Toronto Love: Leanne Iskander

Leanne Iskander (center)
 with fellow marchers at Pride Premiere 2011

If you've been keeping up with the latest news, you may have heard of Leanne Iskander, a high school student striving for equality and human rights for LGBTQ communities within the Catholic Schools. 


I was able forward her some open-ended questions, in which she answers appropriately. This is quite an inspiration...




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1. Just to start off with the basics, tell me about yourself (anything from your family, interests etc.)

I am a youth activist and advocate for gay-straight alliances in all schools. I am a lesbian, a student, and a public speaker. But most importantly, I am a queer person in a Catholic School.

2. Tell me about your experience with Dyke March

The Dyke March was an incredible experience. Its goal is to provide a space and a voice for queer women, and it certainly did so. I had the honour of speaking at the rally before the march, and the other speakers were truly empowering. It was such a privilege to be honoured dyke. It was an emotional experience for me.

Leanne Iskander during Dyke March 2011

3. Being a young adult, what barriers and obstacles have you faced?

Being a young adult, it is difficult getting my message across because I am often not taken seriously by those older than me. When we first proposed a gay-straight alliance at our school, one of the reasons our principal gave as to why it was denied was that it would be “premature for our age group.” With the progress we’ve made so far, however, I do think we have proven that we are to be taken seriously. Despite our age, we have the same rights as everyone else.

5. There was some controversy about the "It Gets Better" campaign a while back. The problem most people had was that it was providing a false hope for LGBTQ high school students when in reality, problems do exist past high school. What is your input in this? (I did a posting on this on my blog if you would like to read it first and respond to my posting as well!)

I support Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign. I experienced a lot of bullying in middle school, and knowing that it would eventually get better was what got me through that difficult time in my life. I don’t believe that anyone deserves to be bullied or made to feel inferior, which is the reason all schools need gay-straight alliances. I understand that perhaps it won’t always get better immediately after high school, and I understand that some people have it more difficult than others, but there are people fighting to make it better for queer people, and progress is being made.

6. Who supports you? Are there people that have fallen behind?

Throughout our struggle to get gay-straight alliances in Catholic Schools, we have received an overwhelming amount of support from organizations, the queer community, and the community as a whole. We’ve received much help and advice from Queer Ontario and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and Xtra has helped us get the word out about our cause.

7. What is your mission statement?

Our mission statement is to ensure that queer people within the Catholic School System are treated with the equality, dignity and respect that they, as human beings, deserve.

8. Any future plans? What other events are you planning to take part in?

In early August, our group is going to have a meeting to assist students who will be attempting to start gay-straight alliances in their Catholic Schools in September. Later that month, we will be running a workshop about the importance of creating non-oppressive spaces at the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario’s annual provincial congress. Then, in September, we will be speaking at a series of panels hosted by Queer Ontario.

11. Misconceptions of the LGBTQ community sometimes makes me laugh because I'm in disbelief of how much ignorance is embedded in such comments and what not. Do you have any stories?

Yes, I have a few. Last year, a girl told me that gays didn’t deserve rights because they didn’t have their own country. Also, when we first started our GSA, there was a student who told me to stop “promoting” homosexuality. Then he told me that he thinks its okay to be a lesbian because guys are assholes, but that being a gay guy is just wrong. A few days later, he told me that he was homophobic and he had a problem. That whole conversation was just really weird…

Leanne Iskander (2nd from Left) at Proud of Toronto
Campaign at Toronto City Hall for Intl Day Against Homphobia
and Transphobia