The Positive space campaign will be coming to Memorial University of Newfoundland in the fall of 2002.
According to a source from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), the Positive Space Campaign has been on the top of their lists for quite some time. Because the CFS is implementing this campaign, it will become a nation wide project, reaching every university and college in Canada. It will be a full-scale national campaign, with the CFS covering all costs.
This is great news for campus groups who have been concerned about the level of safety on campus and about the attitudes of students, faculty and staff. " People may say that there isn't any homophobia here on campus, but I have seen It. ", says one LBGT - Mun volunteer. " A positive space campaign is a chance to educate people, and make LBGT issues visible. " Many volunteers also stated that the CFS's participation in this campaign is the component that has made it possible. Before the CFS announced its participation, groups were unable to fund the campaign.
Many universities across Canada already have Positive Space. The University of Toronto re launched the campaign on March 27, 1998, shortly after the death of Matthew Sheppard. since this time, many universities have envied this progressive move. The website for the Positive Space Campaign states that :
The campaign for Positive Space challenges the patterns of silence that still marginalize lesbians, gays and bisexuals, even in environments with anti- discriminatory and inclusive policies. Whether you are straight, lesbian, gay, or bisexual, putting a "positive space " sticker on the door of your office, your residence room, your apartment, means that you are contributing to the creation of an environment that welcomes sexual diversity. It suggests that you are ready to respond favorably to those who may feel marginalised because of sexual orientation , or who themselves feel hesitant to speak out positively. It also suggests that you are prepared to challenge homophobic and stereotypical talk, even if said in jest. There is still a widespread reluctance to speak of homosexuality that strands in stark contrast to the routine talk of sexual and emotional bonds of heterosexuals. Lesbians and gays still grow up in an environment rife with signs that same-sex attraction is repugnant. They are also routinely surrounded by the silence of others -- a silence born of fear, ignorance, uncertainty, and sometimes hate. "Positive space" stickers visibly break that pattern.
Keith Dunne from the CFS says that the only hold up is on the printing of the materials. He also stated, that the push on this particular campaign came with the rise in violence towards the LBGTQ community, particularly in such cases as the gay bashing/murder of Aaron Webster in Vancouver.
Although many people from the LBGTQ community are applauding the move, many are still ambivalent about when the campaign will be in full swing, and questions surrounding the reasons for it's implementation. " We've been waiting a very long time for this campaign to be a reality", said one concerned student. " It's frustrating that it takes a rise in violence or murder for such an important issue to be pushed forward".