On December 30, long time Canadian gay activist Peter Corren (pictured with his husband) died after a long illness. Corren played a significant role in bring same sex marriage to British Columbia and ultimately all of Canada. Among my legally married gay friends, the first to marry did so in British Columbia where one of them had family. Besides marriage equality, Corren also worked to end homophobia in schools and argued for a realistic approach to gay reality in schools. Since we will exist whether or not our religious enemies like it, gays need to be an issue approached in schools just like other segments of society - a mindset still largely lacking here in Virginia. Here are some highlights on Corren from XTRA West:*
Peter Corren, who was instrumental in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada and to challenge homophobia in BC schools, died Dec 30 after a long illness. Friends and fellow education activists were quick to pay tribute to Corren, whom they uniformly described as passionately committed and tenacious in his pursuit of social justice.
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Peter and his husband Murray Corren have been on the forefront of the ongoing struggle to have queer realities recognized in classrooms for the last decade. "Their work in the Surrey case against the Surrey School Board and challenging the ministry of education for the lack of inclusion of queer people in the curriculum is a big hallmark and a legacy that Peter will leave behind," says education activist James Chamberlain. "It's probably one of the most significant things that has been done in BC in a long time."
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Chamberlain teamed up with the Correns to take the Surrey School Board to court for refusing to allow teachers to use three gay-friendly books in their classes. After six years of costly court decisions, appeals and counter-appeals, the school board eventually capitulated, marginally opening the door to let some gay-friendly books in, but still continuing to ban the original three.
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The Correns didn't stop there, reaching beyond school boards to demand the BC Ministry of Education take the lead to implement queer-friendly curriculum in schools across the province. In 1999, Peter and Murray filed a human rights complaint against the ministry alleging that the curriculum's failure to reflect queer realities amounted to discrimination by omission and suppression. That complaint, and the agreement the couple reached with the government in 2006 to settle it, is changing the education landscape in the province.
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Hansman also points to the couple's activism around same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples. The Correns were among BC's first petitioners for the right to marry and didn't stop advocating until gay marriage became legal across Canada. Also as a result of their activism, gay parents won the right to adopt children jointly in BC.
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"People are now getting married and adopting and doing all these things not necessarily cognizant of who some of the key players were that have put a lot on the line, financially and personally, and just the commitment to see those things through," Hansman says.
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Peter and his husband Murray Corren have been on the forefront of the ongoing struggle to have queer realities recognized in classrooms for the last decade. "Their work in the Surrey case against the Surrey School Board and challenging the ministry of education for the lack of inclusion of queer people in the curriculum is a big hallmark and a legacy that Peter will leave behind," says education activist James Chamberlain. "It's probably one of the most significant things that has been done in BC in a long time."
*
Chamberlain teamed up with the Correns to take the Surrey School Board to court for refusing to allow teachers to use three gay-friendly books in their classes. After six years of costly court decisions, appeals and counter-appeals, the school board eventually capitulated, marginally opening the door to let some gay-friendly books in, but still continuing to ban the original three.
*
The Correns didn't stop there, reaching beyond school boards to demand the BC Ministry of Education take the lead to implement queer-friendly curriculum in schools across the province. In 1999, Peter and Murray filed a human rights complaint against the ministry alleging that the curriculum's failure to reflect queer realities amounted to discrimination by omission and suppression. That complaint, and the agreement the couple reached with the government in 2006 to settle it, is changing the education landscape in the province.
*
Hansman also points to the couple's activism around same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples. The Correns were among BC's first petitioners for the right to marry and didn't stop advocating until gay marriage became legal across Canada. Also as a result of their activism, gay parents won the right to adopt children jointly in BC.
*
"People are now getting married and adopting and doing all these things not necessarily cognizant of who some of the key players were that have put a lot on the line, financially and personally, and just the commitment to see those things through," Hansman says.
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