The Pride Movement has been a defining event in the history of the GSRD community and provided a means to bring the community together to advocate for rights and freedoms. Additionally, it helps us understand key concepts such as discrimination, oppression, activism, inclusion, equity, acceptance, and marginalization.
Hearing the stories of members of the GSRD community’s experiences with Pride brings a human dimension to the study of the Pride Movement. These personal accounts allow us to see the events from an individual’s point of view and in some cases the contract between individual experiences.
Studying the actions of individuals during the Pride Movement allows us to highlight what power individuals have on leading change within their community.
By studying the history of the Pride Movement, we can learn how the Government of Canada (and provincial/territorial governments) played a major role in the oppression and discrimination against members of the GSRD community and their role in dismantling this oppressive and discriminatory system.
The action by various governments demonstrates how a state can utilize its powers and policies to create an environment of discrimination and oppression for marginalized communities.
The world is becoming more inclusive and safer for members of the GSRD community, however, there still exists a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about our community. Teaching and learning about the Pride Movement can help learners identify this misinformation and misunderstandings and think more inclusively about their fellow students.
of students reported hearing homophobic language in schools
of trans students reported being verbally harassed in school
of GSRD Students reporting being physically harassed/assaulted in school
For more stats on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian Schools please review the Egale Canada Report