Even in a school that embraces diversity, prejudice is not invisible at Lisgar Collegiate Institute.
A group of Lisgar students recently put up posters promoting Ottawa’s Aids Walk for Life. The posters were soon tagged with homophobic slurs like “faggots get Aids” and “no homos in our schools.”
The incident highlights the importance of education in combating discrimination and led Lisgar to invite a prominent Centretown activist to discuss with students issues of discrimination as part of a program to kick off a new school year.
Jeremy Dias, founder of Jer’s Vision, an Ottawa organization committed to fighting discrimination, spoke at a school assembly about his experience being the only openly gay student of Pakistani, Indian, and Portuguese descent at his high school.
The presentation was part of a broader Safe Schools initiative aimed at preventing discrimination, bullying and violence. The first week of school included an assembly aimed at introducing students to available resources such as guidance counsellors and multi-cultural liaison officers.
Other resources include the Lisgar Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), a student-run club aimed at engaging students in debate about issues of sexuality and providing a sense of safety and acceptance. English teacher Julie Cutts is supervisor of Lisgar’s GSA.
“The schools don’t have much assembly time, the fact that they’ve chosen him to come speak is great,” said Cutts.
Five years ago, Dias brought a human rights case against the Algoma District School Board for discrimination he faced at school. The board settled the case and he used the proceeds to create Jer’s Vision.
In 2006 the City of Ottawa named Dias, 22, Citizen of The Year, making him a role model and spokesperson for diversity. He now speaks at schools across the region about the complexities of discrimination.
Sophie Rayner-Grignon, the student who heads the Lisgar GSA, says she hopes the presentation will have a strong impact on the students’ perceptions.
“It’s going to stir things up and hopefully make people think,”
Jeremy Chitpin and Jamie Gardiner, Lisgar's student council co-presidents, say Dias's presentation will keep the issue fresh.