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June 20, 2013
Gay 8th grade teacher surprised when 'tough' kids in class play him pro-gay Youtube video

Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis about struggles of being gay

A gay eighth-grade teacher in Ontario, Canada, didn't know what to expect when two of the 'tough' kids in his class wanted to bend the riles for the 'YouTube of the Day' part of class. 

The kids, who he calls Harry and Mark, wanted to show the video to the class without letting the teacher screen it first for appropriateness. The teacher decided to take a deep breath and take a chance.

He's awfully glad he did.

January 27, 2013
Canada gets first lesbian premier

The Canadian province of Ontario has its first female premier following a vote on Friday – making her also the first openly gay or lesbian person to lead a Canadian provincial government

On Friday the Canadian province of Ontario appointed Kathleen Wynne to be its next premier – making her the province’s first female leader and the first openly gay or lesbian provincial leader in Canadian history.

Wynne, a Canadian Liberal Party MP, had previously served as the province’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Aboriginal Affairs before resigning from cabinet to run for the party’s leadership.

January 27, 2013
Canada gets first lesbian premier

The Canadian province of Ontario has its first female premier following a vote on Friday – making her also the first openly gay or lesbian person to lead a Canadian provincial government

On Friday the Canadian province of Ontario appointed Kathleen Wynne to be its next premier – making her the province’s first female leader and the first openly gay or lesbian provincial leader in Canadian history.

Wynne, a Canadian Liberal Party MP, had previously served as the province’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Aboriginal Affairs before resigning from cabinet to run for the party’s leadership.

January 14, 2013
Judge says UK civil partners can divorce like married Canadian couples

Ontario court judges that gay couple with a British civil partnership qualified as married

A Canadian judge has decided that a gay couple with a UK civil partnership can be treated as married – and therefore get divorced.

The judgement in Ontario follows legal objections from the Canadian federal Crown.

In 2009 Wayne Hincks and Gerardo Gallardo entered into a civil partnership in London. Both obtained Canadian citizenship after emigrating to Toronto in 2010.

Unlike Canada, British law does not currently allow same-sex couples to marry although civil partnerships allow for similar rights and responsibilities.

December 3, 2012
School lifts ban on trans boy using male toilets

Canadian trans student, 16, was previously told to use female washroom despite having transitioned before joining the school

A transgender student in Canada is now allowed to use the men's toilets after the school previously banned him.

James Spencer, 16, was angry after Clarke High School in Ontario's Durham Region, near Toronto, told him he can only use the female washroom or a private bathroom which requires a key from the office.

Spencer enrolled at the school as a boy and collected signatures from about half the pupils for a petition in support of his complaint.

November 14, 2012
Trans student banned from male toilets at school

Canadian trans boy, 16, told to use female washroom despite having transitioned before joining the school

A Canadian school has banned a transgender student from using the men's toilets, despite having already transitioned.

James Spencer, 16, is angry after Clarke High School in Ontario's Durham Region, near Toronto, told him he can only use the female washroom or a private bathroom which requires a key from the office.

'I thought, "They’re figuring it out, it’s temporary,"' he told Canadian newspaper The Star.

August 21, 2012
Canadian parents support trans dad who breastfeeds

Father denied leadership position at Canadian breastfeeding support group 

Canadian breastfeeding advocates and parenting experts are showing support for a transgender man who was refused a leadership role at a motherhood support group.

Trevor MacDonald (MacDonald is a pseudonym), 27, from Winnipeg, has been nursing his infant son for 16 months, but was told by La Leche League Canada (LLLC) that he cannot lead support circles or serve as a breastfeeding coach because he identifies as a man, which goes against the organization's definition of motherhood.

June 14, 2012
Ontario amends human rights code to protect trans

Canadian province is first in North America to change law to end discrimination against transgender people

Ontario in Canada has amended its Human Rights Code to protect transgender people.

It is the first province in North America to extend the anti-discrimination law to include 'gender identity' and 'gender expression'.

Upon hearing the decision, which was agreed unanimously by all members of the legislature in Toronto, transgender people hugged and shook hands with MPPs in the lobby, reported CBC News.

April 29, 2012
Former homophobes film warning video to younger selves

Students from the University of Western Ontario in Canada launch the Get REAL campaign 

A new anti-homophobia campaign is being launched by university students to try to teach the younger generation to be more open-minded than they were.

The students from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, started the Get REAL campaign by filming a video in which they address their grade seven selves.

Started by student Chris Studer, the campaigners are hoping the video will inspire kids to be tolerant before they are old enough to have regrets.

April 21, 2012
Gay porn interrupts Canadian morning news

Local cable company accidentally inserts wrong programming after fixing cut cable lines

As Canadians were sipping their morning coffee, they were shocked to discover yesterday (20 April) their morning news had been switched to gay pornography.

The unscheduled change in broadcasting at 9.30am, which affected local broadcast station CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario, lasted for roughly three minutes as programmers frantically tried to fix the problem.

Vice-president of news at CHCH Mike Katrycz apologised to viewers, and blamed a local cable company which inadvertently inserted the wrong programming after fixing cut cable lines.

December 22, 2011
New hope for HIV vaccine in Canada

University of Western Ontario researchers get go-ahead for human trials on new HIV vaccine

Hope is on the horizon in the fight against HIV after Canadian researchers have finally been given the go ahead to begin human trials on a new vaccine.

Trails will begin in January and will involve both HIV positive volunteers and people from high risk groups being injected with the vaccine.

It has taken researchers at the University of Western Ontario 10 years to develop the SAV001 vaccine and has cost around $10million (Canadian) ($10million €7.5million).