Student Concerns Re: Gender-Segregated Body Image Presentation

tldr: During period 4 on Thursday there will be a presentation in the auditorium for all female students, discussing body image and eating disorders. Male students will remain in class to watch a film recommended by the presenter.

We are concerned about the effect that this will have on transgender and gender diverse students, the fact that in addition to girls, many other students experience these issues as well and the possibility for this presentation to be triggering to many students who are not being given the option to choose not to attend. 

We would like the school to allow anyone who would like to, to attend the presentation and for it to not be made mandatory for anyone regardless of gender.

FULL TEXT:

On Thursday, December 22, 2016 during period 4 there will be a presentation in the auditorium for all female students, discussing body image and eating disorders by Brie Mathers. Male students will remain in class to watch a film recommended by the presenter.

This is concerning to us for several reasons.  

-Despite allowing transgender students to attend the presentation they are most comfortable with, this forces trans students to tell others that they are trans in order to attend the presentation they are comfortable with. As well many students identify as nonbinary and may be uncomfortable attending either presentation.

-In addition to girls, many other people also experience body image issues and eating disorders. These issues can affect boys as well as gender diverse and two-spirit people. People in these groups can be very negatively affected by the lack of acknowledgement of how these issues affect them and could greatly benefit from attending a presentation of this nature. 

-This presentation could also be beneficial to partners, friends and family members of those who experience body image issues and eating disorders and who may want to know how to better support their friends and loved ones.

-This presentation will discuss sensitive topics which may be triggering to some people. Attendance should not be mandatory, as students in this position should not feel pressured to attend. As well supports should be in place for those who need someone to talk to or would like to debrief after the presentation.

As such, as students of Lisgar C.I. we would like to ask that the Lisgar administration consider these points in more depth and find a solution that will best support all students when addressing these important topics. Specifically:

-All students should have the opportunity to attend the presentation that they are most comfortable with, regardless of gender identity or perceived gender identity. This means that anyone should have the choice to attend the presentation or to remain in class, regardless of the reasons that they choose to do this.   

-No student should be required to attend the presentation and should not be required to justify this choice to anyone, including teachers and administration.

-Attendance or lack thereof at the presentation should not create the real or perceived implication of a student's gender to others (eg. there should be no reason for students to assume that another student is a girl because they attended the presentation.)