St. Albert Public students will show their Pride next week as the district celebrates the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
June to September is Pride Season in Canada, with communities across the nation holding various events to celebrate two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer Canadians. June itself is considered Pride Month.
About 1 million Canadians are 2SLGBTQI+, Statistics Canada reports.
St. Albert Public elementary and junior high students will mark Pride Week this June 10-14 through activities such as dressing in rainbow colours, drawing on sidewalks, and holding lessons on queer history, said St. Albert Public sexual orientation and gender identity lead Les Kirchner. Paul Kane and Bellerose students held their Pride Weeks in late May.
St. Albert Public will hold a free panel discussion June 11 on being part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community with five St. Albert-area residents who are members or allies of that group. About 30 guests will get to ask the panellists how they can support sexual and gender minority youths in their lives.
“Many of these youths are at risk for homelessness or suicide,” Kirchner said.
“Providing a safe space for them and providing role models and allies in not only our schools but in the community is a really important step in making sure they feel safe and comfortable and connected to their community.”
Kirchner said St. Albert Public works to do this year-round by having gay-straight alliances and dedicated sexual orientation and gender identity leaders in many of its schools. The rainbow Pride flag has also been on permanent display outside district office on Sir Winston Churchill Ave. since October 2023.
Allies step up
Dave, who asked that his last name not be published to protect his family, is one of the 2SLGBTQI+ allies taking part in the June 11 talk.
When a member of his family came out as 2SLGBTQI+, Dave said he saw it as a call to action to understand how best to support them. Groups such as Outloud St. Albert, Calgary’s Skipping Stone Foundation, and The Trevor Project were great resources for him, as was the St. Albert PFLAG group.
“It’s not a journey anyone should have to do alone,” Dave said.
Dave said the recent closure of Outloud has left a big gap in the city’s 2SLGBTQI+ community, adding that there were big questions now on where youths will get the supports the group once offered.
The Alberta government plans to table policies this fall that will directly harm the human rights of 2SLGBTQ+ youths by making it more difficult to learn about sexual and gender minorities in schools, banning transgender women from women’s sports, and restricting youth access to gender-affirming care, said Kristopher Wells, who holds the Canada Research Chair for the public understanding of sexual and gender minority youth at MacEwan University and is not involved in the June 11 panel.
“This Pride season, it’s more important than ever that allies are actively attending Pride events and signalling their support.”
Wells encouraged St. Albert residents to write to their MLAs to oppose the province’s proposed policies for 2SLGBTQI+ youths.
Dave said parents and allies of sexual and gender minority youths can support them by being open, non-judgmental, and ready to listen and help with their concerns. Having a trusted adult to confide in can be a game-changer for these youths.
“Their whole world opens up to the possibility of them just being who they are and being loved.”
Contact Kirchner at 780-460-3712 for details on the talk, including its location. Visit prideedmonton.ca for details on Pride events throughout the Edmonton region.
