barbara findlay QC

Law Office
635-1033 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1M7
tel: 604-251-4356
fax: 604-251-4373
bjf@barbarafindlay.com
May 7, 2014
Vancouver School Board
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
Attention: Committee members, Committee III
Dear Colleagues
Re: Proposed policy with respect to LBGT students
I write to support the proposed policy with respect to LBGT students.
I am a lawyer who has been working on trans legal issues for 20 years. Because there are not many
lawyers in the country who specialize in these kinds of cases, I am one of the few Canadian experts on
the subject. I am also a member of the Trans Clinical Care Providers Group, and of CPATI I (Canadian
Professional Association for Transgender Health). Twenty years ago I was a founding co-chair of the
Canadian Bar Association's national Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC)
which has chapters in every province.
The Law
The law requires that schools comply with Human Rights Code.
That law protects trans* people on the basis of sex. It is important to understand that, while campaigns
to add 'gender identity' and/or 'gender expression' as protected grounds in human rights legislation are
very important as public education tools about the discrimination faced by trans people, all human rights
complaints brought in any province or under federal law have been and will continue to be successful on
the grounds of 'sex'.
Human rights law requires three things of school boards;
Not to discriminate against trans* students
Not to permit trans* students to be the object of bullying; and
To accommodate the individual needs of trans* students.
The Law Applied to the Facts
In practice, that means that the School Board is already subject to the policy being proposed, which
simply embodies what the school board is by law obliged to do.
I have elementary-school trans* clients in other school districts which are not as progressive as VSB.
Their response to accommodating trans* students has been abysmal so bad that I have had to file
human rights complaints.
www.barbarafindlay.com
Passing the proposed policy will inform teachers, staff, students, parents, and, most importantly, trans
students, of what a trans student is entitled to expect from their educational experience.
With this letter I enclose a copy of the Canadian Federation of Teachers book, "Supporting Transgender
and Transsexual Students in K-12 Schools: A guide for educators". It is an invaluable resource in
developing individualized accommodation plans for trans* students.
I look forward to speaking to you at your meeting on May 14, 2014.
Yours with respect,
The Law 6 f ce of barbara findlay QC
barbara fi dlay QC
Lawyer
/jm
www.barbarafindlay.com
Pr eece & Associat es Psychological Consult ing, Lt d.
Dr . Melady Pr eece, Ph.D., Regist er ed Psychologist
305-304 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1E8 T. 604-685-5961 F. (855) 513-1073
May 7, 2014
Committee III
Vancouver School Board
RE: Revised policy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities
I would like to express my appreciation to the Committee and the Board for their leadership in
ensuring that transgender youth can feel safe and supported in school.
I am a Registered Psychologist and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family
Practice, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of British Columbia. I am an experienced gender
specialist and a member of a group of professionals working with transgender individuals that
meets regularly for discussion and consultation. I have conducted research on gender dysphoria
and presented my research at international conferences. I have provided training in issues
related to transgender care for a variety of healthcare professionals, including physicians,
psychiatrists, nurses, and counsellors. I maintain memberships with the World Professional
Association for Transgender Health and the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender
Health. I am also a member of the Canadian Psychological Association and the British Columbia
Psychological Association.
I have been working with transgender youth and adults in my private practice since 2005. I have
seen the social isolation that transgender youth too often experience, and have had concerns
for their social development as a result. Further, I have known too many youth who have
dropped out of school due to feeling unsafe. For two years I ran a support group for
transgender youth so that they could have a place where they could develop their social skills
and interact with their peers. I am encouraged to see the tremendous improvements in the way
that transgender youth are treated over the past few years. I am relieved to know that the
Vancouver School Board has taken the lead in establishing clear policies so that transgender
students can have the same educational, social, and athletic opportunities that other students
enjoy.
I am pleased to see that the policy emphasizes the importance of taking a pro-active approach.
Vulnerable students should not have to advocate on their own behalf, and knowing that policies
are already in place that allow them access to the accommodations they require will provide
much-needed relief.
www.drmeladypreece.com emergency: 604-831-4444 drpreece@icloud.com
I appreciate the policys statement that programs or services that attempt to change a students
orientation or gender identity should never be considered. Indeed, such treatments have never
been shown to be effective, and are considered unethical. A number of organizations have
provided consensus statements in that regard, including the American Psychological
Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for
Transgender Health. It is also agreed by the majority of health care professionals and
researchers working in this area that gender variance in and of itself is not a mental illness.
Rather it is the challenge of managing these feelings in a non-accepting culture that causes the
depression and anxiety youth often experience. This is an important message to convey to
parents and teachers alike.
The emphasis on individualizing the experience of transgender youth in schools based on their
needs is entirely consistent with WPATH guidelines for the care of transgender youth. It is not
possible to have a one-size-fits-all approach when working with gender variant students, and
that is nicely presented in the policy document.
Generally, I feel that the policy is well-articulated and in line with the recommendations for
transgender care made by various medical, legal, psychiatric, and psychological organizations as
well as the conclusions from medical and psychological research. It provides parents, teachers,
and school staff with guidelines based on principles of respect, inclusion, sensitivity to privacy,
and student safety. I believe that this policy will help transgender students to feel safer and
more accepted in their schools. I certainly hope that other school districts will quickly follow
suit and adopt similar policies. I feel confident that this policy will go a long way towards
preventing the fear, isolation, depression, and inaccessibility to a solid education that in the
past has been the common experience of far too many transgender youth.
With sincere appreciation,
Melady Preece, Ph.D. R. Psych.
TO: Committee III
I would like to share the following policies from the Toronto School Board, with members of the
Vancouver School Board Committee III as they consider adopting their revised policy. I believe that the
Vancouver School Board policies are excellent and will increase safety and wellbeing for transgender
and gender nonconforming students. They are also consistent with best practices in education and
current human rights legislation, and are also consistent with similar policies across Canada including
the Toronto School Boards policies.
