Write for Student Rights
In July 2024, YouthLine launched the Write for Student Rights campaign, a letter-writing campaign focused on school safety and inclusion for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.
Community members sent letters to their elected officials, including Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Jill Dunlop, and pledged to advocate on behalf of 2SLGBTQ+ youth and speak out against harmful legislation.
The campaign ran from July through October 2024
The campaign was developed in response to legislative changes in other provinces, such as Alberta and New Brunswick, that target trans youth in schools.
Among other effects, these policies restrict trans students’ access to appropriate washrooms and their right to self-identify as trans without threats of reprisal.
The campaign was also motivated by comments to the media from Premier Doug Ford and the former Minister of Education Stephen Lecce in the Fall of 2022 that suggested they agreed with the policy changes in other provinces.
We demanded that the Ontario government:
Support school board policies that meet a provincial standard that respects and supports queer, trans, and 2-Spirit youth and refuse to adopt policies that erode the safety of 2SLGBTQ+ youth in schools
Develop accurate and inclusive school curricula in partnership with diverse stakeholders, including medical experts, 2SLGBTQ+ youth, and curriculum experts
Ensure 2SLGBTQ+ students can equally access extracurricular activities, such as athletics; school facilities, such as washrooms; and gender-affirming school health services for all students
By the end of the campaign, 210 letters were sent and 54 people signed the pledge for inclusive schools.
YouthLine staff organized a virtual Day of Action event on October 30, 2024
Lyra Evans, an OCDSB School Board Trustee for Rideau-Vanier and Rideau-Rockcliffe Wards and the first trans school board trustee in Canada, was a guest speaker att he event.
Her presentation focused on the ins and outs of effective organizing within the context of public schools and tangible actions that attendees could take to put pressure on their local school boards.
Lyra also shared more about her own organizing and advocacy work as a school board trustee.
Watch her presentation below:
Thank you to all who supported and contributed to this campaign
We want to thank all community members who sent a letter, took the pledge, and attended our Day of Action.
Special thank you to Queer Momentum for lending YouthLine letter-writing software and assisting in outreach for the campaign.