DIVERSITY AT U OF T
A. Celebrating Sexual Diversity
Robert
J. Birgeneau
University of Toronto
Last Spring I attended an
event celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Sexual Diversity Studies
Program
based at University College. On that occasion,
most of the speeches and comments were typical of such celebratory
affairs and
appropriately so. However, something occurred during the reception that
caused
me to think more deeply about the impact of such a program as SDS on
our
University. An alumnus who had attended the University of Toronto some thirty years
ago engaged me in conversation. He remarked that the entire event would
have
been unthinkable when he was a student at the University. For him,
"coming
out" at the University of Toronto thirty years ago was
impossible, whereas he thought that now it would be impossible for him
not to
do so.
In light of his comments, I
began to think of my own commitment to the civil rights movement in the
1960s
and how the public's perception of racial minorities had changed in the
intervening years. This raised the natural question of how much our
campus had
changed in our collective attitudes towards persons of different sexual
orientations, especially in light of the recent national debate over
same‑sex
marriages. Would a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or queer
(LGBTQ)
student entering the University of Toronto this fall feel as
comfortable 'out'
as heterosexuals are about themselves?
I believe that in several
respects the University of Toronto has made great progress.
Apart from the existence of the SDS program itself, which fulfils an
academic
need identified by faculty and students, the University has developed
helpful
and supportive policies and offices ‑ including one devoted to LGBTQ
issues. If
anything is needed now, it is to move beyond the institutional level of
acceptance to broaden awareness and to celebrate sexual diversity on
our
campuses in much the same way that we celebrate our remarkable ethnic
and
cultural diversity.
The University of Toronto is about diversity
in all of its dimensions. This is, and will continue to be, a major
source of
its strength. The University is a major centre in Canada for knowledge and
creativity. By creating a community of people
with varied
backgrounds, we
provide an ideal setting for
education and for academic breakthroughs that can enhance the quality
of life
for all of our citizens.
American academic
Richard Florida has coined the term "creative class" to describe a
class that ranges from scientists to workers in information technology
to
artists and writers who through their interactions create new ideas,
new
technologies and new creative content. He has rated the economic
success of
American cities based on their abilities to appeal to this new class
and use
their presence to their advantage. In Florida's words,
"talented people seek an environment open to differences. Many highly
creative people, regardless of ethnic background or sexual orientation,
grew up
feeling like outsiders, different in some way from most of their
schoolmates.
When they are sizing up a new company and community, acceptance of
diversity
and of gays in particular is a sign that reads 'non‑standard people
welcome
here.'" The cities that rate highest on Florida's creativity
rankings are all places that foster creativity, and respect
individuality and
diversity as well as merit. Inevitably, they have thriving LGBTQ
communities.
The City of Toronto and the University of Toronto are, and must
continue to be, similarly welcoming environments.
I believe that as an
institution of higher education, we have an obligation to show
leadership in
areas where the general public may lag behind. This was the case during
the era
of civil rights, and it is the case today as we address issues of
gender and
sexuality. We cannot let controversy or inflexible opinions deter us
from
raising awareness and promoting understanding. Our campus must be an
inclusive
and welcoming community, and it must be so in full awareness of our
religiously
pluralistic environment. We can have diversity within diversity by
being
respectful of each other. At the same time, we can learn much more
about what
it is to be human by understanding humanity in all of its rich variety.
In the
process we can become an even greater university.
Indeed, the University of Toronto has been a social
leader on these questions: witness the recent national debate on
same‑sex
marriages. The University's institutional position on the matter has
largely
been defined because of actions taken over the past ten years as we
have
extended employee benefits to same‑sex couples in the same way that
they are
available to common‑law partners. In 1991, the University voluntarily added health
coverage
and the
tuition waiver
programs to same‑sex partners,
and in 1994/95, extended the equivalent of survivor benefits to
surviving same‑sex
partners. Initially these benefits had to come from outside of the
Pension Plan
because of government pension plan restrictions that were not amended
until
2000. Clearly, the University of Toronto was out in front
of government in its recognition of these basic principles. Today many
people
on campus believe that society should both cherish and solemnize
long‑term,
committed loving relationships between two people, whether of the same
or the
opposite sex. Of course, not everyone in the University community
shares this
position ‑ it is in the very nature of any university worthy of the
name that
it would be home to dissenting views.
The University of Toronto in almost all
respects is a very civil place. Nevertheless, there has been an uneven
acceptance of alternative sexual orientations across, and within, our
three
campuses. We have had incidents of homophobia, more persistent in some
areas of
the university than in others. Though our policies offer protection
against
discrimination and attempt to engender acceptance and understanding, we
need to
educate our community continually to the advantages of inclusiveness
while at
the same time condemning any acts of exclusion. Admittedly, social
change is
difficult and complex; but, no individuals associated with our
University
should feel that they are any less than full members of our community.
We, as a
community of students and teachers and staff, must set a precedent for
the rest
of society by recognizing ‑ and celebrating ‑ our diversity as one of
our
greatest strengths.
October
20, 2003.
URL:
http://www.utoronto.ca/president/index.html
Newsletter, January 2004 -Text