This is the Toronto School Board policy on transgender accommodation which was published in 2011
and then revised in the fall of 2013. It is titled:
"TDSB Guidelines for the Accommodation of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students and
Staff"
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/AboutUs/Innovation/docs/tdsb%20transgender%20accommodation%
20FINAL_1_.pdf
This is the preamble about the policy:
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/AboutUs/Innovation/GenderBasedViolencePrevention/AccommodationofTransg
enderStudentsandStaff.aspx
This is the fact sheet about the policy:
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/AboutUs/Innovation/docs/trans_guides_factsheet.pdf
Thank you,
Sincerely
Cindy Holmes
Cindy Holmes, Ph.D.
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Centre for the Study of Gender, Social Inequities and Mental Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Simon Fraser University
515 W Hastings, Suite 3277
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3
Coast Salish Territories
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC
CanadaV5A 1S6
TEL 778.782.3146
FAX 778.782.5799
E-mail: saoffice@sfu.ca
www.sfu.ca/ sociology
May 7, 2014
Committee III
Vancouver School Board
To whom it may concern, I write in support of the proposed policy changes regarding LGBTQ
students and staff. I make this submission as an academic researcher, as a parent of a 9 year old
transgender child, and as a queer/trans person myself. I begin with a personal reflection I
composed a year ago:
Whenever we are crossing the Canadian-U.S. border, my instructions to my daughter
and her responseare always the same: I will be calling you he. She: Why? We have had
many discussions about this and none of them have been satisfactory for either of us. But before
we leave home each time, I insist that she refrain from wearing a skirt or a dress until we are
across the border (if we are driving, it is not unusual for us to pull into the nearest shopping mall
parking lot to enable her to change back into herself). I tell her I dont like it either but not
everybody understands that we are who we say we are. Most of the time she and I are in
solidarity in the face of the failure of others to understand who she isor who I am, for that
matteror to realize that the categories they impose upon her are contrived and oppressive, but
the erasure of her identity is real and it hurts every time. The last time we flew to the United
States, I watched as she came through the sensor gate behind me. I did not even notice that one
of her fists was clenched until the guard who was waiting to wand her asked her to open her
hand. When she did, she revealed a delicate, iridescent pink hair scrunchy. She was trying to find
a way to hang onto herself in the face of such denial. I was stunned by her ingenuity and torn up
by the way she was left empty handed.
I do not tell her that security personnel might react intrusively and even aggressively, if
they noticed she was really a boy but presenting as a girl. We might be separated and
questioned, for starters, about the nature of our relationship and the standard of care I am
providing for her. These things have happened to other families that I have met. As she grows up,
my beloved one will increasingly engage with gendered and racialized vectors of security and
vulnerability (Spade, 2011, p. 117) unmediated by our queer multi-racial family structure and
antithetical to the values that, at least most of the time, characterize, our family culture. Right
now she is only 8 years old and I fear that the truth about the extent of the potential danger lying
ahead would harm her development. She is a radiant black child and dual citizen of the United
States and Canada, who, in her own words was born a boy but likes being a girl. For the time
being she rides on my magic carpet of white, middle-class privilege but this will take her only so
far. Although I have always been visibly queer, I purposefully curtail my own regime of greater
trans emergence so as to maintain the privileges I enjoy and that enable me to protect her.
When she was 5, still so small really, she told me that the bathrooms at the Unitarian
church we attend made her sad. The image I have in my mind of her as she said this is of a small
and anguished child, frozen before two doors. She literally did not know where to gobut she
knew that loss would be the result of either choice she made. As a gender-nonconforming person
myself, I have horrible childhood memories of censure and denial.
Many transgender and gender nonconforming children and youth are invisible
We know that whatever the statistic is on the prevalence of transgender and gender variant
children, it is likely to be artificially low as a result of the totalizing pressure of much of the
gender categorization and socialization children are subjected to (Berkowitz & Ryan, 2011;
Hellen, 2009). Understandably, gender variant children and youth are often invisible due to their
tremendous efforts to avoid teasing, persecution and scorn from peers, teachers and family
members (Whittle, Turner, & Al Alami, 2007). If, as the limited data currently available to us
show, transgender and gender variant children and youth are disproportionately victims of
gendered harassment (Meyer, 2010), self-harm and suicide (Cole et al., 1997; Klomek,
Marrocco, Kleinman, Schonfeld, & Gould, 2008), we can safely speculate that more children and
youth would exhibit gender nonconformity if greater cultural flexibility concerning sex and
gender identities was the norm. As it stands, the intense social policing of gender and sex identity
among children makes it appear as if gender-nonconforming children are a rather tiny minority;
the gender socializing/censoring environment of most family, peer, school, sports and religious
settings reflects the circular reasoning of the Thomas Theorem: Situations that are defined as
real become real in their consequences (Macionis & Gerber, 2011, p. 332), meaning that the
overwhelming practice of sorting children into boy and girl categories and teaching them to
adhere to complementary gender roles makes it appear as if these are natural lines of
demarcation. This means that most transgender and gender variant children and youth are non-
apparent (Hellen, 2009) or invisible.
One of my concerns is that people and institutions will wait for a trans or gender variant child or
youth to show up before adopting transinclusive measures. This misses the point in two ways.
