Belleville group hopes for gay-straight alliances in all Ontario schools

By Tyson Leonard

A Belleville group for queer youth hopes opposition from the Catholic Church wont affect the province’s proposed legislation to make gay-straight alliances available in all schools.

The province introduced legislation last November aimed at fighting bullying in schools. One of the clauses would change the Education Act to make it illegal for any publicly funded schools to deny the students from forming a gay-straight alliance group.

“Queer students feel damaged and fearful without any support,” said Eric Hargreaves, a facilitator at S.A.Y Outloud! in Belleville.

S.A.Y Outloud! is a group for queer and questioning youth wanting to connect with each other and seek support. The group holds weekly meetings open to anyone.

Not everyone is on board with the legislation. Both the Ontario Catholic School Board Trustees Association and Cardinal Thomas Collins, president of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, have spoken out against the legislation.

Opponents of the legislation are against naming support groups gay-straight alliances. Collins said Catholic schools should be able to determine their own methods of fighting bullying that don’t go against Catholic teachings.

Using the word gay is helpful. Gay is a power word and it needs to be visible for students to really feel accepted, said Hargreaves.

“If you want to enforce your beliefs then don’t take public money,” said Hargreaves.

In Belleville, all Catholic schools are under the jurisdiction of the Algonquin and Lakeshore District School Board.

“All the discussions are at the provincial level and until the legislation is passed it’s all just speculation, so we are going to wait until the day the legislation actually passes and we have time to digest it, then we can talk,” said Mike Weaver, communications officer for the Algonquin and Lakeshore District School Board.

The legislation is currently under consideration by the standing committee on social policy. It has already passed its second reading and is expected to be voted on before June 7.

Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville has programs and initiatives available to help students who are suffering, said the school’s principal Karen Shannon.

“Our students and staff have regular forums to discuss inclusive strategies to ensure there isn’t anyone in our school community who is suffering in isolation for any reason,” said Shannon.

Neither Nicholson Catholic College nor St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School in Belleville have any gay-straight alliance groups.