Sixteen years ago, when I started teaching at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, there was no Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA). I was told that a teacher had once tried to start up a GSA and only one student showed up to the first couple of meetings, so the club was cancelled.
A few years later, educator Emma Munro came to the school and together with some passionate students, we started up a GSA. In the past thirteen years, the atmosphere in the school has improved a lot. I’ve noticed students feel much more comfortable talking about queer and trans issues, and openly championing queer and trans rights. These conversations are becoming increasingly common, and the Toronto District School Board as a whole has really embraced LGBT rights -- still, we can’t be complacent. The school climate for queer and trans students has improved, but there’s still a long way to go.
Students are still teased and harassed because of their sexual orientation or because they don’t fit into gender stereotypes. Some students who may have wanted to participate in Project Love stayed away for fear that their friends or family might find out. It’s still not easy being a teenager who’s queer or trans today.
This is why this Project Love and the mosaic we created is important. It sends a powerful message to the entire school that gay and trans students are welcome. Every time I walk by this mosaic, my spirit is lifted, and I like to think that the spirit of everyone at Marc Garneau who is queer or trans, or who loves someone who is queer or trans, is also lifted.
When the GSA was brainstorming a slogan to add to the mosaic, we came up with “Love Has No Gender.” I think it’s a great slogan, but it’s not entirely self-explanatory. I remember Tristan, co-lead artist, one day said “It sounds great, but what does it mean??” For me, “Love Has No Gender” means that we need to remember what’s really important in life. As a society, we have a lot of gender hang-ups. We expend enormous amounts of energy commenting on the gender of people in romantic relationships and the way people express their gender.
I’m not saying that we need to get rid of gender, but we need to embrace gender in all its diversity, and we should remember what’s really important in life, and that’s love. Love is what unifies us and gives life its meaning. Love and respect for our romantic partners. Love and respect for our family and friends. And love and respect for ourselves.
Project Love has been a collaborative effort of many people. Thank you to Rosedale United Church for providing the funding for Project Love and to ReDefine Arts and artists Anna Camilleri, Tristan R. Whiston and Katie Yealland for leading us in the creation of this beautiful mosaic -- none of this would have happened without you.