First, as I emphasized, the majority of transgender and gender nonconforming children are non-
apparent therefore waiting for one to show up to adopt inclusive measures is inadequate. As
parent activist Arwyn Daemyr (2012) emphasizes, the harm of coercive gender assignment
begins before self-assertion of gender. And second, an inclusive environment is needed also for
children and youth who "have non-normative interests for their sex" (Meyer, 2010:62) and for
transgender and gender nonconforming children and youth who are not transsexual, i.e., whose
gender identities are not consistent with an artificial but socially totalizing gender binary. A
coercive gender system is limiting for everyone so efforts to advance the gender spectrum as the
norm is a pro-active and structural way of working towards inclusion for transgender and gender
nonconforming children and youth. As Loralee Gillis, Director of Ontarios Rainbow Health
encourages: "let's put the lens on the structures (as problematic) rather than the kids (October
25, 2012).
Inclusion strategies must therefore focus on shaping environments in general away from the
gender binary as well as responding to the needs of a particular child or youth. As Dean Spade
remarks, "we need to shift our focus from the individual rights framing of discrimination and
"hate violence" and think more broadly about how gender categories are enforced on all people
in ways that cause particularly dangerous outcomes for trans people" (2011: 29).
Research in nonclinical settings has highlighted that transgender and gender nonconforming
children and youth are particularly vulnerable to coercive pressure to conform to societal gender
norms, resulting in bullying and gendered harassment by peers, and often debilitating social
stigmatization (Brill, 2008; Ehrensaft, 2010; Hellen, 2009; Kennedy, 2008; Meyer ,2008b;
Whittle et al., 2007). In a study investigating school climate, Egale Canada (Taylor & Peter,
2011) reported that 95% of transgender students felt unsafe in schools, 90% reported being
2
verbally harassed because of their gender variance and 50% said that their teachers and other
adults in positions of authority failed to intervene when homophobic or transphobic comments
were made. Other studies have reported that doctors, teachers and classmates often
misunderstand gender-nonconforming children and youth (Hellen, 2009; Meyer, 2008a), which
can result in their increased feelings of social isolation. Consequently, many are at risk of being
diagnosed with learning disabilities and/or psychological problems because of stress, depression
and suicidal tendencies (Glavinic, 2010; Grossman & Augelli, 2007). One study shows high rates
of violence by parents against gender-nonconforming children and youth (Roberts et al., 2012).
Recent data, not surprisingly, indicates that LGBT youth are disproportionately homeless.
Parenting activist Arwyn Daemyr is not alone (see, for example, Roberts et al., 2012) in claiming
that gender nonconformity is predictive of PTSD (2012). The impact of gendered harassment
and bullying on intellectual and social development among gender variant and/or queer
adolescents is an important dimension (Meyer, 2010). White Holman and Goldberg (2006)
emphasize the particular vulnerability of adolescents to violence because of economic
dependence, the prevalence of age-peer violence in schools and power differentials between
adults and youths.
Schools and sports/physical recreation are two key and often overlapping settings where
transgender and gender nonconforming children and youth are vulnerable and/or excluded. An
emerging body of work on gender and schooling reveals the extent to which assumptions relating
to binary sex difference and heteronormativity fuel the homophobia and transphobia that can
make school an unwelcoming place for queer, transgender and gender variant children and
youth. (Blaise, 2005; Meyer, 2010). New scholarship on homophobia and bullying in schools
has begun to make visible what was previously invisible or taken for granted by those who were
or are not its targets (Walton, 2008). Little is known, however, about how such children, youth
and their parents/guardians navigate in-school or out-of-school social environments dedicated to
sport/physical recreation.
For the past two years I have been investigating the experiences of transgender and gender
nonconforming children and youth in North American physical recreation and sport settings,
mostly via open-ended interviews with their parents and advocates.
My findings reveal the following general insights:
1. Evidence of increasing access/inclusion in sport and physical recreation programming for
children and youth who identify according to binary norms but seemingly intransigient
obstacles for those who do not identify as male or female; several youth stated
specifically that the ability to participate in sport was a key factor in choosing to
transition to a binary-based sex identity. When I interviewed Diane Ehrensaft, Bay area
clinical psychologist specializing in transgender and gender nonconforming children and
youth and author of the book Gender Born, Gender Made: Raising Healthy Gender
Nonconforming Children, she told me that the desire to participate in sports is a major
reason why many of her transgender clients give in and affirm a binary identity. This
means that at least some transgender children and youth are undergoing varying degrees
of irreversible medicalized gender reassignment regimes in order to fit in and participate
fully in school and recreation settings.
2. Bathroom and locker room problems for both children and youth who affirm an opposite
sex identity and those do not conform to binary norms. Indeed, the stories of persecution
and crisis regarding school bathrooms and three of my interview subjects experienced
3
severe problems at the primary grade level in VSB schools in the past 5 years were
pervasive.
Let me switch back to a personal persective: my child is now 9 years old. When it came time to
register her for kindergarden she was a gender nonconforming boy. I was very worried about
what would happen to her in a school environment, based on my general knowledge about the
kinds of gender policing that children experience in school settings. I looked around for an
alternative and I found an independent school with a commitment to inclusion and a staffing
ratio that facilitated greater intervention in peer dynamics. The research I have conducted as well
as personal anecdotes that have been shared with me confirmed the gravity of my concerns. To
date, I have interviewed three parents of gender nonconforming children enrolled in Vancouver
public schools and the stories they shared with me about their childrens difficulties in using the
bathroom are nothing short of heart-breaking. My child will begin grade 4 next fall. I sincerely
hope that the proposed policy changes will have an impact on the environment she must navigate
when she enrolls in a Vancouver public high school several years from now.
I applaud the Vancouver School Board for developing a policy proposal that addresses the
general social environment for children, youth and staff as well as guaranteeing that visible
transgender and gender nonconforming children and youth will have clear policy-based
guarantees of support and inclusion. I very much look forward to future conversations regarding
how to ensure that the Vancouver School Board is a North American leader in this regard.
