June is Pride Month – a time for the joyous celebration of the freedom we all have to choose whom we love.
To my young adult children, it seems inconceivable that there was a time in Canada that consenting adults were criminalised for their private sexual activities. For them, the words “there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”, as spoken by former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, seem completely self-evident. But as we all know, this enlightened stance is a fairly recent one.
My teenaged daughter and her friends marched behind a float this year. Last year, the parade went down York Avenue, but this year it took over the main artery of Portage Avenue – bright, noisy and proud. When traffic in the heart of the city is brought to a standstill, and the mayor is marching with you, you know you are finally accorded the significance you deserve.
The joy in the air was palpable – many of those celebrating with outrageous outfits, or with bright banners slung around their shoulders, were old enough to remember the times of fear and hiding, when the mere whiff of a rumour could be enough to ruin a military or government career or destroy a family.
To this day, in many parts of the world, deviating from the heterosexual, cisgendered norm is enough to get you killed, or at least find yourself facing terrible discrimination. Canada has become a beacon of hope for those fleeing such oppression, but we should not take that freedom for granted, even here.
Statistics tell us that LGBTQ2+ youth are FOUR times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, and this horrifying fact is directly linked to bullying, both in person and online. It still happens here, every day – many LGBTQ2+ people still face bullying and hostility in schools and workplaces.
Not everyone has the privilege of knowing and loving LGBTQ2+ people, as I do, but everyone can be an ally. You can help by speaking up when you hear or see someone being bullied for whom they love.
If you are looking for local information or support for yourself or a loved one, The Rainbow Resource Centre (Phone: (204) 474-0212, toll-Free: (855) 437-8523) is a great place to start.
There is no need to hide in the closet – come out and show your beautiful self!