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'Queer our Schools' Campaign

The Queer Avengers will be launching its 'Queer our Schools' campaign today in Wellington.

Among other things, the campaign will demand that the Ministry of Education provide support for the development of student and community led Queer-Straight Alliances in every school throughout the country; making all schools accessible to transgendered, queer and gender-variant students through providing flexible dress codes and non-gendered bathrooms; and incorporating sexuality and gender diversity into school subjects such as history, science, health and English.

Kassie Hardendorp, one of the organizers, says, 'Our demands should not come as a surprise, in fact its long over-due; the ministry has consecutively failed, year after year, in its legal care-of-duty to provide safe and affirming environments for their students.

'Since 2007 the Ministry has known that 33% of queer youth face bullying on the basis of their identity and that 20% of queer youth will make at least one attempt on their own life, a rate 5 times higher than heterosexual students. A decimation is literally 1 in 10. This is 1 in 5'.

Further information about the campaign can be found at: www.thequeeravengers.org.nz.