Sincerely,
Ann Travers, Associate Professor
4




ENDOCRINOLOGY & DIABETES UNIT
Endocrine Program: 604-875-3611 Diabetes Program: 604-875-2868
Clinic Reception: 604-875-2117 Administrative Secretary: 604-875-2624
Fax: 604-875-3231 Web: http://endodiab.bcchildrens.ca
April 29, 2014
Ms. Patti Bacchus
Chairperson, Vancouver Board of Education
Dear Ms. Bacchus and Trustees:
I am a Pediatric Endocrinologist at BC Children's Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at
UBC. I am also a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the
Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH), and the Endocrine Society.
Our team at BCCH, working in conjunction with mental-health and other professionals from the BC
Transgender Clinical Care Group, has been providing medical and mental-health care for gender-non-
conforming and transgender children, youth and young adults since 1993. We have seen about 150
patients during that time and have recently published the results of a retrospective review of our first 13
years of providing care in the Journal of Pediatrics [2014;164(4):906911].
I therefore feel qualified to comment on the VSBs proposed Draft Revised Policy and Regulations:
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities, which will be open for discussion at your upcoming
Education and Student Services Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, May 14 at 5:00 PM.
I have studied your proposed policy carefully and am quite impressed with its logical, compassionate,
balanced approach to providing support to this unique, high-risk population. As a medical professional,
I feel that it reflects the spirit of the current WPATH Standards of Care Version 7 for the management
of trans youth. It is also in line with federal guidelines from the Public Health Agency of Canada and
pending changes in BC legislation regarding gender designation, expression and markers.
Our published research from BC mirrors that of other countries, where a 1020% risk for attempted
suicide has been documented in this vulnerable group of students, which is directly related to lack of
parental and social support. Policies such as the one the VSB has proposed are still needed across the
country to mitigate any school-related stress that these kids feel and to enable them to access mental-
health and medical care in a timely fashion through such excellent resources as the VSB's Anti-
Homophobia and Diversity Mentor position. Much of the rest of Canada looks to Vancouver for its
model of transgender care, and it's very important that this policy be approved.
I am therefore grateful to have been offered a chance to voice my professional opinion at this meeting,
and I look forward to addressing you then. Thanks very much for your attention and thoughtful
consideration of this policy.
Sincerely,
Daniel L. Metzger, MD, FAAP, FRCPC
Pediatric Endocrinologist, BC Children's Hospital
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia
dmetzger@cw.bc.ca
Page 1 of 1
May 7, 2014
Vancouver School Board
Committee III Education & Student Services
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 5K8
Re: Support for Draft Revised Policy and Regulations Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities (ACB
and ACB R-1)
Dear Committee members,
My name is Alan Woo and I am writing to show my support for the revised draft of policy ACB and
regulations ACB R-1 for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities.
I am the author of the childrens book, Maggies Chopsticks, which won the BC Book Prize for Illustrated
Childrens Literature in 2013. I am also Chinese-Canadian, a gay man, and an alumnus of the Vancouver
School system. I attended Moberly Annex and Sir Sandford Fleming elementary schools, as well as David
Thompson Secondary School. Growing up gay was not an easy thing back in the late 80s and early 90s. I
can only wish that we had policies and regulations such as these back then, to help protect the safety of
LGBTQ youth.
I am surprised I made it out alive, quite frankly. Between getting bullied and fighting off suicidal
thoughts, I did manage to find those few friends, that special teacher, and that one counselor, to help
me get through it all. I cant imagine what life would have been like had we had these types of policies
and regulations around earlier. I strongly support your recent revisions and hope that it will help the
next generation feel more included and safe in the school hallways, a feeling that I never felt.
My book Maggies Chopsticks on the surface tells the story of a young girl who doesnt quite know how
to use her chopsticks and gets advice from everyone around her on how to do so. On a deeper level, its
the story about trying to fit in/conform and realizing that being yourself is perfectly fine. I have had
many people come up to me to let me know how important that message is to send to children. Thank
you for your draft revisions to this policy and regulation to help send the message to youth out there
that being who they are is perfectly fine.
Thank you for all that you are doing!
Sincerely,
Alan Woo
Vancouver School Board, Committee III - Education & Student Services
580 W Broadway
Vancouver BC V6J 1W6
mlouie@vsb.bc.ca
Re: Revised policy on sexual orientation and gender identities
Dear Committee III Members:
I am writing as a researcher specializing in LGBTQ-inclusive education to commend
Vancouver School Board on your recent proposed amendment to your policy on sexual
orientation and gender identities.
As the principal investigator for the First National Climate Survey on Homophobia,
Biphobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools (2011), which surveyed over 3700
students across the country, I appreciated Vancouver School Boards support for the
study, which enabled us to implement the survey in VSB high schools and prepare a
confidential report on VSB results that was submitted to you in 2010.
At the time of our study, the situation of transgender students was not as well understood
as it is in the research and education community today, and it was common for educators
and academics to be of the opinion that it was sufficient merely to add transgender to
the list of identities covered under anti-homophobia policies without further amendments.
We now know that this is not the case.
In fact, we changed the title of our project to include Transphobia because when we
analyzed the data, we found that transgender students are even more likely than lesbian,
gay and bisexual (LGB) students to be harassed and to experience weak school
attachment. We found, for example, that:
Transgender students (79%) are more likely than LGB students (70%) to see parts
of their school as being unsafe for LGBTQ students (the spaces most often seen as
unsafe being washrooms, changerooms and corridors).
Transgender students (60%) are more likely than LGB students (46%) to have had
mean rumours spread about their sexual orientation at school.
Transgender students (63%) are more likely than LGB students (49%) to have
been verbally harassed about their sexual orientation.
Transgender students (74%) are more likely than LGB students (55%) to have
been verbally harassed about their gender expression.
