Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity

Formation	2005 as Jer's Vision
Legal status	active
Purpose	Anti-Bullying, Gay rights in Canada
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Location	Canada;
Website	CCGSD-CCDGS

The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) is a charitable organization which works towards stopping bullying, discrimination, and homophobia in schools and communities in Canada, and abroad. Through workshops, presentations, training conferences, and by supporting youth initiatives, they engage youth in celebrating diversity of gender identity, gender expression, and romantic orientation and/or sexual orientation.

Overview

The CCGSD, originally known as Jer's Vision, was founded by a six-member board in 2005.^[1] Originally starting with a scholarship program, the organization grew to include a range of programs to address challenges related to bullying, homophobia, and transphobia in schools. ^[2]^[3]^[4]

Until March 2015, the CCGSD was known as Jer's Vision.

Focus areas

Programs in Schools

The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity works with schools to develop programs that engage students, staff, and the wider community to understand bullying, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia. This includes presentations, workshops, conferences, training, professional development, and other efforts to support youth initiatives and clubs. The organization works across Canada, especially in rural communities, and in the Northern United States.^[5]

Working in Communities

In 2007, youth from Jer's Vision were inspired by David Shepherd and Travis Price to start the International Day of Pink.^[6] The initiative supports youth actions to stop bullying in schools and communities.^[7]^[8]^[9] In 2012, over 8 million people participated in the International Day of Pink.^[10]

The organization sits on a variety of committees and contributes to work across Canada. They have contributed to activities with the Parliament of Canada, the Senate of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Chief of Police, and the City of Ottawa.^[11]^[12]^[13]

Recognizing Community Leaders

Starting in 2006, Jer's Vision began recognizing individuals and groups with the Youth Role Model of the Year award. The award at their annual gala recognizes persons who have done exceptional work to stop bullying and discrimination in their communities. Past recipients of the award include Rick Mercer,^[14] Jack Layton,^[15] Lori Taylor and Brandon Timmerman,^[16] Stephen Lewis,^[17] Brian Burke,^[18] Elder William Commanda, Libby Davies, Hedy Fry,^[19] Adamo Ruggiero,^[20] Matthew Good,^[21] Audrey Wolfe, and Sheila Copps.^[22]

The Gay Sweater

On March 24, 2015, the CCGSD launched The Gay Sweater. The campaign, aimed at reclaiming the phrase "that's so gay" by creating an actual gay object - namely a sweater knit from yarn made from 100% human hair donated by the LGBT community - was timed to coincide with Toronto Fashion Week. The Gay Sweater received widespread coverage and the YouTube video had 45,000 views in the first 48 hours.^[23]^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27]