Latest news with #2SLGBTQ
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Meet one of the activists who fought for 2SLGBTQ+ rights in N.B.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal in New Brunswick, but it hasn't always been that way. Hank Williams is a 2SLGBTQ+ activist who helped fight for the 1992 amendment to New Brunswick's Human Rights Act that provided legal protection for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
How beach bonfires became a staple of St. John's Pride celebration
St. John's Pride festivities are in full swing across the city, but the annual beach party goes back decades, representing Newfoundland and Labrador's 2SLGBTQ+ history. The beach party will be held on Tuesday at Topsail Beach, but the event is more than a fun party. Beach bonfires started being held by members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the 1980s, said Susan Rose, who attended the early gatherings. Rose would go to the bonfires with other friends. She said they would see Pride celebrations in bigger cities like Toronto, and wanted to celebrate too. "So a group of us just got together and said, 'Let's go to Middle Cove Beach and have a bonfire,'" Rose told CBC Radio's Weekend AM. Rose said many people feared they could lose their job if people found out they were 2SLGBTQ+. While homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada in 1969, discrimination based on sexual orientation was outlawed in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1997. "I always remember being on alert until we were protected," said Rose. "I started teaching in 1985 and I had to be more careful then because I would have lost my job." The early bonfires were set up in secluded spots behind rocks, because it allowed the people to be somewhat hidden. Rose said they even had someone on watch. "I remember feeling, 'Wow, I'm in the closet on the beach.' And that really stuck with me.… That puts you on edge," she said. At one point, she said, a group of women held a bonfire alone, but found out the hard way that it wasn't safe. "Of course, we were a bunch of good looking young women and some of the guys there sort of wandered over," said Rose. Eventually, they started inviting gay men as well. "Some of us would be sitting there on the rock, with the fire, and holding hands … but you were always sitting … on a hot rock," said Rose. The beach bonfire became something members of the local 2SLGBTQ+ community began doing every year. Now it is a staple of the Pride celebration. While the event is usually held at Middle Cove Beach, St. John's Pride spokesperson Ellen Davis said this year it will be held on Topsail Beach because it's more accessible. "It's a wonderful celebration down there now and there's no need to worry, and everyone can hold hands and hug each other and not be harassed or targeted," said Rose. And in the event of a fire ban, like the one currently in place provincewide, Davis said an announcement will be made on social media about possibly postponing.
10-07-2025
- Politics
Alberta bans sexually explicit books in schools
Alberta's education minister says sexually explicit content must be gone from school library shelves as of Oct. 1, but says the announcement (new window) is not about book banning. Demetrios Nicolaides says the move is about putting rules in place for schools that until now have had no standard for selecting age-appropriate books for its libraries. This was never about erasing particular narratives from school libraries, Nicolaides told a news conference in Calgary Thursday. This is simply about ensuring young students are not exposed to content depicting oral sex, child molestation or other very inappropriate content. As part of the announcement, Nicolaides issued a list of specific sex acts that can't be explicitly described in library books alongside new rules for what students can read. Explicit sexual content, defined by the province as detailed and clear depictions of sexual acts, including masturbation, penetration and ejaculation, will not be accessible to students in any grade. Non-explicit sexual content, which refers to depictions of sexual acts that are not detailed or clear, will only be accessible to students in Grade 10 or higher. Non-sexual content, such as information about puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, biological functions, kissing or hand-holding, will be accessible to all students. Religious texts, such as the Bible, will be allowed on the shelves. School boards must review library materials, and school officials will be tasked with supervising students to make sure they are reading appropriate material. No additional funds will be allotted for this work. Other deadlines will follow. By Jan. 1, new school board policies must be in place dictating how books are selected and reviewed. School divisions will also need to publish a full list of available materials. The new policy stems from an announcement Nioclaides made in May that four inappropriate coming-of-age graphic novels were found in school libraries in Edmonton and Calgary. He said each of the books contain graphic sexual material as well as depictions of molestation