5 questions answered about the LGBTQ school policy debate

The balancing of parental notification and the safety of LGBTQ children has been a controversial topic in New Brunswick lately.

The government's changes to Policy 713, the education policy on gender identity, now make it mandatory to get parental consent before using a child under 16's chosen name and pronoun —even verbally — in class, according to Education Minister Bill Hogan.

And if a child says no to involving their parents, Hogan said they should be directed to a school psychologist or social worker to come up with a plan to do so.

School psychologists as well as child welfare, education and human rights experts have all come out against these changes. The New Brunswick Association of School Psychologists said refusing a child's request, unless a parent agrees, will hurt children, and increase the risk of suicide and self harm.

CBC News has spoken to a pediatrician and a psychologist about concerns raised by some parents who were interviewed while Policy 713 was under review.

1. How does making it mandatory to tell parents about pronoun and name changes hurt children?

If it's mandatory to tell all parents about pronoun and name changes, then it wouldn't be possible to protect the child who doesn't have an accepting family, according to New Brunswick's child and youth advocate Kelly Lamrock.

For some children, telling their parents is not always the safest option. 

According to a 2019 survey of Atlantic Canadian trans and non-binary youth, done by the Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre based at the University of British Columbia, 22 per cent of those who responded said they had run away from home, 30 per cent of respondents said they had attempted suicide in the past year, and 57 per cent said they had experienced discrimination based on their sex.

The New Brunswick Association of School Psychologists says ignoring a child's request to use different pronouns "increases risk of self-harm, suicidal ideation and other mental health concerns." 

Lamrock said making it mandatory to tell all parents is not worth the risk a child would be kicked out, abused or sent to conversion therapy as a result.

Lamrock said it's possible to address this concern in the policy without putting vulnerable children at risk. For example, he said, a line could have been added to the old policy, saying something like, if a child says no to involving parents, the school will offer support to bridge the gap. 

2. My child's teacher calls me if they are falling behind in class. Why shouldn't the teacher also mention pronoun changes?

Teachers are obligated to call parents when there's something wrong, said Shane Kelbaugh, a high school teacher in Anglophone South School District.