How might we begin to address the ways in which the systems that we teach our curriculum in are intrinsically homophobic, transphobic, biphobic and oppressive towards queer and trans people?

Within the “Deepening the Discussion” document, there is a whole list of things that an educator can do to address these issues, including: putting a focus on issues and not opinions, ask students to put themselves in the other person’s shoes rather than looking at it from their own perspective; if students state opinions ask them to back it up with evidence; honour students’ preferred pronouns and name and allow them to express their identity with appropriate (meaning modest/school appropriate) clothing; avoid putting students in gendered situations; provide time for journaling before discussing the issue to organize their thoughts. It would also be beneficial to students in the school if an Alliance group were formed. This document should be used by all teachers as it talks about ways to come about gender/sexuality in all subjects and grades, going into great detail in English.

It also goes on to mention that personally as a teacher we must avoid making assumptions, choose a resources that show a variety of perspectives, use gender inclusive language, and deal with homophobic jokes as they occur**.

**During my examination of the Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum, I found it important to note that it explicitly states dealing with racist comments as they occur, but nothing mentioning homophobic comments.

In the climate survey, students reported that they needed teachers to also support their safety and wellbeing in the schools rather than focusing on making everything gender diverse (ex. washrooms). While doing those things are positive, they will not be put to use if our 2SLGBTQIA+ students are skipping school out of fear for their safety.

In conclusion, I think it comes down to educating our teachers about the issues faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ students in our schools, as well as providing them with some of the many resources out there that provide us with strategies to help us integrate these topics into the curriculum. Similar to Treaty Education, it is not something that you teach once in the year and move on, it is meant to be integrated into all aspects of your teaching.