Response from UofT to the Newman anti-lgbtq program

A number of complaints have been received by the University about a program called ‘Courage’, currently operating at the Newman Centre.  In response the University issued the following public statement:

As with any complaints that are received, the University has reviewed the matter and inquired into the “Courage” program at the Newman Centre. The University’s Vice-President, Human Resources and Equity, Angela Hildyard, has informed the Newman Centre that she believes this program to be inconsistent with the University’s values as expressed in the University’s Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment, along with its Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence. Both these statements express the University’s commitment to ensuring that all programming, services, and educational endeavours accept diversity of identity, whether racial, sexual or based on religion or other statutorily protected attributes.  While the Newman Centre is an organization independent of the University of Toronto, many students are active in it and it sees itself as having a campus-related mandate. Professor Hildyard has urged the Newman Centre to cease offering or promoting this program and to make clear in all its publications that it is not part of or connected to the University of Toronto.

For more information on the University of Toronto’s Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence, please visit here:  http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/stateequdivexc.htm.