The Sooke school district now stands alongside Burnaby and 13 other B.C. districts in adopting a policy to protect staff and students from homophobia.
On Oct. 25, Sooke school trustees unanimously passed a policy on sexual and gender diversity with a focus on protecting staff and especially students from homophobia in schools.
"It's fairly overt about the fact these folks need protection," said superintendent Jim Cambridge. "I'm very happy it's here. It's a group of students I've had some concern (for) over the last couple of years."
Cambridge said he hasn't seen overt cases of homophobic harassment in the district but added that that doesn't mean the problem is not occurring.
Patrick Henry, president of the Sooke Teachers' Association, brought the idea for a policy forward about three years ago following a 2008 B.C. Teachers' Federation motion that encouraged local branches of the union to push for gay-friendly policies with their respective boards of education.
"It's more about awareness than anything else," Henry said, "that people develop an awareness of the impact of discrimination and we create an inclusive environment in the school."
Henry said he was pleased the policy passed and noted that there has been no opposition so far.
Meanwhile, there has been controversial reaction to Burnaby's sexual orientation and gender identity policy, designed to protect staff and students from homophobic bullying and harassment. Oppositional parents formed an ad hoc group against the policy and a civic party, Burnaby Parents' Voice, that is running five trustee candidates in the Nov. 19 election.
Henry commented on the controversy in Burnaby.
"The picture that some of us living outside of Burnaby are seeing is that of a community divided on the issue of tolerance," he said. "It is bewildering and a bit disturbing that there are people in the world who would oppose efforts to protect young people in our schools for their innate, unalterable differences, whatever those differences may be."
BCTF president Susan Lambert pointed out that Sooke is the 15th of 60 B.C. districts to pass such a policy and said the 45 other boards "are certainly dragging their heels."
"Is that because there's opposition?" she asked. "I don't know."
According to the BCTF, Burnaby is the only district that's had major controversy to a policy on homophobia.
"Burnaby is the only place that's had such an aggressive reaction to the proposed board policy and to the adoption of that policy," Lambert said. "I think it's unfortunate. I think it's a fear-based reaction."
