hide your beliefs about EQUALITY if you had “come out” as a person with a disability if you heard a student use a slur against someone based upon their physical or mental abilities?

All this being said, you are in a situation where there is a power imbalance (as a student teacher) within your practicum. I’ve been a faculty associate before. I KNOW that some FAs are not very knowledgeable on queer issues. Some are excellent, but far too many are uncomfortable and don’t dicuss these issues with their modules of student teachers at all.

If you are wanting support contact Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC (GALE-BC) http://www.galebc.org and someone can provide you with advice on how to proceed. It can be done confidentially. They can give you some tips on how to stay true to your identity and successfully make it through your practicum in one piece.

cheers,
James

It makes it real for the kids. Queer people are real. And here is one… MY TEACHER. He will not likely forget that . Making schools safe spaces is priority number one. And whenever you challenge homophobia (especially effectively as you did) you make the school safer for all kids- not just the LGBTQ one but those who are also PERCEIVED as being queer (they are the majority of those who are gender bullied).

Hope you contact M. to get my contact info. Or contact my Masters advisor (C.R.). She’s got it.