All Posts Tagged With: "LGBT"
Canada’s first gay fraternity faces critics
You won’t guess who’s upset
The crest of gay fraternity Delta Lambda Phi
McGill University has a new fraternity and it’s facing criticism from a surprising corner.
On Saturday, Delta Lambda Phi (DLP) became the first Greek society in Canada that markets itself to “gay, bisexual, and progressive men.”
But while the members report no homophobia toward them, they told the Toronto Star that they’ve faced criticism from activist group Queer McGill. Elyse Lewis of Queer McGill says that by reserving itself only for “men and those who identify as men,” the fraternity implies that transgender men aren’t real men.
Continue reading Canada’s first gay fraternity faces critics
California may add gay history to textbooks
Bill passed to require social studies lessons to cover LGBT community
Though schools will have some flexibility in what they choose to teach, textbooks and teaching materials used by California school districts will be required to cover contributions by the LGBT community in California and the U.S. by 2013-2014. For example, teachers might include lessons on politicians such as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay city official in San Fransico’s history. The bill also requires that lesson materials used by schools do not “reflect adversely” on any religions.
Supporters of the bill say the change will help put a stop to bullying of students for being homosexual, by curbing negative stereotypes some students hold on to.
“It is very basic to me that people dislike and fear that with which we are less familiar,” Senator Mark Leno told the New York Times. Leno, who is a Democrat, sponsored the bill and is one of the first openly gay men to be elected to the State Senate.
However, the bill has come up against a considerable amount of opposition. Those against the bill have argued that educating children on same-sex relationships should be a decision for parents to make, not the state. Certain churches and conservative groups have also questioned how schools will reconcile educating students on contributions of the LGBT community while also teaching them about religions that don’t agree with homosexuality.
“How would one responsibly teach concerning a religion that holds a less than favorable view of homosexuality without such instruction, per se, reflecting adversely on that religion?” Robert Evans, pastor of Christ Church in Pleasanton, California asked during a hearing before the Senate Education Committee, according to the Associated Press.
Women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor are already on the list of social and ethnic groups California public schools are required to teach about.
Despite attracting some criticism, it’s predicted that the bill will pass through the largely Democratic Legislature and be approved by Gov. Jerry Brown. If written into law, California will be the first state in the U.S. that mandates for gay history to be taught in its schools.
Canada should be LGBT world leader
Adding gender identity, expression to list of protected groups is a positive step
A Dutch student successfully campaigned to have his diploma replaced by a university after he had sex re-assignment surgery. Initially reluctant, the university at first offered the man — who was a woman when he graduated from the institution — a simple certificate confirming his graduation. The country’s Equal Opportunities Commission ruled in his favour this week, saying he is entitled to a new diploma that properly identifies him.
Back in Canada, a private member’s bill is causing a bit of a different stir. Bill C-389 would add gender identity and gender expression to the list of identifiable groups protected by the Human Rights Act and even the hate provisions of the criminal code.
In a May debate in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Sylvie Boucher argued that making it illegal to express hatred towards transgender, intersex and transsexual people is a violation of free speech.
“We need enough evidence to conclude that there are enough cases of hate propaganda against transgender people,” she said. “Without that evidence, it is difficult to justify amending the Criminal Code and placing additional restrictions on free speech.”
Boucher pointed to recent Human Rights Tribunal decisions, which found that cases of harassment or discrimination brought forward by transsexuals was fully justified because “discriminating against transsexuals is prohibited based on the current ground of sex.”
In other words, Canada already has these protections in place. But this bill wants to make them more explicit — and that’s also justified.
Given the string of suicides among LGBT youth this fall, and given the fervency with which the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is being debated in the U.S., there is still a need to protect people from those who would do them harm.
If that means making sure the appropriate name is on a diploma, then fine. And if it means making sure that the harassment and abuse of transgender, transsexual and intersex people in Canada will not be tolerated, then fine.
Canada has a chance to be a world leader on this. Boucher told the House that no other country has established these kinds of protections. It can get better, and Canada can help lead the way.
Harvard to endow LGBT chair
Visiting professorship will focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies
Harvard University is set to endow a visiting professorship in the study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies, a position it believes will be the first named, endowed chair on
the subject at an American university, according to The New York Times.
The one-semester professorship, made possible by a gift of $1.5 million raised by a network of Harvard alumni, is set to be announced tomorrow as part of the group’s annual commencement dinner.
The post will be named after F.O. Matthiessen. According to Harvard draft press release, Matthiessen was a Harvard scholar and literary critic who “stands out as an unusual example of a gay man who lived his sexuality as an ‘open secret’ in the mid-twentieth century.” The professor leapt to his death from the window of a Boston hotel room in 1950.
“When Harvard says this is a field important enough that we want an endowed professorship in it, it sends a signal to the entire field of higher education that this is an important field of study,” said Kevin Jennings, a Harvard alum who co-chaired the fundraising drive, speaking to a New England newspaper. “Some folks gave $100, and some folks gave $250,000…. This was really a community creation where hundreds of people gave at some level to make it happen.”
While LGBT studies are a relatively new field of study at U.S. universities, Harvard’s move is not the first. City University of New York founded the first program in gay and lesbian studies in 1986, according to Harvard.
