School
districts
like
the
Central
Okanagan
could
really
use
some
government
leadership,
says
Paula
Miles,
pointing
to
an
80-person
survey
she
recently
conducted
that
found
most
respondents
hear
homophobic
comments
like
that's
so
gay,
fag,
homo,
dyke,
or
lesbo
at
school.
Homophobia
is
a
pervasive
problem
in
this
region,
Miles
says.
Such
remarks
create
an
intimidating
atmosphere
that
has
forced
some
students
to
opt
for
home
schooling
rather
than
confront
the
harassment
and
taunts
in
a
formal
education
setting,
she
adds.
Despite
this,
she
says,
there
remains
"a
veil
of
secrecy"
around
all
issues
pertaining
to
homophobia
and
the
queer
community.
"Nothing
formally
happens
on
this
topic.
Individual
teachers
do
what
they
can
on
an
ad
hoc
basis.
There
are
no
gay-straight
alliances
in
schools
here."
The
Central
Okanagan
is
not
alone.
According
to
Steve
LeBel
of
BC's
Gay
and
Lesbian
Educators
group,
the
vast
majority
of
school
districts
need
strong
leadership
from
government
to
compel
them
to
protect
all
students.
While
a
few
school
districts
are
likely
to
modify
their
existing
policies
to
be
inclusive
of
queer
youth,
he
says,
the
big
concern
is
about
the
districts
that
have
"absolutely
no
intention
of
doing
so-at
least,
not
in
a
meaningful
way."
So
far,
only
five
out
of
BC's
60
school
districts
have
pushed
forward
with
their
own
anti-homophobia
policies
without
government
direction.
A
few
more
mention
sexual
orientation
in
their
general
harassment
policies.
The
rest
are
silent.
Mayencourt
says
what
the
"progressive"
school
districts
have
developed
will,
at
the
very
least,
be
a
starting
point
for
creating
legislation
he
hopes
will
be
ready
for
implementation
for
the
September
2007
school
year.
"I
know
that
there
will
be
language
used
that
is
going
to
encompass
the
principles
behind
the
BC
Human
Rights
Code
and
I'm
going
to
be
sitting
at
the
table
with
government
pushing
for
the
best
possible
bill,"
he
says.
Even
if
the
government
orders
BC's
school
boards
to
explicitly
prohibit
homophobic
harassment
in
their
districts,
Hansman
says
the
legislation
won't
accomplish
much
without
the
funding
to
back
it
up.
For
a
safe
schools
act
to
be
worth
its
salt,
he
says,
it
must
make
provision
for
the
training
of
school
community
members
in
leadership
positions,
allocate
sufficient
funding
so
that
resources
and
response
services
are
available,
and
put
mechanisms
in
place
to
ensure
the
legislation
is
followed.
"The
Ministry
of
Education,
under
both
the
Liberals
and
the
NDP,
has
been
good
with
coming
up
with
new
initiatives,
but
completely
unreliable
in
adequately
funding
and
sustaining
them,"
Hansman
says.
College
of
New
Caledonia
-
Ion
12