SOGI (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity) is an acronym used in inclusive education in B.C.
The SOGI 1-2-3 program in B.C. includes: 1 — policies and procedures; 2 — inclusive environments; and 3 — teaching resources.
JL Crowe Secondary School has had an active SOGI club for over five years, and the past few years have been particularly successful for the club.
Last year, pre -COVID, the students were able to workshop and participate in a drag show put on at the Charles Bailey Theatre.
This year the club members designed a Kahoot (an online learning tool) about LGBTQ2S+ issues to help other students understand these issues.
They designed, made, and sold buttons from which the proceeds went to the IRSSS (Indian Residential School Survivors Society); and they created a ‘zine (a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images) which will be distributed in schools in the district.
It is also being sold at Goldrush Books in Rossland and Good Stuff in Trail.
Schools that promote SOGI have been shown to reduce discrimination, create a positive and welcoming space for all students, and reflect the diversity in students’ lives and society in general.
Members of the Crowe SOGI club are supported by teacher sponsors, but the club is student-run and led by the students.
The club is comprised of students in grades 8-12, and this year’s club had approximately 20 members.
(LGBTQ2S+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Two-Spirit+)
Nicole Tigchelaar
J.L. Crowe Languages Department, French Immersion