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QueerOntario.org

Queer Ontario Urges the Province Not to Abandon Important Tenets of Proposed
Sex Education Curriculum

Toronto: Queer Ontario feels the Elementary Health and Physical Education Curriculum proposed by
the McGuinty government back in January of 2010 was a step in the right direction that would have pro-
vided Ontario children and youth with up-to-date scientific information on human development, physical
health, sex, sexuality, sexual behaviour, and gender identity. So it came as a tremendous disappointment
to hear that McGuinty succumbed to the pressures that were created by sex-negative religious funda-
mentalists, moral conservatives, and misinformed parents, ultimately rescinding the curriculum just 54
hours after he had come out in strong support of it.

Given that the first round of consultations had already taken into consideration the concerns of parent
groups and religious organizations like the Institute for Catholic Education – alongside public health or-
ganizations, sex educators, school boards, academics, and LGBTQ groups including Queer Ontario’s
predecessor, the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario (CLGRO), – the new curriculum was in
no way under consulted and actually served to bring Ontario’s Health and Physical Education Curriculum
in line with those of other, more progressive provinces like British Columbia. The new proposed curricu-
lum is long overdue, especially in its recognition of ‘invisible differences’ like sexual orientation, gender
identity, and cultural values and beliefs: a much-needed concept that would begin to acknowledge the
full diversity of Ontario’s population within Ontario’s elementary school systems.

To this end Queer Ontario calls for:

The Province of Ontario to fully implement the proposed Health and Physical Education Curriculum and
not to abandon important tenets regarding aspects of sex education dealing with sex, sexual orientation,
sexual behaviour, gender and gender identity.

A balanced approach (as with the first rounds) should a second round of consultations be set up, albeit
redundantly, by inviting all previously-consulted groups (inclusive of LGBT groups such as Queer On-
tario) to the table to ensure – once again – that there is an inclusive, well-informed, and comprehensive
review of the necessary changes.

The Government of Ontario to move forward with its plans to implement the new curriculum, inclusive
of the sex education components, across both the public and separate Catholic school systems; doing
otherwise would set a double-standard in the quality of sexual knowledge provided to each student.

Queer Ontario is a provincially based network of individuals who are members of the gender and sexually diverse
populations and their allies committed to liberationist and sex positive principles that focus on questioning, chal-
lenging and seeking reform to social norms and laws that regulate queer people.  Queer Ontario engages in
public education, political action, promoting access and diversity and coalition building.
 
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Web: http://queerontario.org/2010/05/11/proposed-sex-education-curriculum/

Interviews:
Nick Mulé, Founder
Queer Ontario
nickm@look.ca