By: Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – David Jason was in Grade 4 when the bullying began.

His self-described feminine mannerisms and “high, squeaky” voice attracted the attention of his classmates who began to ask him why he was gay.

By Grade 6, those classmates had graduated to hurling homophobic slurs, with “faggot” being the most common.

The next two years saw Jason’s enthusiasm for academics wane under the stress of the escalating verbal taunts and occasional physical harassment from his peers.French class was the scene of constant muttering, and the back of his head became a frequent target for balls of paper and other projectiles.

He transferred to a school well outside his Toronto neighbourhood in the hope of getting a fresh start, but encountered only new tormentors and staff who turned a blind eye when he was heckled or shoved into lockers.

When a vice-principal urged him to transfer to the Triangle Program, a Toronto high school catering solely to lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgendered youth, he was apathetic. Continue reading Many Canadian gay, bisexual, trans students harassed, bullied, study finds

Triangle Youth joined hundreds of people in a vigil for the lives lost due to homophobic & transphobic bullying in the Toronto village.  Current and past students spoke out on their experiences and their desire for more to be done protect and value LGBTQ youth in the school system. The vigil was in memory of the queer youth who took their lives and a call to action to policy makers and school boards for immediate action to save lives.

Visit the following sites to review media coverage and see our youth in action.

CityTV – Hundreds Gather In Support Of Gay Teens

Xtra- Toronto vigil for lives lost due to homophobic and transphobic bullying

Global News - Vigil condemns homophobic bullying

Toronto’s Triangle Program ensures at-risk queer youth get every chance to succeed

Doreen Fumia & Johannah May Black / Toronto / Thursday, August 26, 2010

In 1995, the deep cuts to education of the “Spare us Harris” years loomed. But luckily, just before the axe fell, social worker Tony Gambini and Toronto School Board trustee John Campey spearheaded a project to address the failure of the mainstream educational system to keep queer high school students safe and engaged. They worked with school administrators and the school board to establish an alternative program for at-risk LGBTQ youth. Triangle Program became and remains Canada’s first and only classroom specifically for LGBTQ students.

Triangle is characterized by its queer and out teachers, its safe classroom space away from Toronto District School Board (TDSB) property, and queer students who were pushed out of mainstream schools and who may otherwise have turned to the streets rather than finish high school.

Continue reading Canada’s first and only classroom for queer students marks 15 years