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PHPS staff learns about tools to support LGBTQ students

What is the role of a school’s staff in supporting sexual minority students? That was the question Andrea Berg, executive staff officer in professional development with Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), attempted to answer during a presentation on
Andrea Berg, executive staff officer for the ATA, shows PHPS staff some of the materials for schools that can be put up to help LGBTQ students feel safe and welcome.
Andrea Berg, executive staff officer for the ATA, shows PHPS staff some of the materials for schools that can be put up to help LGBTQ students feel safe and welcome.

What is the role of a school’s staff in supporting sexual minority students?

That was the question Andrea Berg, executive staff officer in professional development with Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), attempted to answer during a presentation on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students. Berg’s presentation was part of Pembina Hills Public Schools (PHPS) diversity themed professional day at Barrhead Composite High School on Aug. 30.

Berg said in order to talk about the subject, one first had to learn more about the terminology as it is constantly evolving.

“A lot of our students are coming up with new names everyday so it is hard to keep up with them,” she said.

The first term, Berg said, education professionals needed to understand is the definitions of sexual and gender minority.

“Sexual minority refers to a person who does not identify exclusively as heterosexual,” she said. “A gender minority person is someone whose internal sense or feeling of being male or female may or may not be the same as their biological sex.”

Understanding the terms involved in the discussion, Berg said, is important because LGBTQ students are under a great deal of stress and face tremendous adversity.

“The numbers are truly staggering,” she said.

According to an Egale Canada Human Rights Trust’s survey on homophobia and transphobia in Canadian schools, one out of five LGBTQ students experience bullying every day: 90 per cent are verbally bullied, 70 per cent hear transphobic comments while another 37 per cent are harassed about the sexual orientation of their parents.

“The statistics are just as startling when it relates to the rates of suicides, 44 per cent of LGBTQ youth reported suicidal ideation compared to 26 per cent of heterosexual youth,” Berg said.

In the same study, which polled 3,700 students across Canada (average age 17.4 years old) 73 per cent identified themselves as heterosexual, while 26 per cent identify as LGB or questioning and three per cent as trans-identified.

“Normally you hear of this statistic being 10 per cent, but in reality that number is really quite low,” she said. “When we actually go out and talk to our students and our youth we find the number is higher. In reality there are many more students than we think who identify themselves as a sexual minority.”

The percentage of LGBTQ youth who experience bullying incidents are also much higher than the one in five reported, if incidents outside of school are taken into account, Berg said, especially when incidents on social media are factored in.

However, Berg said there are a number of tools education professionals can use to help sexual minority students, the first one being school-based policies.

Earlier this year, Alberta Education Minister David Eggen instructed school boards to develop LGBTQ guidelines that must conform to the ones already established by the province.

“School based policies that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity make a real difference in not only helping students, but staff and families feel safe and welcome,” she said, adding having organizations which support the sexual minority community, such as the Pride Centre in Edmonton, also goes a long way in creating a safe and caring atmosphere for LGBTQ youth.

Other protective factors Berg talked about include: sexual health and education that relates to the diversity of sexual orientation presented in a non-judgmental fashion and positive representations of gender minorities shown within the school environment.

“The most significant factor when promoting resiliency in students are welcoming and affirming relationships. When helping youth from the stresses of coming to terms with their sexual orientation and gender identity, it is critical to have the family on board,” she said.

While family support plays the largest role, the relationships LGBTQ students have in school play a significant role in not only building resiliency, but making them feel safe and welcomed.

Berg concluded her presentation by going through strategies and listing a number of supports offered by the ATA for staff to help LGBTQ students.

“The bottom line is that if students don’t feel safe, they can’t learn and it is all of our responsibility to act on behalf of these students,” she said.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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