Queer activist says Education Minister's comments could undermine kids' safety

A London, Ont., activist said comments by Education Minister Stephen Lecce could compromise the safety of kids who identify as queer or transgendered, but who haven't come out to their families. 

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Lecce told reporters he believes parents should be told if their child chooses to use a different pronoun at school.

Lecce said parents "must be fully involved and fully aware of what's happening in the life of their children." 

However, Mckenna Harper, a 19-year-old Western University student who during her high school years fought to give students the right to keep their pronoun preferences from parents, said the minister's comments put kids at risk. 

"A lot of kids who don't come from great homes, if they're outed, could face violence from the adults in their lives," said Harper. "I'm worried we'll see a policy in place that could be enforced over top of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) policy." 

The TVDSB policy currently prohibits school staff from disclosing to parents details about student's gender diversity "without the student's explicit prior consent." 

The policy also says teachers who contact a student's parents must first clarify with the student how they should reference the student's gender identity. 

Harper said she "greatly appreciates" the TVDSB policy because she said it keeps students safe from having details about their gender identity unexpectedly disclosed to parents against their will. 

The London District Catholic School Board has language about supporting students who identify as gay, two-spirited or transgendered in its inclusion policy. However, the policy doesn't specifically address how — or if — school staff can disclose to parents details about their child's gender identity or pronoun preference. 

A spokesperson for Lecce did not respond to questions about whether Lecce's statements are an indication of any planned policy changes. 

Mckenna said even if a policy change from the province isn't in the works, she worries Lecce's comments could "embolden" TVDSB teachers to ignore the board's policy. 

Lecce's comments come as other provinces tackle the issue of how schools handle the disclosure of students' gender identity. 

The New Brunswick government brought in a policy that makes it mandatory for school staff to get parental consent before using a child's chosen name and pronoun if the child is under 16 and is changing their name for gender identity reasons. 

A Saskatchewan policy announced this month requires that schools seek the permission of parents or guardians before allowing students under the age of 16 to change their preferred pronouns.

This week, Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said schools should leave conversations about LGBTQ issues to parents.

Mckenna said most teachers and school administrators are making efforts to understand what can be a complex issue.

"I think the majority of teachers understand the effect that correct gendering can have and the impact of outing someone, but I don't ' think everybody does," she said.