Marriage between two people of the same sex is discussed in a Montreal school. Some students squirm in their chairs while listening to their 1st grade teacher.D secondary. Some exchange glances with comrades, others grimace. Then a boy raises his hand: “Sir, that’s bad. This is not good ! »
For Marie Houzeau, general director of the organization GRIS-Montréal, there is no doubt: homophobic and transphobic comments circulate in demonstrations, on social networks, but also in schools, under the pretext of freedom of expression.
“At the end of the 1990s, there was little reaction to homophobic remarks in class. Then the years passed and the young people who made this kind of remarks [dans les années 2000], they were put in order by their comrades. We felt that it was no longer accepted, at least publicly,” explains M.me Houzeau.
” But now [en 2023], we see that homophobic opinion, I emphasize the word “opinion”, is seen as legitimate in certain speeches. We hear: “It’s my right to be homophobic” or “It’s my right to be transphobic”,” continues the general director of the organization. Speakers from the LGBTQ+ community of GRIS-Montréal visit secondary schools and some primary classes, from grade 4e year.
Maintain control of the class
The return of this discourse (a “setback”, according to Mme Houzeau) has a devastating impact on today’s young people who question their identity, she adds.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Marie Houzeau, general director of the organization GRIS-Montréal
These are not questions that can be debated. These are issues of human rights and the protection of minorities.
Marie Houzeau, general director of the organization GRIS-Montréal
A sign that the subject is current is a conference called “Sensitive themes and offensive student remarks: what professional posture to adopt? » will also be given in October by the continuing education service of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Montreal.
The example of the student who judges that a relationship between two women or two men “is bad” is not anecdotal, according to the teacher at a public high school in Montreal. who testified to The Press. Every year, when he discusses homosexuality in the Ethics and Religious Culture course, he knows that the subject will arouse opposition.
How does he keep control of his class? “We have to negotiate, explain that homosexuality is in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that that’s how it works,” says the teacher who is not authorized to speak publicly.
Avoid avoidance
For Sivane Hirsch, full professor in the department of teaching and learning studies at Laval University, the key when a teacher addresses a sensitive theme such as homosexuality, racism or even COVID-19, is It’s preparation.
“If a topic is brought up by a student and the teacher is not prepared, he is not obliged to deal with it immediately. He has the right to say that he needs to be informed, that he needs to learn about the subject himself before returning to it,” explains this professor who co-wrote a document entitled Discuss sensitive themes with students for teachers at the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service center.
Above all, we must not stop addressing themes that can prove destabilizing for teachers, believes Mme Hirsch. Nor avoid subjects like gender identity, whose place in the Quebec educational program is currently debated.
“Gender identity, in my opinion, is not a problem that it is debated in society. But the truth is that this subject is already in schools. It’s no longer a question of “do we agree to address it or not”. It’s already part of the students’ lives,” says M.me Hirsch.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SIVANE HIRSCH
Sivane Hirsch, full professor in the department of teaching and learning studies at Laval University
Our students are very aware, they are very informed. Even if we don’t want to tackle a subject, we don’t care because it’s the students who will do it.
Sivane Hirsch, full professor in the department of teaching and learning studies at Laval University
Bruce Maxwell, professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal, also believes that delicate themes must continue to be addressed by teachers, but in an impartial and neutral way, he insists. Elementary and secondary students are considered a captive audience, he explains, and they cannot leave a class if they consider a teacher’s comments to be offensive or wrong. They are also more vulnerable given their intellectual immaturity.
“In a democratic society, schools must develop democratic skills. A great way to do this is to find a situation where students must learn about an issue, take a position, articulate a point of view while being exposed to positions that are not necessarily compatible with their own. This allows you to learn tolerance and openness,” explains the man who will direct the training on sensitive themes at the University of Montreal in October.