Press Release

September 23, 2005

Censorship rears its ugly head again in Surrey, B.C.

Egale calls on B.C. government to stop censorship, ensure safe schools

Ottawa—This week the Surrey School Board cancelled a planned performance at Elgin Park Secondary School of The Laramie Project, a play about the 1998 hate motivated killing of Matthew Sheppard, a 21-year-old university student in Wyoming.

On Oct. 6, 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard was severely beaten, tied to a fence outside of town, and left to die, because he was gay. He was found unconscious the next day, but died in hospital five days later. The Laramie Project is a play about Matthew’s death. It has been performed at over 1,500 universities and high schools. Officials of the Surrey School Board admitted it carries “a powerful message of tolerance.” However, they claim it is not appropriate for young children and grandparents.

“This is outrageous,” said Gilles Marchildon, Executive Director of Egale. “Over and over again, the Surrey School Board has acted to prevent the teaching of tolerance in its schools. Their feeble justification for banning the play rings hollow in light of the play they chose to censor and their history of anti-gay actions.”

“The Surrey School Board doesn’t seem to understand the law,” said Laurie Arron, Egale’s Director of Advocacy. “They were told directly by the Supreme Court of Canada that anti-gay beliefs cannot justify censorship, and that teaching tolerance is always age appropriate. And earlier this year the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that school boards have a duty to make significant efforts to provide students with a discrimination-free school environment.”

“Schools are often breeding grounds for intolerance and hatred,” said Gemma Hickey, President of Egale’s Board of Directors. “Homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools has a significant and detrimental impact on all students. School boards must play an active role in providing a safe learning environment, free from harassment. The Surrey School Board has done the exact opposite.” In addition to her position as President of Egale, Ms. Hickey is project coordinator for a youth outreach project in Newfoundland and Labrador, aimed at countering the negative messages youth received around sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The question is, are we going to wait until something tragic happens or are we going to take action now,” adds Marchildon. “Some school boards have taken steps to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-identified students. Unfortunately, it’s clear the Surrey School Board cannot be trusted. Egale is therefore calling on the government of B. C. to take action to stop censorship in Surrey and to ensure that school boards provide ALL students with a safe school environment.”

Egale Canada advances equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people, and their families, across Canada. Founded in 1986, Egale has over 5,000 members including people in each and every province and territory of Canada. Its work includes political and legal advocacy, public education and awareness.

For more info:
Laurie Arron, Director of Advocacy, (cell) 416-839-7178
Gemma Hickey, President, (cell) 709-690-5244
Gilles Marchildon, Executive Director,
(office) 613-230-1043, (cell) 613-864-1133

Egale Canada ©2010

Advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people and their families across Canada