Rights

Responsibilities of a Wedding Guest
A great wedding guest can make or break your wedding experience.

To be a great wedding guest, make sure that you are polite and courteous.

April showers bring May flowers, but for brides, April showers bring June flowers. Summer is a popular time for weddings, so you might start getting invitations from your friends who are getting married. To survive wedding season, be the best wedding guest you can. Here are a few tips to help you:

  • RSVP by the date requested. Do not put the invitation aside for a few days, because you’ll forget. Don’t make the couple track you down for an answer.
  • Look at the invitation to see who was invited. Do not invite anyone yourself. If your children aren’t mentioned on the envelope, they are not invited to the wedding. It is customary to invite partners, but if you aren’t married or in a long-term relationship, you may have to go single.
  • Show up if you RSVP “yes.” Barring an emergency, don’t change plans at the last minute. The caterer will charge the couple for your plate, whether you show up or not.
  • Do not talk about the wedding with friends who may not have been invited. This means on social media too. You don’t want to come off as boasting or make others feel bad because they were not invited.
  • Be on time for the ceremony. Better yet, be there 10 to 15 minutes early to get the lay of the land. When you arrive late, you disrupt the flow of the ceremony. If you do arrive late, wait for a break in the action to sneak in.
  • Dress appropriately. If the invitation says “semi-formal,” don’t wear jeans. For a beach wedding, dress more casually. Don’t wear white.
  • Put your phone on silent during the ceremony. Let your babysitter know your phone will be off for a half-hour to forty-five minutes and promise to check immediately after.
  • Don’t take pictures during the ceremony. Respect the wedding photographer.
  • Ask the couple if you can share pictures on social media before you do.
  • Send the gift, if you do, to the home of the bride or groom. Don’t make them deal with more stuff at the reception.
  • During the reception, sit where the bride and groom have placed you. Make conversation with those around you. It’s only for a couple of hours. Your phone will wait.

What About the Rights of a Wedding Guest?

Wedding guests also have rights that come with their invitation:

  • You can expect to receive an invitation if you received a save-the-date card.
  • You have the right to decline the invitation if you cannot attend. No explanation needed, just say, “Thank you, I’d love to be there, but I can’t.”
  • You can ask the couple if you need clarification about your invitation. Maybe you want to make sure you understand the dress code or are confused about the plus one.
  • You have a right to not send a gift at all. You also have up to a year to send a wedding gift.
  • If you do send a gift, you have a right to expect a timely thank-you note. You might want to give the couple a few weeks after the wedding to wrap up all their duties, but if you don’t receive a thank-you note within three months, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask if they received your gift.
  • You should take advantage of the open bar, but don’t overdo it.

Have a Good Time

A wedding is a celebration, and you should have a good time. Thank the host and hostess, typically the bride’s parents, before you leave. Don’t be offended if you don’t get a few minutes with the bride and groom. One of the best things you can do as a wedding guest is to be flexible and gracious, no matter what happens at the ceremony or reception.

Justin Trudeau Supports the Rights of All
Equal Rights for All

Equal Rights for All

Justin Trudeau is no stranger to being the first. He is the first child of a previous prime minister to hold the same post. He is also the first boy to be born to a prime minister in office. The first child born to a sitting prime minister was a girl. Trudeau became the first PM in the 21st century to attend a White House State Dinner with the first black U.S. president. It should come as no surprise that he is attending the Toronto Gay Pride Parade in July.

The Announcement Came Via Twitter

On Monday, February 22, @PrideToronto announced:

We’re delighted to announce that @JustinTrudeau will be the first Prime Minister in history to attend #PrideTO!

@JustinTrudeau tweeted back:

Very much look forward to being there again, this time as PM. #PrideTO

One follower mentioned that Trudeau always attends this parade, so it’s not really a big deal. We would beg to differ. He’s not only attending the parade as an individual, but as the Prime Minister of Canada. He’s probably the first world leader to attend a gay parade while in office. Trudeau has made no secret of the fact that he is Roman Catholic, and as such, he is in contention with the leadership of the Catholic Church when it comes to the support of gay marriages.

Participate in the Gay Pride Parade

The parade doesn’t actually happen until Sunday, July 3. Now is the time to register a business or organization as a participant in the parade. Small to large companies can be part of this extraordinary event. The Toronto Gay Pride Parade is in its 35th year. The parade celebrates the diversity of life while respecting the differences between people.

