Being queer in St. Albert isn’t always so great but what makes it better is having a community of people who understand and support you.
That’s why school queer- or gay-straight alliances (QSAs and GSAs) are so important. The Alberta government even passed Bill 24 to support students who create or join gay-straight alliances or queer-straight alliances at their schools. “Every student deserves a welcoming, caring and safe place to learn,” says the provincial government’s website about the bill.
It means that schools must allow the creation of these student-run clubs, protect them from interference, and it must also protect the privacy of their members. “GSAs and QSAs promote welcoming, caring, respectful and safe schools for LGBTQ students and their allies,” says Alberta Education’s website.
There are many reasons that they are so important. Members of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, transsexual, two-spirit, questioning, intersex, gender variant, and others) community often have to deal with a disproportionate amount of discrimination and bullying against them, and solely based on their sexual orientation. Giving these students the support they deserve within a safe, caring and inclusive space helps to create a healthier, more respectful environment throughout the entire school community, which then gives them the opportunity to focus more on their schoolwork and not on the school environment.
“As peer support networks, GSAs/QSAs help LGBTQ students overcome feelings of isolation and alienation that are a result of homophobic and transphobic bullying. They empower students as they develop a sense of belonging in their school. GSAs/QSAs also help interested students become allies for their LGBTQ peers and provide a safe place to help understand and learn how to offer support,” the Alberta Education website continues.
According to the Alberta GSA Network, there are two St. Albert schools – Bellerose and Sir George Simpson – that have QSAs, but that map isn’t complete. Paul Kane has a GSA too, and others are likely out there too.
The amendments of Bill 24 came into force at the start of April but school authorities have until the end of this month to make their safe and caring policies publicly available.
Outside of the school systems, there are more groups out there in the community that offer the same kind of network and supports for LGBTQ+ people and their allies of any age.
There’s also PFLAG (generally known as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), perhaps the longest and best-known local support group. If you haven’t yet heard of OutLoud and its younger cousin OutLoud Jr. then you should definitely check them out. They first started four years ago. It’s for LGBTQ youth aged 13 to 24 and their friends while the second is for queer or questioning kids 12 and under.
“We had never thought about doing anything for kids younger than 13… then they started coming to us,” said organizer Terry Soetaert. “We’re not concerned with how old somebody is, it’s just how mature they are."
He noted that some kids that come to the Jr. group are as young as five or six, which might surprise some people, including Soetaert himself.
“I was surprised as well. With the young ones we talk more about being queer or questioning. We don’t want them to just grab a label but they know when they feel different. I always ask people, ‘when did you know that you were straight?’ For myself, it was just always a feeling that I had. I’m sure everyone else is the same.”
These two groups meet regularly and periodically offer guest speakers and presenters who talk about issues such as bullying or do demonstrations on activities ranging from hiphop dance to origami. They do clothing swaps and open questions with group answers. “No judgments, no forced ideas, no guarantees,” is how they bill themselves.
People can visit www.outloudstalbert.ca to learn more.
