TORONTO The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) has reinstated a website to its resource page following criticism from some members of the LGBTQ+ community. On Monday, the executive director of LGBT Youth Line issued a statement saying the TCDSB had removed the organization’s website from its online list of resources for students. Following a meeting with the TCDSB trustee on Wednesday, Berkha Gupta said the school board amended its decision.
LGBT Youth Line has been active for 25 years and aims to support youth who may feel isolated about their sexuality. The organization’s website was originally removed from the TCDSB’s list after Gupta received an email from the school board saying there was a section that included “inappropriate material.”
TCDSB reinstates LGBT Youthline link on website after backlash
by Faiza Amin and Dilshad Burman
Posted Jan 13, 2021 10:27 pm EDT
Last Updated Jan 14, 2021 at 7:33 am EDT
The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) has reinstated a link to the LGBT Youthline on their website after facing backlash for its removal on Tuesday.
The link was removed because of what the board said was “inappropriate material” found on the site.
According to the LGBT Youthline, the TCDSB sent them an email stating that they found objectionable material on the site, linking an article written by former Liberal MP Joe Volpe, who referred to it as a “pornographic website.”
Catholic School District Removes LGBTQ+ Resources There is a long history accusing 2SLGBTQ+ people of pedophilia and of corrupting children and youth, says YouthLine Executive Director Berkha Gupta. January 12 2021 11:17 PM EST
Updated January 13 2021 7:23 PM EST
Canadian youth support organization LGBT YouthLine was removed from the Toronto Catholic District School Board s list of student resources after an article from a noted anti-LGBTQ columnist called its material pornographic.
Similar to the Trevor Project, LGBT YouthLine offers online resources and confidential peer support through telephone, text, and chat services for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ youth in Ontario but in the article by former Canadian politician Joe Volpe in his Italian-language newspaper
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A support phone line for LGBTQ youth is urging Toronto’s Catholic school board to repost the resource on the board website.
LGBT YouthLine says the Toronto Catholic District School Board removed its information from the board website owing to what it described as “inappropriate material” on the group’s site.
YouthLine says the board pointed to an article that claimed the group linked to “pornography” on its website, which the organization says is untrue and “overt homophobia and transphobia.”