Courage in the Face of Hate

In our continued fight to prevent discrimination, bullying and hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, Egale is proud to announce the launch of the Courage in the Face of Hate (CFH) project.

Courage in the Face of Hate - Preview

The CFH project will travel to cities across Canada conducting focus groups and individual interviews with victims of hate crime based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.

The victim focus groups will create a network and community of shared experience where victims can tell their stories, helping victims on their journey to self-restoration, and recommend helpful services and interventions for victims. The interviews will focus on the individual experience with hate crime and will be an opportunity for victims to share in depth their stories and work to overcome the trauma of their victimization.

The individual interviews will be filmed and the footage from them, along with Egale's research, will be used to compile a video which will be distributed to high schools across Canada, along with an accompanying lesson plan that will help facilitate and guide discussion in classrooms around the occurrence of hate crimes based on a person's real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression. Through the video and accompanying lesson plan, we hope to educate and engage young people across the nation to help in the fight against hate crime.

According to Statistics Canada: Hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation doubled in 2008, and increased by another 18% in 2009. In 2009, 74% of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were violent crimes, with common assault being the most frequent type of violent offence. As a result, 63% of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation resulted in physical injury to the victim—far more than any other identifiable group. A youth phenomenon: The peak ages of those accused of hate crimes in Canada are 17 and 18; over half of both victims and those accused are between 12 and 22. Educational facilities rank second among offence locations.

The project is a joint venture between Egale Canada and Prof. Barbara Perry, a leading Professor of Criminology with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Prof. Perry is a specialist in hate crime research and prevention and she will be facilitating the focus groups and individual interviews. The video footage and information collected by the CFH project will be used by Prof. Perry in her research.

As the project travels from city to city, Egale will need the support of community organizations, university groups and individuals to reach out and connect with victims of hate crime. We invite everyone to spread the word of the Courage in the Face of Hate project and help us as we help victims of hate crime on their journeys of healing and educate young people against the effects of victimization.

Anyone interested in participating in or contributing to the CFH project may contact us by emailing stophate@egale.ca or calling us at 1-888-204-7777 ext. 26.

Let us stand together in the fight against homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and bullying.

Upcoming Dates and Locations:

• Toronto: Thursday, 24 November 2011, 6:00 PM. Click here for details.
• Ottawa: Wednesday, 30 November 2011, 6:30 PM. Click here for details.
• Kitchener-Waterloo: Tuesday, 6 December 2011, 6:30 PM. Click here for details.
• Kingston: Tuesday, 10 January 2012, 7:00 PM. Click here for details.
• London: Monday, 16 January 2012, 6:30 PM. Click here for details.
• Regina: Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 6:30 PM. Click here for details.
• Montréal: Samedi 24 mars 2012, 14h00. Cliquez ici pour plus de détails.
• Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL: Week of March 26, 2012. Click here for details.

Egale Canada ©2011

Canada's LGBT human rights organization: advancing equality, diversity, education, and justice.