Thank you to all supporters of this petition so far.  Many people are grateful for each and every one of you taking the time to engage.

At the October 30th meeting, the Archdiocese presented a "Catholic" recommendation to exclude all protected terms within the code of conduct and supporting documents, replacing them with: “That all members of the TCDSB community shall respect and treat others fairly, as children of God, created in the image and likeness of God, of infinite dignity and worth.”

Despite this petition, hearing youth's pleas, and learning that they would loose over a million dollars in funding for children's programs through The Angel Foundation if human Rights Laws are not followed, the motion to move forward with this recommendation in place of legally protected grounds was passed by the Catholic Education and Living Our Catholic Values Sub-committee members; Trustees Nancy Crawford, Mike Del Grande, Teresa Lubinski and Gerry Tanuan who voted 4-1 against Trustee Maria Rizzo, who was later interviewed by Metro Morning to share her opinion of the outcome.

This meeting also further elevated anti-LGBT+ extremists, who were in attendance and given a seat at the table. Some delivering uncomfortable episodes of uninformed and hate filled language about the LGBT+ community, revealing a rigid motive of complete exclusion, in contrast to the more inclusive play on words offered by the Archdiocese.

Ontario’s Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, later weighed in stating “My message to the board is quite clear,” and “My expectation is every child, irrespective of their differences, can see themselves reflected in schools, and, more important, that they will adhere to the Ontario Human Rights Code.”

Everyone, including our LGBT+ youth, staff and their families have the right to be free from harassment, discrimination and violence; be treated fairly and with dignity; and be included in a positive and respectful manner within our schools. It is particularly crucial to be intentional about these protections in today’s climate, where it very well could be a matter of life and death. 47% of Canadian parents report having a child who is a victim of bullying.

This motion goes next to the Student Achievement Committee meeting on November 7th (which consists of all 12 trustees). If it is voted on then & there, that committee's recommendation would go to the next full board meeting for a decision.

Please extend your support by sharing this petition, speaking out, contacting the Trustees and other members of leadership. Encourage them to choose love and inclusion over fear and rejection, and to challenge anyone who continues to display prejudice towards these dimensions.

You can also plan to attend the public meeting on November 7th, 2019, at 7:00 PM, 80 Sheppard Ave. E., even delegate and speak at the meeting. We need to stand in solidarity to reject the discriminatory attitudes and behaviours that degrade our public discourse.