How school boards can fight trans hate

Plus, Andrea Skinner's court transcript and the struggles of local shops [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on a rising tide of transphobia targeting school boards, the “painful” sex abuse hearing involving Alice Munro’s daughter and local businesses facing extinction. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Valerie Zink state of hate [School boards are learning how to combat anti-trans protesters]( At a B.C. school board meeting, a resident stood at the microphone, ranting against school-based sex-ed and transgender people. The board chair asked her to stop, trustees filed out, staff pumped loud music into the room and turned off the lights. But the woman continued spewing misinformation in the dark, illuminated by her supporters’ cell phones. Trans rights in Canada are under siege and school boards have become transphobia’s latest target, Rachel Mendleson reports. [Now, a group led by lawyer barbara findlay is teaching them how to fight back](. - More: findlay’s team launched a comprehensive handbook to arm trustees, teachers and students with concrete strategies for standing against transphobia. [It frames the threat to the rights of trans people in Canada as a “five-alarm fire.”]( - Background: The challenge facing schools is part of a larger anti-government movement partly stemming from the so-called “Freedom Convoy.” Its disruptive campaigns are increasingly derailing daily life, leaving local officials feeling unsafe. - Fae Johnstone’s take: What’s happened to me is an example of rising hate and the [far right’s growing fixation with targeting trans and queer people](. Steve Russell/The Star courts [A judge expressed “disturbing” skepticism over the impact of abuse on Alice Monro’s daughter]( In March of 2005, the husband of renowned author Alice Munro plead guilty to molesting his stepdaughter Andrea Skinner when she was nine years old. Almost 20 years later, the Star obtained a transcript of the proceedings, bringing to light how judge John Kennedy downplayed the years-long impact of child sexual abuse on its victims — just as so many others in Skinner’s life had done, Betsy Powell reports. [Here’s what the transcript revealed](. - Go deeper: “The judge’s statements show a profound lack of understanding that even what might be viewed as a ‘minor’ sexual assault can have catastrophic, long-term psychological impact,” an expert said. “It is even more disturbing that these statements were made less than 20 years ago.” - In her own words: Skinner first revealed her stepfather’s actions — and her mother’s decision to stay with him — [in a searing essay in the Star earlier this month](. - Word from Jenny Munro: “It would have been awful, but it would have been so much better.” Skinner’s sister Jenny [regrets not telling her mother sooner when she learned of her abuse]( - Word from Andrew Sabiston: “In the nearly five decades I’ve spent inside this story, I knew about just one of those horrors — the first assault that started it all.” [Andrea’s stepbrother Andrew reflects on the family’s experience]( R.J.Johnston/The Star small business [Local shops are struggling to survive in Toronto’s real estate market]( The owners of Sweetie Pie cafe knew their rent would go up, but the sticker shock was far worse than expected. Cesario Ginjo and his wife signed a lease at $3,000 a month — but after the building was sold in June, their new landlord is now demanding more than double, Victoria Gibson reports. Unable to shoulder the costs, the Harbord Street cafe has closed its doors and its owners are wondering whether small cafes are even feasible in a city growing more expensive by the minute. [Take a closer look at the situation](. - What we know: Sweetie Pie is not the only cafe to fall to rising rent prices, with neighbourhood gems like Park Snacks in Cabbagetown facing extinction. [Here’s how city staff are fighting to save them](. - Meanwhile: Small businesses have more than costs to worry about. Beloved neighbourhood grocer Finch Store was nearly shut down after officials said the store was “not operating in compliance” with local zoning bylaw. [After a wave of public outcry, enforcement of the bylaw was deferred — but other businesses aren’t so lucky](. [Medal Alerts] Find out fast whenever Canada makes it to the podium. The Star has you covered as athletes go for gold in Paris. Get up-to-the minute email alerts whenever Canada medals, plus other news from the games, with the Star's free Medal Alerts, [brought to you by Havelock Metal Co](. If you're interested, please [sign up here today](. WHAT ELSE [Israel bombed a Beirut suburb]( saying it killed a top Hezbollah commander in retaliation for a weekend strike on the occupied Golan Heights. Is another Liberal stronghold about to fall? [This key byelection is seen as a referendum on Justin Trudeau’s leadership](. Iran’s leader vowed revenge against Israel after the [assassination of Hamas’ political chief in Tehran](. Here’s why Toronto’s stalled condo market [will make the city’s housing shortage even worse](. Ottawa is set to pump billions into public transit. [But critics are wondering if it will help](. Controversial YouTuber Denmo has been [convicted of sexually assaulting a university student](. [A woman abducted from a Markham wellness centre “suffered significant injuries,”]( police say. A man who admitted to killing two people with a shotgun has been acquitted by a Toronto jury — [here’s why](. There’s a Paris Olympics debacle brewing. [Swimming in the Seine is mostly fine — except for the poop](. Canada’s women’s soccer team is being unfairly punished for the actions of others. [And still, they hold their heads high](. Levitating surfers and “pommel horse guy.” [Check out some of the best viral moments from the Olympic Games so far](. Fans and artists want answers after Drake-associated venue [History cancelled another act connected to Kendrick Lamar](. POV Richard Lautens/The Star [Olivia Chow’s legacy will hinge on her ability to tackle the housing crisis. Right now, she’s missing the mark.]( CLOSE-UP Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo PARIS: Canada’s women’s rugby team celebrated victory over Australia at the semifinals Tuesday before narrowly losing to New Zealand — but clinching the silver medal — later in the day. [Allan Woods takes a look back at what they went through to get here](. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_217519). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. 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