. Alexander v. Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
In Alexander v. Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (Div Court, 2024) the Ontario Divisional Court dismissed a JR, here of "a decision of the Suspension and Exclusion Appeals Committee of the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board which denied four appeals by the applicant ... from suspension and exclusion orders".
At paras 24-34 the court recounts a history regarding the exclusion and events leading up to it, which related to discrimination against transgendered students, and then continues::
[42] The respondent’s submissions in this court included material from the Ontario Human Rights Commission describing the vulnerability of transgendered youths in schools including the recognition that “Trans youth can face a wide range of prejudice and discriminatory treatment at a very challenging time in their life. This can include educators and fellow students not addressing them by their chosen name and pronoun, and a lack of access to appropriate and safe washrooms and change room facilities. Trans youth are especially vulnerable to harassment and bullying from peers. The Commission’s gender identity and expression policy reported that:
A 2011 Canadian survey found:
. 78% of trans students feel unsafe in their schools
. 74% of trans youth had been verbally harassed because of their gender identity
. 49% had experienced sexual harassment in school because of their gender identity
. 37% had been physically harassed or assaulted because of their gender identity or expression.
Most of the case is useful reading for anyone involved in a similar transgendered versus religious rights case.
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