Positive Space is now officially launched – thanks to all the 75 faculty, support staff and students who participated in one of the educational sessions this week!
Whenever I am involved in some type of human rights education, whether it’s anti-racism, anti-homophobia, or sexual assault prevention, I am always reminded of how hard it is to dialogue about being “anti” or against something that almost all of us clearly know is wrong. We’d much rather be part of something that is positive, that tells us how far we’ve come. And it’s even harder to accept that we are part of the majority that is making things painful for others.
This work challenges the idea that everything is either/or, that being human is much more complex than simply being male or female, gay or straight. Heterosexual allies in the room are responding to the call from the queer community to open up safer spaces for them, and as we hear young people talk about how heterosexual lives have been limited by old gender codes too, there is this empathic voice that stirs in us and says “me too, I have been put in that box, limited by my gender, or made to feel like parts of me aren’t quite masculine or feminine enough”.
I know when I think about my gay and lesbian friends, family members, and colleagues, I am thankful they have fought for a way of being that makes the world more open. As a woman, I have benefited by having a wider range of role models as to how to be “female” in the world, and I think this is true for men as well.
We have come a long way. There’s no denying that. But students still tell me how distressed they are by classroom discussions gone wrong, when a teacher has not challenged homophobic comments and left them to fend for themselves. Students who have been harassed downtown, or in the hallways, hearing “faggot” muttered under someone’s breath as they go by. Worrying who might see them in the GSA meeting and spread rumours about their orientation. Wondering if they are physically and emotionally safe here.
We need to be having these discussions in the classroom but we also need to manage that discussion in a way that keeps the space safe and respectful. Positive Space training helps teachers and students expand their vocabulary and get used to the discussion, so that the classroom becomes a liberating space for everyone, not just a "tolerant" one where we all end up being a little less human.
Get involved in Positive Space and become an ally. The fall training schedule will be posted by Week 2 and there will be sessions available on every campus. Pride Week starts Sept. 15th and I hope to see you out at the parade (2pm on George St., Peterborough).
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