We are moving backwards in our acknowledgement and protection of the queer community and their rights. Gender and pronouns should be determined by individuals and not their parents, children should not be put in danger because of their gender identity, and the discrimination in our school systems must be stopped.
Acceptance is one of the main ideas promoted by schools. Schools should not be excluding some individuals from their general ideas of acceptance and respect. Disrespecting trans youths’ gender pronouns causes marginalization which can lead to depression and anxiety. Accepting others’ differences is key to learning in a healthy school environment. When correct names and pronouns are used, statistics show that suicide risk goes down while trust and feelings of belonging increase which is essential to a learning community.
When we think of schools, we think of a place that is meant to be safe so why are teachers being required to out students just to use their correct pronouns when this can put them in danger? Originally policy 713 was drafted in 2020 for the protection and privacy of queer students in New Brunswick. However, recently, in the summer of 2023 the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development changed it to prevent many transgender youth from using their preferred pronouns in school without parental consent (section 6.3.2). Moe Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, argues that their similar gender pronoun policy is inclusive because it involves parents in their child’s education. However, he does not seem to understand that their new policy can put children in danger. 25 to 40% of the homeless population is part of the LGBTQ+ community. This statistic is often due to parents kicking their kids out after learning about their queer identities. Outing children has real world consequences for their safety with 20% of Canadians saying that the queer community should not be accepted in every day society while 68% of queer teens saying they have experienced rejection after coming out to their families. Evidently requiring parental permission for pronouns can put children at risk.
The provincial advocate in New Brunswick states that the revamping of policy 713 discriminates against children under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This new update to policy 713 is a blatant example of discrimination, which is in direct violation of several provinces’ human rights codes. Education Minister Bill Hogan has said it would be OK for a teacher to call a student by a nickname, but not by a name that was motivated by a student’s questioning of their gender which is another great example of the discrimination happening in our school system. The timing of the policy changes coming in the summertime did not allow for many objections as it was not during the school year.
In conclusion, these new policies will put many children in danger and most definitely make their lives more difficult. They may also come to be the root of a rise in mental health issues in youth, including depression and increasing the risk of suicide. Already 82% of trans teens admit to experiencing thoughts of suicide. We must ensure acceptance for all children, acknowledge the safety risks these policies create, and eradicate the discrimination in our school systems.
Bibliography
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-07/the-global-map-of-homophobia
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/gender-identity-policy-713-pronouns-school-1.6954807
https://ccla.org/major-cases-and-reports/policy-713/#:~:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/moe-pronoun-policy-1.6973346
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/blog/2022/2slgbtqia-housing-needs-challenges
https://lesley.edu/article/the-cost-of-coming-out-lgbt-youth-homelessness