“That’s so gay.” A 2011 report by Egale Canada Humans Right Trust said 70 per cent of Canadian students hear that charming epithet or some similar derogatory comment every day in school.
One in five. That’s how many Canadian students who identify as a sexual or gender minority are physically harassed because of their orientation, according to the same report.
When it comes to the words we speak, 68 per cent of trans students, 55 per cent of female sexual minority students and 42 per cent of male sexual minority students have been verbally harassed over their perceived gender or sexual orientation.
Two-thirds of LBGTQ (lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans and queer) students reported feeling unsafe at school, the report found.
Students who have LBGTQ parents feel similarly unsafe and report harassment over their parents’ sexual or gender orientations as well.
St. Albert is home to the Outloud Group, a parent and friends of LBGTQ youth support group and some of the schools have gay-straight alliances.
But these students grow up and go out into a world where they will continue to face harassment and discrimination.
Maybe, and hopefully, not as much as they would have faced even a decade or two ago. But any is too much in my opinion. No one should face harassment for who they are, or who they’re attracted to.
Which is why it’s terrific that a group of St. Albert citizens are hoping to start this city’s very first Pride event.
Pride events have evolved over the past few decades. The first pride marches were planned in the aftermath of police raids on a gay bar in New York that resulted in a riot.
Some places in the world, like Canada and certain parts of the U.S., have come a long way when it comes to recognizing the rights of LBGTQ people. In other places on Earth, homosexuality can still be considered a crime.
Of course, legal or not doesn’t mean that some people in Canada don’t discriminate against LBGTQ people.
Slowly, acceptance creeps along. Most of us probably have someone, whether we know it or not, who identifies as LBGTQ in our lives.
Pride in Edmonton will celebrate its 35th year this June. It’s also more than just a parade – there are several events held as part of the celebrations.
While there aren’t many plans yet, the hope is to time St. Albert’s event to a similar schedule, tying it in to Pride events around the region.
As so many are fond of pointing out, St. Albert tends to top the rankings when it comes to places to live in Canada.
I hope the people of St. Albert accept whatever the event ends up being and show up in droves to support it, and the LBGTQ members of this community, just as they would any new festival or community event.
After all, if this is really the best place to live in Canada, everyone should feel welcome here and be able to openly show the world who they are.
Victoria Paterson is the city hall reporter at the St. Albert Gazette.
