Intercultural education and the inclusion of LGBTTIQ people in Ontario schools

Abstract

Even though gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have existed in society for centuries, from an historical perspective the gay civil rights timeline is fairly recent, with significant changes seen in the last decade in Canada. Internationally, Denmark recognized same-sex partnerships in 1989, but only from 2005 to 2010 did Spain, Canada, New Zealand and California follow suit. Unfortunately only as recently as 2009, and still being revisited, a private member proposes a Bill to hang homosexuals in Uganda. Also, anti-gay laws were passed before the Sochi Olympics in Russia in 2013. This timeline is significant to help us understand why there is only recent, within the last twenty years, scholarly literature that specifically pertains to Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Two Spirited Intersex Queer (LGBTTIQ). This also sheds light on a global and greater need to understand and share strategies that may have a perceived positive impact in overcoming barriers in LGBTTIQ education to create a culture of inclusion and a true democratic society where all voices can participate and be heard. Multicultural education and intercultural education are two distinct concepts which interrelate as a mechanism to respond to the interdependence of growing diverse populations. From the perspective of an educator, this paper will explore some of the tenets of multicultural education and intercultural education; both the possibilities and limitations, in promoting the inclusion of LGBTQQ in the current educational system in Ontario, Canada. It is only by exploring these concepts and shedding light on issues of LGBTTIQ, that we begin the dialogue on how to maximise the participation of LGBTTIQ in our classrooms and in our society.

Keywords:

• gender identity and sexual orientation
• inclusion
• multiculturalism
• interculturalism
• critical pedagogy

Notes

1. Glossary of terms is an excerpt of an email communication from Tony Pontes, Director of Education, Peel District School Board, in support of the International Day of Pink (April 2013).