Transgender students (37%) are more likely than LGB students (21%) to have
been physically harassed about their gender expression.
These numbers point to levels of everyday victimization, and the depression, anxiety, and
fear associated with it, that are far in excess of most adults experiences, and that would
bring most of us to our knees.
2
We also found that transgender students are correspondingly more likely to feel unsafe at
school (78% vs. 63% LGB students). They are as likely as LGB students to feel they
cant be themselves at school (45% LGB vs. 43% trans) and to feel very depressed about
school (56% LGB vs. 57.5% trans). As these findings and many, many others from the
survey show, the more socially marginalized one is, the more likely one is to be treated
badly and to suffer trauma at school. One of the chief findings from the Climate Survey
was that the farther students are from the mainstream or the majority, the more danger
they are in in Canadian schools.
I have worked with many teachers, principals, and psychologists from rural schools in
socially conservative areas who have found themselves scrambling to figure out how to
accommodate a traumatized transgender child because their school districts had not
developed policy and programmatic support for transgender-inclusive education. I am
very happy to see that Vancouver School Board is addressing the needs and rights of
transgender students proactively through policy that reflects the realities of their everyday
lives at school what names they are called, how they dress, what washrooms and
change-rooms they use, what sports they participate in.
Transgender students are statistically a small subgroup of students: they are among the
most outnumbered, marginalized and harassed students in our nations schools. They
clearly need the support of school system officials if they are to have any chance of
enjoying the safe and respectful education to which every child in every school is
entitled. I sincerely commend you for your leadership in developing this clearly
thoroughly investigated and carefully formulated policy proposal that reflects best
practices in the area of transgender student accommodation. All students benefit when
educators stand up for the most marginalized people in a community; implementing the
proposed policy amendment would dramatically contribute to the health and wellbeing of
terribly marginalized students.
With all best wishes,
Catherine G. Taylor, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Academic Programs, Faculty of Education
The University of Winnipeg
515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 2E9
204.786.9893 - c.taylor@uwinnipeg.ca
Dear Committee Members,
We are writing in support of the revised policy ACB and regulations ACB R-1 for
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities.
We are Vancouver parents of a child who will be entering Kindergarten in September 2014.
We are a two mom interracial (Chinese and English) family with a biracial daughter. In our
family, we all identify with the gender we were assigned at birth.
We fully support this updated policy and are happy to see the inclusion of Gender Identity/
Expression in it. As parents, more than anything, we want the schools to be a safe
place for all kids to grow up and be who they are. This policy is important, not just for
students who are LGBTQ+but for all the students. Anytime someone is unsafe or bullied, it
creates fear and stress for everyone. This prevents learning and doesn't give students the
opportunity to learn to work together across diversity as allies.
There has clearly been a lot of work and thought put into this policy to
provide guidelines on improving safety for LGBTQ+students. This is
both reflective and indicative of how much work needs to be done to make schools a
safer place for not only LGBTQ+students, but for all students.
Yours truly,
Emily Drew
Fionna Chong
Emi l y Dr ew
Registered Sign Language Interpreter
RID Certified
Cell: 604 787 6719
Jaimie Veale, Ph.D.
CIHR and MSFHR Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC), University of British Columbia
Sent by email: jveale@psych.ubc.ca
May 7, 2014
Committee III - Education & Student Services, Vancouver School Board
c/o Maisie Louie
Vancouver Board of Education
School District #39
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V6J 5K8
Regarding the Draft Revised Policy and Regulations: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities (ACB
and ACB R-1)
Dear Committee members,
This letter is in support of the proposed policy and regulation revisions for sexual orientation and
gender identities. I am writing as a scholar working at the University of British Columbia in the School of
Nursing. I am presently conductingresearch on the health and wellbeing of trans youth and I have
authored a number of publications in leading peer-reviewed academic journals regarding transgender
peoples psychology and identity development. I have also undertaken clinical psychologist training in
New Zealand in which I worked with trans and gender-diverse youth and I am a member of the World
Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). It is clear to me that the proposed make an
important step in protecting the rights and promoting the wellbeing of trans and gender-diverse
students in Vancouver schools.
While there have been concerns that the proposed changes do not give enough consideration to the
role of medical and healthcare professionals, it is clear to me the changes address the role and
obligations of schools in trans and gender-diverse peoples lives, which are independent of the role and
obligations of medical and healthcare professionals. While medical and healthcare professionals may
play a significant role in transgender children and adolescents lives, this is not always the case. It is
becoming increasingly recognised that psychiatric categories do not adequately encapsulate trans
identities and gender diversity. This is being reflected in, for example, WPATHs 2010 statement of
depathologization
1
, and the World Health Organizations proposal to move these diagnoses out of the
Mental and Behavioural Disorders chapter into a non-psychiatric chapter, called Certain conditions
related to sexual health in the upcoming 11
th
edition of the International Classification of Diseases
2
.
While Vancouver School Boards proposed policy revisions do not preclude (and even encourage where
appropriate) the involvement of healthcare professionals in the lives of trans and gender-diverse school
1
http://www.wpath.org/uploaded_files/140/files/de-psychopathologisation%205-26-10%20on%20letterhead.pdf
2
Drescher, J., Cohen-Kettenis, P., & Winter, S. (2012). Minding the body: Situating gender identity diagnoses in the
ICD-11. International Review of Psychiatry, 24, 568577.
students, they also acknowledge the rights of these students to privacy and confidentiali ty where
appropriate.
I believe that the proposed policy and regulation revisions for sexual orientation and gender
identities are appropriate to the role of schools in the care of trans and gender-diverse children and
youth.
Yours sincerely,
Jaimie Veale
TO: Committee III
I am writing this email in support of VSB's revisions of its LGBTQ2S+policy, and would like to be included
in your speaker's list on Tuesday May 14th.
