Contra/Diction: Homophobia in Canadian Catholic Schools

• In Event: 73.061 - Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: 73.061-8 - Thought-Provoking Issues in Catholic Education

Abstract

Clashes between Catholic canonical law and Canadian common law regarding sexual minorities continue to be played out in Canadian Catholic schools. Although Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures same-sex equality in Canada, some teachers in Alberta Catholic schools are fired for contravening Catholic doctrine about non-heterosexuality, while Ontario students’ requests to establish Gay/Straight Alliances are denied. This paper emphasizes the findings and implications of a study that examines the causes and effects of the long-standing disconnect between Canadian Catholic schools and the Charter by comparing the treatment of and attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq) teachers and students in publicly-funded Catholic school systems in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario.

Author

• Tonya D. Callaghan, University of Calgary