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Officials at a Toronto Catholic school decided they’d discriminate against a gay man who had been invited to talk to students about oppression.
Suhail AbualSameed was asked to talk about immigration issues at St Dunstan Catholic School in Scarborough on Mar 21 to commemorate the International Day To End Racial Discrimination. Among other projects, AbualSameed works with Supporting Our Youth’s program for young queer immigrants. But when organizers found gay content in his bio, they tried to get him to call off his presentation.
“I am still shocked that in this day and age, in a city like Toronto, I am faced with such acts of ignorance and institutionalized homophobia and discrimination,” AbualSameed wrote in a letter to friends.
The elementary school was concerned that AbualSameed’s bio indicated he worked with gay youth, and therefore was likely gay himself.
“He said that it was a contentious issue in the board and they had concerns about him discussing involvement with gay youth,” says Edan. “I said that it was a concern for us that they would perpetuate other forms of discrimination on a day that was meant to be about the elimination of racism. It struck me too that he was in an awkward position because he kept emphasizing that these weren’t his personal views.”