I am a youth worker who currently work with LBGT youth at South Arm Community Center in Richmond,
and have worked in the non-profit sector for over 4 years, much of that time was spent with the Chinese
community involved with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. I have recently spoken as a youth panellist at the BCTF's PAGE
Conference 2014 speaking about the impact of racism on my life. I feel like I am a good candidate who
can speak to my experience with LGBT related bullying from a racialized person's perspective.
Depending on the audience, I would like to speak in Chinese if possible, to challenge the idea that
"Chinese-ness" and diverse gender identify and homosexuality cannot and do not coexist.
For my writings about my experiences as a queer person of colour please feel free to check out my blog
at http://transliterate.tumblr.com/
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
--
Dora Ng
http://transliterate.tumblr.com/
Our City of Colours
ourcityofcolours.com
info@ourcityokolours.com
May 8, 2014
Committee III - Education & Student Services
Vancouver School Board
1580 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 1W6
Dear Committee Member,
Our City of Colours would like to lend its support to the Vancouver School Board's (VSB)
revised policy ACB and regulations ACB R-1 for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities.
Our organization seeks to increase the visibility of, and address the issues facing lesbian,
gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer people in various linguistic and cultural communities. Over
the past few years, we have worked with the Vancouver School Board in distributing
multilingual posters featuring people from the LGBTQ+ community, including a poster that
gives voice to a racialized Chinese trans woman. As such, we applaud VSB's desire to
bring greater awareness and inclusivity for trans* people in their revised ACB policy and
ACB R-1 regulations. We expect this will reduce the level of isolation experienced by
racialized people who do not conform to the norms of cisgendered, heterosexist, patriarchal
and Eurocentric ideas around gender and sexuality. It will also help promote welcoming and
inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ people in the school community and actively educate
students about important social issues.
This is a much needed update to the 2004 policy ACB as the revised policy and regulations
seeks to fully include trans* people by mentioning transphobia and dedicating an entire
section on supporting trans* people. It is important to note that the 2004 policy frequently
mentions homophobia but does not refer to transphobia. Although homophobia is
connected to transphobia (e.g., homophobic bullying can be related to people acting in non-
gender conforming ways), transphobia can occur due to the intersection of multiple factors
and identities that specifically relate to people who identify as trans* and/or gender variant.
According to a 2011 report on LGBT students in Canada', schools with anti-homophobia
policies did not lead to significant feelings of safety in relation to gender identity and gender
expression. The authors suggest that there must be an intentional effort to address gender
identity, gender expression, and anti-transphobia to create a more inclusive space.
'Taylor, C. & Peter, T., with McMinn, T.L., Elliott, T., Seldom, S., Ferry, A., Gross, Z., Paquin, S., &
Schachter, K. (2011). Every class in every school: The first national climate survey on homophobia,
biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Final report. Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights
Trust.
-441110kb,
ri -if
ourcityofcolours.com
info@ourcityofcolours.com
Our City of Colours
The report also found that almost three quarters of trans* youth report experiencing verbal
harassment and over a third of trans* youth experience physical harassment based on their
gender expression. In addition, about 90% of trans* youth hear transphobic comments on a
daily or weekly basis. Transphobia is closely linked to how sex and gender has been
primarily viewed by Eurocentric societies as fixed binaries as opposed to differing
perspectives in other cultures. The effects of transphobia are further exasperated for youth
of colour who also experience the intersection of their race and culture on top of their sexual
orientation, gender expression, and/or gender identities.
This means that transphobia cannot simply be seen as a medical and/or legal issue as it is
deeply rooted in historical injustice and cultural insensitivity. By encouraging medical and
legal professionals to judge trans* people, it dismisses the lived experiences of trans*
people and ignores the social and historical forces that underlie transphobia. The
discrimination and hardships faced by many trans* youth is influenced by various factors
that go beyond medical diagnosis and by treating gender identity and gender expression as
disorders, it actually contributes to the problem. Simply relying on medical professionals to
diagnose others can be harmful, as indicated by the American Psychiatric Association
(APA) listing homosexuality as a mental disorder up until 1973. However, in 2008, the APA
publicly announced their full support in eliminating discrimination against trans* and gender
variant people, and encouraging research on gender expression and gender identity2.
VSB's proposal to explicitly support trans* people is a critical step towards creating more
welcoming and inclusive school environments. Our City of Colours strongly encourage staff,
students, and parents to embrace the proposed policy changes in establishing and
maintaining a safe, inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning and working environment.
Sincerely,
Simon Lam
Chair
Our City of Colours
2 American Psychiatric Association. (2008). Resolution on transgender and gender identity and gender
expression non-discrimination. Retrieved from hftp:hwww.apa.orgiabout/policy/chapter-
12b.aspatransgender.
A411111b..
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&
&


8 May 2014
Vancouver School Board
Committee III - Education & Student Services
School District #39
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V6J 5K8
Dear Committee:
Elizabeth M. Saewyc, PhD, RN, FSAHM, FCAHS
UBC School of Nursing
Vancouver Campus
T201-2-211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 2B5
Phone --604-8-22-7-505
Fax -6-04-8-22-7-466
elizabeth.saewyc@ubc.ca
www.saravyc.ubc.ca
This letter is regarding the proposed revised policy and regulations around sexual orientation and gender
identities prepared by the Pride Advisory Committee to update VSBs policy, which I have read carefully. As a
health care provider and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in school-based research on the
health and well-being of LGBTQ youth in BC and internationally, I want to contribute my knowledge of the
scientific evidence base around such policies to your deliberations. Ill focus most specifically on the evidence
from BC students, including those in the VSB. As you know, VSB has participated from the beginning in the BC
Adolescent Health Survey (BC AHS), which has been conducted every 5 years since 1992 among students in
grades 7-12 by McCreary Centre Society. These data provide some of the most rigorous, large-scale, regularly
repeated school-based evidence on the health and school experiences of sexual minority and gender diverse
youth, some of the best data anywhere in the world. I currently head the Stigma and Resilience Among
Vulnerable Youth Centre, which holds Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding to focus on LGBTQ youth
health and the influence of school-level and district-level policies and programs to create safer, more inclusive
schools, reduce stigma and discrimination, and promote resilience for LGBTQ youth. The BC AHS is one of our
key data sources in this research.
