F Page 20, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, September 29, 1993 Tru stee announces she's bisexual By Mike Kowalski A Whitby public echool board trusteo bas admitted te being bisexual. Tanya Gulliver, formerly Koch, revealed ber sexual orientation in an article she wrote for Quota, a leebian magazine published in Toronto. First elected te, the Durbami Beard of Education in 1991 GuI- liver, 25, informed ber Ãllow trustees b distributing copies of the article at a recent board meeting. Gulliver teld The Free Press she decided te tske thie step now because she is in a serious rela- tionship and doesenet want te bide it. "I want te be pro-active rather than have semeono saying 'guese what?'and making it sensational like the National -Enquirer,» she explaîned. Gulliver said she aIse wants te feel free te take ber artrier te scbooî board and otJer public functione. "If I just showed up witb ber it miRht raise a few eyuebrows,» she 'Tm sure it wilI anyway but moreso if they (trustees) didn't know.» Gulliver said bornosexuals bave become more open in recent years about their sexual orien- tation, noting tbat several gays and leebiane are running in t.ho federal election. For exemple, New Democrat MP Svend Robinson adinitted bis bomosexuality prier te tbe 1988 election and was returned te Ottawa by the voters in bis BritishbCoîmbia ridinq. Whiîe in this capa a les- bien is running for the NDP against Prime Minister Kim Campbellinii Vancouver Centre. However, Gulliver concedes that being a trustee -- voting on issues which affect cildren -- puts ber in a slightly diFferent category than even a municipal councillon, for instance, and could invite retaliation frorn con- senvative groups. "I arn prepared for that, I was already getting% it,» she said, explaining that her outspekeness on sex education and involve- ment with the AIDS Committee of Durham made her the focus of tbeir attention. "I arn anticipating calis on ny answering machine, seme0 them are kind of idiculous,» she said. «l'd rather people look at. things like my net supperting the last budget rather than what I do when r'm not a trustee.» Altbougb meet trustees accep- ted ber decision, a fewv did ques- tion the wisdom of making ber sexual preference public, Gulli- ver said. The board issued a statement which said Gulliver bas every right te, her own lifestyle. «Trustee Gulliver has made a personal choice and publicly declared ber sexual orientation,» the statement reads. «Unden the Ontario Human Rights Code, sexual orientation is a prohibited ground of discri- mination in relation te tbe pro- vision of services, accomodation entering into contracte, anJ employmeflt. "Under the laws of the land, every individual bas a rigbt to, make such a personal lifestyle choice.» Board chair Louise Farr had no comment beyond the state- ment. As of last week, neither she nor communications officer Mary Brown had received any calis about Gulliver's announcernent. Ironicaliy, prior te ber new relationsbip, Gulliver had ne children. Her partner bas two children who live with ber and Gulliver. «Now tbat I bave kids I feel Fm more aware of their con- cerns " she said. Gulliver and ber husband, whom she married in 1991, are new separated. Ad award for -college newspaper The Durbam - College student newspaper, ' The Chronicle,' won third place for advertising excellence in the Ontario Community Newspapen Associa- tien competition recently. The win represents the seventh consecutive year the paper bas earned a place in the top three in the competition. Bill Meriott, prcfessor in the advertisiflg adirumetratien pro- gramis pleased wîththe wifl. aTi win je indicative of the expertise, commitmnett and bard work of our students. Thev soul the advertising space, work witb their clients te prepare the co9y, croate and designi the ads, and analyze the effectivenees of their IL&." The Chronicie is publisbed by students in the two-year journaiism and advertîsing prognaýme, as a banda-on lab expenience, every second week" during the echool term. The editoial content is wntten by the journalismn students and the advertising je sold and created by second year advertising stedents. Student recognition FATHER LEO J. Austin student Elisa Award from principi Alvarez received the Cathollo Student awards ceremony ai Photo by1 ai Andy Fedak at an tthe schooýl Friday. Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Press E-i Robyn Keon TRAFALGAR CASTLE In the past twe weeks students at Trafagar Castie School have gene camping and expenienced the excitement of the wild Ontario forests. They have aise, experienced the culture of Stnatford. As thene are many new girls joing the Trafalgar family this year, these two outings bave allowed- us te familiarize ourselves with each other. I bave made many new friends whom I arn excited te get te, know botter. One of these girls I met while camping. We botb love bnead and bad a good laugh stuffing it inte our pockets te take back te the cabin for a ridnight snack. 'When going te bed at night, make sure you have al food accounted for and packed tightly away se, that ne mice will make a bouse cail." %his was the firet rule te be followed at Camp Oconte near Kingston wbere 65 girls fromn Trafalgar Castle went te rough it in the unknewn. For some, it was their flnst time camping. For others, such as Suzanne Ogilvie-King and Victoria Politt who élept ini a two-peneon tent (the reet of us bad wel-ventilated cabins of red tarp or unflniehed wood), camping was second nature. Camp Oconte teok two heurs te reach by bus. Upon arrnving, we were senved delicieus chieken soup, honiemade bnead and gardon salad. Thon we were sent off te unpack and explore. The cabine wene sparse and ail wasbrooms were a tbree-minute walk. Three minutes seeme an eternity when it is minus 5 degrees Celsius at 7 a.m. There were four or five studenta te a cabin and this served te make the cabin very beepitable. Also, wben ail of our multi-coloured sleeping bags were spread eut on the faonr, or in some cases huddled under by coid campers, the accommodations were quite comfortabie. As we finisbed unpacing, the nearby lake seemed te calI eut te us. But, as I unfortunately discovened wben jumping from a seven-foot diving boardt the calm waves lapping against the shore wene as warmn as ice cubes being poured down my back -- in January --on a sibill -- at nigbt -- witb no jacket. Many students decided beach volleyball was more te their testes after they heard the frigid screains of those crazy enough te jump- When darkness set in, it was time te find a warmn gathering place wbere the wonderfuî talents of the TrYafaigarites emerged. Comedy skçits such as. 'Mr. Self-Esteem,' written and performed by the prefecte, taught us te believe in ourselves, while the air band 'Ain't it Great te bo Crazy,' penformed by some of the younger students, mrade us reaily go crazy with laughton. After Idts and a few campfine songe, we had free time te sieep, taik or just ait and watcb the stars. I chose the latter twe. My friends, some new, some old, and I went doývn, to'the old dock and taiked about everything under the stars. It was beautiful. Our only interruption was the far-off screaming of othen campers as they scared themselves silly by telling cbilling ghost stenies. Many of us stayed up ail night te, watch the biggest star of all, the sun, rise in the east. Riding home on the bus the next day, I realized that in my three years at Trafalgar Castîe Scbool camping, this one wa the best. The second activity attended by Trafalgar girls was the trip te Stratford te see 'The Mfikado.' This is a cultural trip and, though completely different from Camp Oconto, was equally as worthwhile. This, toe, je an annual event at Trafalgar Castie. 'The Mikado,' this year's selection, is a Japanese story of a liove-struck man named Nanki-Poo and bis quest to marry the young maiden Yum-Yum, his reason for living. It is an opera-cornedy. The opera was debated on the ride back te school. Everyboy enjoyed the costumes and one of the most niemorable characters wouid have te be Pooh-Bah, «'The Lord of Everything Else.' I-E facial and body expressions made all of uslaugh. Ail in ail, the activities at Trafalgar Castie are very diverse. This allows foreign students te expenience Canadian culture. It also allows ail of us, foreign and Canadian, te get te, know each other and provide us with more than just a classroom education. There is roomn for more stu- dents in the Spanish hebritage language program offered, at ne cost, by the Durhami Board of Education and Spanish Cuiturai Scoeity. Any child from junior kinden- garten te Grade 8 can attend classes offered at Henry Stret High Schooi on Wednesdays from 5:30 te, 7:50 p.m . The program includes the development of the four language skills -- listenine, speaking, read- ing . and writng -- with an empbasis on the oral aspect of language and everyday vocabul- or more information caîl 579- 2334 or attend classes at Henry.