Pride Toronto, the hosting organization, wants to create an inclusive community where all are celebrated. The festival includes many services that help create a barrier-free environment. Some of what they provide includes:

  • Free wheelchairs and walkers lent to those in need
  • ASL interpretation
  • Audio descriptions of the parade
  • Braille maps and audio guides for the festival
  • Mobility assistants
  • Accessibility services with washrooms that are easily usable for those in a wheelchair

In addition to accessibility services, Toronto Pride strives to be sustainable by providing water and waste stations that protect natural resources. There is also a section for bike valet parking, and public transit gets involved to alleviate the transportation problems and reduce air pollution.

Trudeau Offers Support

During the parade, Trudeau will march with other government officials, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The festival is actually open the entire weekend, beginning on July 1. There will be plenty of activities that celebrate the diversity of all people. Make plans to attend to watch history being made and support the rights of the LGBT community.

The LGBT community certainly is gaining ground when it comes to civil rights, but they are still marginalized when it comes to certain topics, like immigration, trans rights, and gay men who wish to donate blood. In schools, LGBT children are bullied and harassed by other students, and sometimes, even by their teachers.

Trudeau has shown a commitment to the issues facing the LGBTQ community. He is taking a stand for civil rights and diversity when he chooses to attend the Toronto Gay Pride Parade. Because of his position as a leader in Canada, this brings national attention to the celebration of civil rights for all. A gay pride parade isn’t only for people who are LGBTQ. It’s for everyone who wants to make sure that people are respected and honored, no matter what their lifestyle is. Trudeau should be commended for taking part in the Toronto Gay Pride Parade.

New Guidelines in Alberta for the LGBTQ Community Moving Forward

ThinkstockPhotos-470428983Alberta has been working toward making its schools safer for all students, especially for students in the LGBTQ community. When you consider that more than two-thirds of the LGBTQ students don’t feel safe in the schools, it’s about time that the government implemented guidelines that give all kids respect, no matter where they go to school. Bill 10: An Act to Amend the Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect our Children was passed in March 2015 to protect all students, but mostly the LGBTQ community.

Parents Have Questions

The Calgary Sexual Health Centre (CSHC) launched a website to help parents, students, and educators get answers to legitimate questions. It’s located at www.UnderstandingTheGuidelines.ca. This resource helps dispel myths and misconceptions about LGBTQ students. One of the most common misconceptions seems to be that boys will just decide that they want to be a girl to use the girls’ facility. Being a transgendered student goes far deeper than simply using the facilities.

The guidelines are not to give students a pass to behave disrespectfully but are to help all students feel safe and supported while they are at school. It’s more than just providing safe access to facilities; it’s about keeping records that maintain a student’s privacy. Using the correct terminology when referring to a person’s gender identity is another important aspect that cannot be overlooked.

Opponents to the Bill

The publicly funded Catholic schools have maintained that they should not have to comply with the guidelines, with Calgary Catholic Bishop Fred Henry being the most prominent opponent. However, a 2015 survey found that Catholics are very supportive of the policy. There was concern that the Alberta legislature would not pass the bill that protected the rights of all children, but in the end, only two MLAs who are members of the PC party opposed it. The majority supported the bill, but that doesn’t indicate that things will change overnight for these students.

Show Your Support for Equal Rights

Even though the bill passed last year, in March 2015, it’s important to let your MLA know that you support Bill 10. The CSHC website offers a sample letter that you can send to your MLA to let that person understand that the community stands behind this decision. You can also let the school board and staff know that you support the new guidelines. On the CSHC site, there’s a link to find your school board contact.

Parents should also talk to their kids. Use the resources on Understanding the Guidelines from the CSHC site to open a dialogue. Educating yourself is the first step to creating kids who are welcoming and inclusive. You don’t need to have family members who are part of the LGBTQ community to be open and talk. As a parent leader, when you see discrimination happening in the school community, you should step up and stop it.

Students can also take a stand against the discrimination in the LGBTQ community. First, students should not use derogatory language that hurts someone. Help your student report behavior that he or she sees to the proper authorities. Sadly, bullying not only happens during the day while kids are in school, it’s moved to social media. It might be unreasonable for schools to monitor Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, but posts can certainly be reported to the platform being used. Students should also understand that it’s okay to block bullies and unfriend other students because of their actions.

Alberta schools are working hard to make schools a safer place, but change will only happen within each individual. Use the information available to help understand why it’s so important for each child to have respect at school. Share this with your family to make a difference within your own circle. Together, we can change the attitudes around us.