There is long-standing evidence across the world that school connectednessfeeling safe, cared about,
respected and fully a part of the school communityis an important protective factor in the health and well-being
of all students. Our research has documented in BC Schools that LGBTQ youth experience higher rates of
harassment, exclusion, and even outright physical assault at school than their heterosexual peers, and they are
more likely to experience discrimination based on their orientation and their appearance. LGBTQ youth also
report lower levels of school connectedness than heterosexual students, and the combination of greater
exclusion/victimization and less connectedness together help explain higher rates of health risks, including
problem substance use and suicidal thoughts and attempts. However, our research, along with others around the
world, have shown that when LGBTQ youth report strong levels of school connectedness, they have lower odds
of these serious health concerns, even those students who experience harassment and discrimination.
Some of our most recent research has focused specifically on the link between school districts policies related to
sexual orientation and gender identity, the presence of gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in schools, and students
risks for binge drinking, problem substance use, discrimination, and suicidal ideation and attempts. Our study
used the 2008 BC AHS from across BC; at that time, VSB was one of only 15 school districts that had a specific
sexual orientation and gender identities policies in place, so your data contributed strongly to the results. We
found that not only did sexual minority students report lower odds of binge drinking, discrimination, and suicidality
in schools with specific policies and/or GSAs, but we also saw lower odds of these health issues among
heterosexual students as well. It is important to remember that heterosexual students can also be targeted for
homophobic and transphobic harassment, and that this kind of bullying contributes to distress and suicidality for
them as well. As we wrote in the paper on discrimination and suicidality published in the International Journal of
Child Youth and Family Studies in January, such bullying is commonly used by boys as a way of enforcing
Page 1
'( )

dominant norms of masculinity, and sexual orientation and gender identity policies, to the extent they are enacted
and implemented, may create a less stigmatizing space for exclusively heterosexual boys who do not fit the
stereotypes of hegemonic masculine behaviour. (p. 100). Our research suggests students all across the
spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity may be supported by sexual orientation and gender identity
policies that foster inclusion and school connectedness and reduce discrimination.
Public health recognizes the important health influences of the places young people, live, grow, work, and learn.
School environments, where students spend much of their days, and find some of their most important adult
supports outside of families, have a key role in their health and well-being, and in their school success. Strategies
to foster a safe, connected school environment for all youth, especially those whose sexual orientation or gender
identity faces stigma and discrimination in home or community environments, are important in promoting
resilience and healthy development for all youth.
If you have any questions about our research, I would be happy to discuss it further. I am equally willing to
provide you with a list of publications and reports from the research, should it prove helpful.
Regards,
Elizabeth M. Saewyc, PhD, RN, FSAHM, FCAHS
Professor in Nursing and Adolescent Medicine
Director, Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, UBC
Senior Scientist, Child Family Research Institute, BC Childrens Hospital
Page 2
May 7, 2014
Vancouver Board of Education
School District #39
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V6J 5K8
An open letter to the Vancouver School Board from the BC Trans* Clinical Care Group:
The BC Trans* Clinical Care Group is a group of professionals providing care to transgender
and gender-diverse children, adolescents, and adults in British Columbia. Our group includes,
but is not limited to, psychologists, clinical counsellors, social workers, nurses, family
physicians, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, surgeons, educators, and lawyers. Our members
include trans* and non-trans* people. We have a national and international reputation for
excellence in coordinated care for trans* and gender-diverse people. The group has been
meeting for ten years and is chaired by Dr. Gail Knudson, psychiatrist and Clinical Associate
Professor at the UBC Department of Psychiatry.
We are writing in support of the Vancouver School Boards proposed draft policy revision on
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities. Our members have had the opportunity to review the
Draft Proposed Policy and Regulations: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities, and it is our
opinion that this policy will be instrumental in providing safer-spaces in VSB schools for all
youth.
Having carefully reviewed the draft policy, we are writing to confirm that the policy is in keeping
with current medical evidence around the health needs of gender-diverse young people in
schools. It is our collective expert opinion that failure to adopt the policy will inevitably put
transgender and gender-variant youth at greater risk for harm at school.
Medical research and opinion with respect to trans* children has evolved. The current best
practices are to accommodate a childs gender identity and to defer any irreversible medical
steps until a child is a late adolescent.
Transgender youth and those with diverse gender presentation are a highly marginalized group.
These youth face higher rates of rejection by family, depression, suicidality, and verbal and
physical harassment in schools.
1,2
There are now numerous high-quality studies that clearly
indicate the need for better protection and support for trans* children and youth.
Unfortunately, current policy is not doing enough to protect the clients we serve. A 2011 study
by Egale Canada showed that 78% of transgender youth felt unsafe in their own schools.
2
Of
these youth, only half received support from adults when bullying was reported. Transgender
youth face nearly unparalleled risk for suicidality, with a recent study from BC Childrens
Hospital mirroring previous studies showing a 1020% risk of attempted suicide in these
vulnerable students.
3
Research in BC and across North America shows that inclusive policies and Gay-Straight-
Alliances (GSAs) in schools are correlated with better health outcomes for students of all sexual
orientations and gender identities, such as reduced engagement in at-risk drinking.
