Ontario’s Human Rights Commission joining sex ed legal challenge
Posted October 9, 2018 11:31 am.
Last Updated October 9, 2018 12:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission says it will join a legal challenge of the interim sexual-education curriculum introduced by the province’s Progressive Conservative government.
The commission says it believes the interim curriculum discriminates based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Six students’ families filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in August, claiming the curriculum makes no mention of issues such as gender diversity or the rights of LGBTQ students.
The Human Rights Commission says it will join the tribunal’s legal challenge, arguing the document also eliminates key information about consent, putting students at greater risk of sexual violence.
Premier Doug Ford promised to repeal and replace the sex-education curriculum during the spring election, and delivered on that promise shortly after taking office this summer.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the union representing Ontario’s elementary school teachers have also launched their own legal challenges over changes to the curriculum.
