© Alberta Teachers' AssociationThe gender unicorn has been removed from an Alberta teachers handbook to create LGBTQ-friendly classrooms.
"Comrades" has been removed from a suggested gender-neutral pronouns to address girls and boys. Also gone is an illustration of a purple cartoon "Gender Unicorn" asking where you fall on the gender spectrum.
Spokesperson Jonathan Teghtmeyer said the ATA made "minor changes" to the online document shortly after it was thrust into the headlines last November, but the content largely remains the same.
"We felt that the criticisms last year of the Prism document were sensationalistic," Teghtmeyer told CBC News on Tuesday. "We felt that they misrepresented the document. And that ultimately they distracted from the important content that was within the document. And so we wanted to focus on the content and to avoid the distractions."
© Trisha Estabrooks/CBC NewsJonathan Teghtmeyer with the Alberta Teachers Association says sensational criticism distracted from the important content of the document.
"This is about getting a resource in front of teachers to help students feel safe and supported at schools," said Teghtmeyer. "I think it's important to note that this document was thoroughly vetted with teachers from a wide variety of teaching situations, including teachers that teach in Catholic schools."
Alienates students
But Edmonton blogger and parent Theresa Ng, who first raised concerns about the resource guide, was critical of the association's response.
"On one hand, they claimed that it was just sensationalistic reporting and that there was no issue," said Ng. "But on the other hand, they felt compelled to actually make changes to the document, which seems to suggest that there were in fact legitimate concerns."
It's not the first time Ng has spoken out. Last March, links were removed from a government-funded website for students in gay-straight alliances after Ng complained. Despite the changes to the toolkit, Ng's overall concern remains.
© CBCBlogger Theresa Ng says the resource imposes one view on sexuality and gender that not all students agree with.
The clash over the resource handbook is one of many pitting sexual and gender minority advocates and the NDP government against social conservatives and the Catholic church in an ongoing feud over the rights of sexual and gender minority students and curriculum.
Earlier this week, United Conservative Party candidate Jason Kenney blasted Premier Rachel Notley, who rejected a curriculum proposal by Catholic superintendents that would include church teachings in sex education class.
The toolkit, developed with part of a grant from Alberta Education, directs readers to a variety of resources including LGBTQ-friendly organizations, entertainment and literature, as well as lesson plans in core subjects.
"We're very proud of the Prism toolkit," said Teghtmeyer. "Sexual gender and minority students are present essentially in every school. And teachers want to ensure that those students feel safe, welcomed and supported at school. Prism helps teachers do that."
Among the lesson plans, "Drag 101" is now called "Gender on Stage." It gives cosmetology and drama students a chance to learn about drag culture and may involve getting makeup tips from drag queens or performing dressed in drag.
A social studies lesson allows students to explore Indigenous perspectives on gender, or two-spirit identities, while Christian religious studies looks at "why homophobia leads us to sin." Math students solve "inclusive word problems" about same sex couples or individuals referred to as "they" and "their."
Ng said she's not against exploring multiple perspectives.
"I think that it's very valuable for children to understand that people have many different values when it comes to these issues of gender and sexuality," said Ng. "However, the role of the education system should be to provide information to people, not to promote or impose a singular perspective on children."
Reader Comments
Something in the water?
Something in the water? "
I have bought that up before, and it seems quite logical an argument. However, I think we are losing our individual identities. We are looking for an identity that we can associate with other people about because our previous identity is now under attack. It is no longer ok to be a white male who watches football: that's a racist with a dash of white privilege and approve of cops killing black people.
You can't be a white female who decides to stay at home with the kids: that's giving in to male oppression and going along with a patriarchal society.
You can't just be a gay male or lesbian, you have to have pronouns and to be recognized as special and unique. God [can I even say that now] forbid if I refer to you as James or Jennifer if you prefer Ze, Hir, Ey, Xe or any of the countless pronouns. As we know, in Canada it is now considered a hate crime if you don't use someones pronoun.
Yes we may have a variety of cultures and races in our inclusion zones, however our inclusiveness is pushing us into smaller pockets of society that protects us from varying opinions and reinforces our own stance.