The sexual assault trial of five former World Juniors hockey players has spotlighted issues around sexual assault and consent.

Sexual assault, intimate partner violence and other forms of gender-based violence aren’t inevitable. Kindergarten to Grade 12 public schools have an ethical obligation to enact sexuality education that is responsive to current contexts, respects human diversity, empowers young people and is rooted in human rights.

We argue for harnessing popular media to advance sexuality education. Children and youth learn about a great deal about gender, relationships, sexuality and consent from popular media.

Although there is strong theoretical rationale for using popular media to confront sexual assault, many teachers identify and experience barriers to putting this into practice in their classrooms.

Read the full article here. 

“The SVRC offers a number of programs, workshops and education opportunities throughout the year, through these interactions we have heard from male students about their struggles in creating positive campus change,” says Emily Livingston, Education and Programs Office at the SVRC. “Our goal with this pilot project is to engage men in our community, collaborating with and supporting them on doing the work they see needs to be done in creating a more healthy and equitable campus.”

In addition to engaging and supporting each other in their personal growth, group members will envision, design and carry out a number of outreach activities during the winter semester with the goal of engaging male students in sexual violence prevention initiatives. Participants will receive an honoraria for their involvement with the program.

“The group will provide the space for male students to recognize their role in creating a safer University environment while also allowing folks to explore some of their pre-conceived notions of what it means to be a man in today’s world,” says José Diaz, SVRC Trauma Specialist. ”We want to provide support to participants who have the desire to create campus change, who are committed to building a safer campus for everybody.”

Information on applying for a spot in this program is available on UMconnect or by emailing sveducation@umanitoba.ca. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, August 27 at midnight. Students who self-declare as men and/or gender non-binary are encouraged to apply.

The Court of Queen’s Bench and The Provincial Court of Manitoba issued Practice Directives regarding forms of address for parties and counsel which took effect on September 13, 2021.  The Practice Directives reflect the ongoing and evolving efforts of the Courts to treat all participants with equal dignity and respect.

For those unfamiliar with civil procedure at this stage, the various levels of Court occasionally issue Practice Directives to provide greater direction and clarity on certain issues relating to court practice and procedure. Lawyers and parties to an action are expected to comply with these directives. 

The Practice Directives regarding forms of address set out how parties may introduce themselves and advise the Court, fellow lawyers, and other parties of their preferred form of address and pronouns.  At the start of proceedings, counsel introducing themselves, their client or a witness to the Court by stating each person’s name, title (e.g. “Mr./Ms./Mx./Counsel Jones”) and the correct pronouns to be used for each individual.

An example of a counsel introduction would be: “I am Jane Doe and my last name is spelled D-O-E.  I use the pronouns she/her and can be addressed as Ms. Doe.  I represent the Defendant, Mx. Aaron Smith, last name spelled S-M-I-T-H who uses the pronouns they/them”.

When calling a witness to the stand, an example of that introduction would be: “I call to the stand the Defendant’s next witness, David Jones.  David Jones uses the title Mr. and he/him pronouns”.

In a webinar on September 16, 2021, Chief Justice Joyal of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench and Chief Judge Margaret Wiebe of the Provincial Court of Manitoba, along with representatives from the Manitoba Bar Association, Law Society of Manitoba and practicing bar answered questions and provided additional information regarding the Practice Directives.  The over-riding message was that the simple act of sharing pronouns was an important step towards a more inclusive profession and a safer space for all participants in the legal process, be it lawyers, parties to an action, or witnesses to court proceedings. 

Chief Justice Joyal and Chief Judge Wiebe stressed that, as this is a new practice, the parties involved will make occasional mistakes and that counsel should not worry that simple mistakes would lead to a rebuke from a Judge or a complaint to the Law Society.  With time, this practice of setting out forms of address and preferred pronouns will become second nature.

The Law Society discussed how they are taking steps within their organization to let others know their pronoun preferences, such as updating website bios and adding preferred pronouns to their email signatures and Zoom display names.  They also suggested that parties be mindful when addressing groups of people and that phrases such as “Welcome everyone” or “Hello Colleagues” be encouraged rather than “Hello Ladies and Gentlemen” which would exclude non-binary members of the crowd.

Practicing member of the bar Eli Milner (Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP) said they hoped this practice direction would have a “trickle down” effect on the profession and make people more cognizant of not misgendering individuals.  Eli also suggested that people consider not writing “Dear Sir” in a letter if you do not know someone’s preferred pronoun and, when in doubt, instead write “Dear Counsel” or “Dear John Doe”.

For both up-and-coming members of the legal profession as well as current practicing members of the Bar, it is encouraging to see the Manitoba Courts taking steps to make the courtroom experience more welcoming and safer for all participants in an what can sometimes be an intimidating environment.

Speaking on the theme, Toward a Gender-Expansive Teacher Education: The Implications of Gender Identity and Gender Expression for Professional Practice, Airton’s lecture draws on work over 10 years involving hundreds of teacher candidates to increase a sense of belonging and to encourage participation of students of all genders and sexualities.

Airton’s work as a researcher, blogger, advocate and speaker, focusing on developing welcoming environments for gender and sexual diversity in everyday life. Airton founded They Is My Pronoun blog where the audience reads responses to questions posed about gender-neutral pronoun usage. In recognition of No Big Deal Campaign, a social-media initiative supporting transgender peoples’ pronoun-usage rights, Airton received a 2017 Youth Role Model of the Year Award from the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

Among the journals publishing Airton’s scholarly work, include Sex Education, Curriculum Inquiry, and Teachers College Record. Partnering with Dr. Susan Woolley, they are currently editing a collection of lesson plans on gender diversity for K-12 teachers. 

The event includes a panel discussion, organized in collaboration with Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Teachers’ Society, and Rainbow Resource Centre. Panel speakers include:

• Muhammed Ahsan, education program coordinator, Rainbow Resource Centre;
• Greg Daniels, assistant superintendent of schools, River East Transcona School Division;
• Jackie Swirsky, speech-language pathologist, author, public speaker and parent of a gender-diverse child, and
• Beck Watt, Teacher Candidate, LGBTQ Representative, Education Student Council.

The lecture marks the first of Ed Talk Series 2018, themed “Sustain the Dialogue: Supporting Transgender & Gender Diverse Students in Schools.”

Toward a Gender-Expansive Teacher Education: The Implications of Gender Identity and Gender Expression for Professional Practice

Monday, Jan. 8

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Room 224 Education Building

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Education (Fort Garry Campus)

The event is funded by the Faculty of Education Endowment Fund and Project Q.