It is not enough to say schools are “anti-bullying” – schools need to also be able to demonstrate this. Teachers need to know how to respond when homophobic or transphobic bullying happens. As part of appropriately addressing homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools, laws or policies should require teachers and staff to be trained on how to best respond to such incidents, including providing appropriate supports to students involved. According to Egale’s 2021 survey, 23% of 2SLGBTQIA+ students reported that school staff never intervened when homophobic and transphobic comments were made – this contributed to students feeling unsafe at their schools.
Some school boards and provinces have policies requiring specific training on homophobic and transphobic bullying. For example:
- Newfoundland and Labrador’s Guidelines for LGBTQ Inclusive Practices say that schools should provide “learning opportunities that build the capacity of staff to understand and support diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions,” including through learning to address discriminatory attitudes and behaviours against these students.
- The Durham District School Board’s policy on supporting trans students instructs schools to include “trans-sensitivity and advocacy training into staff professional development curricula,” and to “[t]rain staff to identify and confront transphobia in the school.”
- The Toronto District School Board’s Gender Based Violence Prevention Office provides professional learning and training for staff to prevent and address gender-based violence, homophobia, sexual harassment, and inappropriate sexual behaviour.
However, currently, no provincial laws explicitly say that teachers must be trained in addressing homophobia and transphobia. This is not enough.
