Oh My Gay

The following is a letter I wrote to the Ontario Ministry of Education regarding what teachers are permitted to address regarding anything LGBTQ related. 

To whom it concerns, 

I have some questions surrounding some of the statements made by the minister of education and deputy premier regarding sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The deputy premier had stated that if students have questions pertaining to anything LGBT related (or rather anything not included in the 1998 version of the sex-ed curriculum, which means anything LGBTQ related) that a teacher would need to address those questions in private. Does this mean that teachers will no longer be permitted to be part of school GSAs (gay straight alliances)?

I also have questions around what students will be permitted to talk about in class. For instance, students who have same-sex parents; are they allowed to talk about their family in the class room? Will those in kindergarten have to refrain from drawing pictures of their parents and family because they depict LGBT people? If they are allowed to do those things how should a teacher react when other students question why that particular student has drawn two moms or two dads? Should they ignore the question(s)? Or should they say they would have to answer those questions in private after class? If the student who drew the picture(s) is being bullied by other kids because they have drawn two moms or two dads how should a teacher handle that situation considering they are not allowed to talk about same-sex couples? 

Regarding more on the topic of bullying: If a student is being bullied because of their gender identity/expression or because of their sexual orientation are teachers allowed to address this? How do they address it without passing judgement one way or the other? Stopping the bullying would be tantamount to saying it’s not right to discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation, which would not be permitted according to the statements given by the minister and deputy premier that anything LGBT related can only be addressed in private and only if a student has specifically asked a question regarding it?