Affirming the Gender Identity and Expression of All Students

September 6, 2023

As representatives of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) and Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada (UUMOC), we join our colleague Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz (Saskatoon Unitarians) in urging the Government of Saskatchewan to pause, research and consult before moving forward with recent changes to its education policies.

Like Rev. Fraser Gitlitz, we are deeply concerned about the decision to require students under 16 to have parental permission to change their names and pronouns. The CUC adopted a resolution that “affirms and promotes the equal rights of persons regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression” in 2006. For more than twenty years, we have been challenging ourselves to identify and address barriers that prevent gender-diverse people of all ages from participating fully in our congregations and in society. As part of that process, we have been educating ourselves on the importance of preferred names and preferred pronouns. We ask that policymakers do the same.

When you affirm someone’s gender identity, you acknowledge their inherent worth and dignity. As a minister and as a facilitator of a lifespan sexuality education program called Our Whole Lives (OWL), Rev. Samaya Oakley has witnessed the incredibly positive impact this affirmation has on people, especially children and youth.

“When the messages you are receiving from your family or your culture are telling you that there is something wrong with you, there can be significant mental health impacts, even before considering the ways in which the ministry’s policies will increase the likelihood of bullying and harassment.”

We are also concerned about the Ministry of Education’s decision to ban teachers and schools from bringing in outside groups to deliver sexuality education. Teachers could benefit from having more training, resources, or expertise to provide students with accurate, developmentally appropriate information about gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual health, or relationships. Programs like OWL help students make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behaviour.

It is vitally important that our children experience school as a place where they are safe to be themselves. We join Rev. Fraser Gitlitz in urging the ministry of education to stop now and save lives.

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Additional Information and resources:

~ From the CUC’s National Voice Team: UU Ministers of Canada President, Rev. Samaya Oakley; CUC Board President, Kiersten Moore, and Executive Director, Vyda Ng.

The Canadian Unitarian Council / Conseil unitarien du Canada (CUC) is the national association of Unitarian Universalist congregations across Canada. The Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada (UUMoC) represents over 70 active ministers who serve congregations or work in the larger community.

We are a diverse religion bound by a common commitment to equity and justice. We covenant to a set of principles, which calls us to seek peace, liberty and compassion, to search for truth and meaning, and to respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person and the democratic process.