4
Support
from adults can literally be life-saving: One Ontario Study found that trans* youth whose parents
supported them were 93% less likely to attempt suicide.
5
It is the professional opinion of the psychiatrists, physicians, and other health-care professionals
in our organization that policies such as this are necessary to support children and youth who
are under our care. Living in ones preferred gender is an important element of gender
transition, which for children and youth typically precedes medical transition. It is imperative that
students who are living in their preferred gender feel safe and supported in school. This includes
providing gender-appropriate and gender-neutral washrooms and change rooms, respecting the
privacy of trans* students by implementing appropriate data management policies, organizing
education and awareness for adult staff, and creating accountability when students do report
challenges, as outlined in guidelines published by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
6
In summary, we support the Vancouver School Boards proposed policy changes and
congratulate VSB on taking steps to ensure the safety of our citys schools.
Sincerely,
The BC Trans* Clinical Care Group
References:
1. World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Standards of Care for the Health of
Transgender, Transsexual, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7. 2011.
www.wpath.org
2. Taylor C, Peter T. Every Class in Every School: Final Report on the First National Climate
Survey on Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia in Canadian Schools. Egale Canada
Human Rights Trust. 2011. http://egale.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/EgaleFinalReport-
web.pdf
3. Khatchadourian K, Amed S, Metzger DL. Clinical Management of Youth with Gender
Dysphoria in Vancouver. Journal of Pediatrics 2014:164(4):906911.
4. Konishi C, Saewyc E, Homma Y, Poon C. Population-level evaluation of school-based
interventions to prevent problem substance use among gay, lesbian and bisexual
adolescents in Canada. Preventive Medicine. 2013;57(6):929933.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.06.031
5. Travers R, Bauer G, et al. Impacts of Strong Parental Support for Trans Youth. Trans Pulse,
for the Childrens Aid Society of Toronto and Delisle Youth Services. October 2012.
http://transpulseproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Impacts-of-Strong-Parental-Support-
for-Trans-Youth-vFINAL.pdf
6. Public Health Agency of Canada. Questions & Answers: Gender Identity in Schools. 2011.
http://librarypdf.catie.ca/pdf/ATI-20000s/26289E.pdf
7. Canadian Teachers Federation Supporting Transgender and Transsexual Students in K-12
Schools: A Guide for Educators c 2012
Prism Services
Three Bridges CHC
320 1290 Hornby St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1W2
1
May 8, 2014
Vancouver Board of Education
School District #39
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V6J 5K8
Re: Draft Revised Policy and Regulations: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities (ACB and
ACB R-1)
Dear Board Members:
I am writing to you on behalf of Prism Services; a diversity and inclusion program at Vancouver Coastal
Health.
We provide education, information and referral services on issues related to the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Two Spirit (LGBTQ2S) communities. We focus on the health and wellness
of the LGBTQ2S communities by providing core competency training for healthcare and social service
providers; university classes; service users and community members. In addition, we connect
individuals from the LGBTQ2S communities, as well as families and service providers, with supports
and resources.
At Prism, we often work with agencies and service providers that provide services to some of the most
marginalized individuals in the Vancouver area. Many of these individuals are experiencing multiple
barriers such as poverty, homelessness and mental and physical health issues. What we have found is
that LGBTQ2S individuals are over-represented in emergency social service agencies. This is
supported in the literature as well. In The State of Homelessness in Canada, 2013
1
, researchers found
that young people who identified as LGBTQ2S were over-represented, making up 25-40% of the
homeless youth population, compared to only 5-10% of the general population.
Many of the LGBTQ2S individuals that our partner agencies serve have experienced rejection from
their families and communities, often at an early age. Vulnerable LGBTQ2S youth often flee their
homes, schools or communities to escape harassment, violence, bullying and intolerance from those
who are supposed to support them.
As someone who has worked in community health for the last 20 years, I have seen first hand the
impacts of how family rejection can affect an LGBTQ2S person.
1
Stephen Gaetz, Jesse Donaldson, Tim Richter, & Tanya Gulliver (2013): The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013. Toronto: Canadian
Homelessness Research Network Press.
Prism Services
Three Bridges CHC
320 1290 Hornby St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1W2
2
Individuals who have been rejected from their families have higher rates of suicidality, increased illegal
substance use, and are more likely to experience negative health outcomes such as HIV.
2
We believe that it is integral to provide upstream supports in order to prevent negative health outcomes
from occurring in the first place. One way to do this is to increase protective factors by providing
supports in the schools and in the community. Research has shown that doing so can decrease some
of the impacts of rejection and intolerance.
3
In our core competency trainings for health and social
service providers, we recommend this approach as best practice.
The VSB Draft Revised Policy and Regulations on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities (ACB and
ACB R-1) will help to provide some of these much-needed upstream supports. These changes will
increase the safety of LGBTQ2S youth and allow them the space and autonomy to be who they are.
By focusing on supporting LGBTQ2S students, rather than simply addressing homophobic or
transphobic harassment and bullying after it has already occurred, youth will have the time to focus on
learning and development.
In conclusion, we strongly support this policy and we look forward to the positive changes that will come
forth for LGBTQ2S youth.
Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you are looking for more information or have any
questions.
Sincerely,
Nikki Zawadzki,
Coordinator,
Prism Services
nikki.zawadzki@vch.ca
604-714-6266
2
Caitlin Ryan, David Huebner, Rafael M. Diaz and Jorge Sanchez (2009): Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in
White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults. Pediatrics 2009;123;346-352
3
Konishi, C., et al., Population-level evaluation of school-based interventions to prevent problem substance use among gay, lesbian and
bisexual adolescents in Canada, Prev. Med. (2013),