and drug and alcohol use. The government launched an online survey prior to Thursday's announcement. The survey found that the majority of respondents across demographics don't support the government setting new standards for school library books. Critics have said the province seems more concerned about engaging in culture-war politics than student well-being, as most of the books Nicolaides said he was looking to take off shelves deal with 2SLGBTQ+ subject matter. Nicole Buchanan, chair of Red Deer Public Schools, who was also at the announcement, endorsed the new rules and said it's important to know that content and resources are age appropriate. Take substances like alcohol and tobacco, for example. Some students in our schools may be of the provincial age to consume them, Buchanan said. But that doesn't mean that we put them in our vending machines. Corrections An earlier version of this story was incorrect. In fact, school children in Alberta under the new rules will be allowed to read books with information about puberty, menstruation, breastfeeding and other non-sexual topics, such as hugging, kissing and hand-holding. The earlier Canadian Press reporting incorrectly stated that students in Grade 9 and younger would not be allowed to read about those topics. Jul 10, 2025 4:51 PM EDT Lisa Johnson (new window) · The Canadian Press
CBC
10-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta education minister to give update on new rules for school library books
Social Sharing Alberta's education minister is set to provide an update today on the development of new provincial rules for school library books. Demetrios Nicolaides announced in May that Alberta would be setting new standards for the books. He said the review came after his ministry became aware of four coming-of-age graphic novels in school libraries in Edmonton and Calgary. Nicolaides said each of the books contained inappropriate content, including graphic sexual material as well as depictions of molestation, drug and alcohol use. A government survey on the topic launched after Nicolaides's announcement found that the majority of respondents across demographics didn't support the government setting new standards for library books. Critics have said the government seems more concerned about engaging in culture-war politics than student well-being, noting that each of the books Nicolaides said he was looking to take off shelves dealt with 2SLGBTQ+ subject matter.
India Today
10-07-2025
- India Today
Indian-origin teens pose as queers, target 2SLGBTQ+ members in Canada, detained
Three Indian-origin teenagers have been held in connection with a series of violent robberies in Brampton targeting members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community by posing as queer individuals, and attacking South Asians after luring them through social media, Canada's Peel Regional Police (PRP) has three separate incidents between April and May, suspects allegedly used social media to lure victims into in-person meetings under false pretences, where they were then robbed — at times at gunpoint, the PRP in May, two suspects were arrested in connection with the case, taking the total number of arrests to 5. "On Saturday, May 31, two suspects were initially arrested. However, as the investigation progressed, a total of six suspects were identified. Investigators now believe that the suspects relied on false pretences to target South Asians, including members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and lure them into meetings," the police said in a statement issued on earlier arrested persons were identified as 20-year-old Abhijot Singh from Brampton, while 21-year-old Ridhampreet Singh is from PORTRAYED THEMSELVES AS MEMBERS OF 2SLGBTQ+ COMMUNITYOn Friday, July 4, police executed search warrants at several residences in the Peel region. As a result, 18-year-old Hardil Singh Mehrok of Brampton and two male youths aged 16 and 17 were detained. All three individuals have been charged with two counts of kidnapping and three counts of robbery, according to the Bell, spokesperson for Peel Police, said the suspects portrayed themselves as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to create a sense of trust among victims, CBC News noted that while Snapchat was the primary platform used to contact victims, other social media platforms may have also been SUSPECT STILL AT LARGE IN VIOLENT ROBBERIES PROBEThe police said that an arrest warrant has been issued for 20-year-old Preetpal Kooner of Mississauga for the same spokesperson said the investigation is "still very active" and police could potentially identify more offenders and charges over time, CBC believe there may be additional victims who have not come forward out of fear, the police added.A string of attacks highlights the growing threat to South Asian community members in the in May, three men of Indian origin were arrested in Brampton after allegedly opening fire inside a business establishment in an attempt to carry out extortion, the PRP said. Authorities stated that the incident is part of a broader pattern of crimes targeting South Asian-owned businesses in the region.- Ends
