Free to be me: Rainbow schools hold diversity conference
A two-day symposium is underway at Cambrian College that aims to create and enhance support for students who are part of the LGTBQ2S community, as well as allies.
The Rainbow District School Board has held the event since 2009, dubbed 'Embrace Diversity: Free to Be Me.'
“The biggest thing for us is inclusion,” said Patrick Hopkin, Free to Be Me conference chair.
"Feeling comfortable in who you are -- who you are as a person, who you are as an ally and how to support students and support one another."
Day 1 on Wednesday kicked off with a presentation from Bradie Granger, chair of Cambrian’s schools of justice and general studies.
“I wish they had these when I was growing up," Granger said.
"I feel very fortunate and humbled and honoured to be asked to be a speaker here and to be able to share my story with folks that are allies or part of the LGBTQ community."
Granger had some priorities to share with students: living authentically, empowering them to be themselves and supporting others to do the same.
"You can’t change the world without being out there and we can all play a part if we are living our truth,” said Granger.
The second keynote address came from Martin Boyce, who was a teenager in New York in the 1960s and participated in the Stonewall Riots.
The riots were a series of spontaneous and violent demonstrations that are considered the most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.
“Stonewall was grassroots," said Boyce.
"We are going to have to face new battles, but we are in a better position to face these battles … We have to fight to make it more perfect or better."
Wednesday's event had 170 participants from Grades 9-12. On Thursday, almost 200 Grade 7 and 8 students will watch Granger's presentation and will participate in breakout sessions to discuss topics such as discovery, moving forward to high school, growth mindset, laws and rights, culture and dealing directly with language.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'