'They're not alone': As Pride month winds down in Sask., advocates say helping LGBTQ+ youth is critical
As Pride month comes to a close, some say educating people on the LGTBTQ+ community at a young age is important.
Emily Coates is a clinical social worker with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and says learning about Pride can help youth understand the meaning behind rainbows and other symbolism they might see during Pride month.
“It does help for young people to hear themselves and see themselves represented in their education,” Coates said.
Coates says having teachers or educators who don’t talk about Pride can make students feel like their school isn’t safe.
“Talking about these things means that you can be one of the adults that young people trust to come and talk to.”
Coates says students notice when teachers use correct names and pronouns and can tell the difference between someone who is trying and someone who never does.
“Even if they (students) never attend their schools LGTBTQ+ clubs, just the fact that is exists in their school is something that makes them feel more comfortable.”
Lyra Evans is a trustee in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and also a transgender woman. She says there were no conversations about what being LGTBTQ+ meant growing up so she didn’t have the proper language to express herself when she realized she was transgender.
“It’s really important to give people that language to give people the understanding and to know that they’re not alone, there’s shared experiences among other people they can talk about,” Evans said.
She says the lack of language can leave people not understanding the feelings they’re having and the inability to talk about it can lead to shame.
“If nobody is willing to talk about it, if nobody is willing to have those conversations, anyone who feels they might be LGBTQ will feel a great deal of shame and unwilling to address that in a healthy way.”
High rates of addictions and mental health issues within the LGBTQ+ community is tied to societal perceptions of the community and shame associated with it, according to Evans.
Evans says the best way to start the conversation with children is to discuss diverse families as not all families look the same and that it’s normal.
Coates also adds that it’s important for all people to be educated about the LGBTQ+ community and Pride regardless of their sexuality to create more acceptance and compassion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Latest wildfire updates: 120 active fires burning across Canada, 76 are 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Kidnapped by her father and kept in a crawl space: Court documents reveal Montreal horror story
A Montreal father who kidnapped his daughter who has autism and lied to police when they asked where she was should serve three years in prison, a Crown prosecutor said.
He had dreams of running for Canada in the Olympics, then he learned his family would be deported
A burgeoning track star says his dream of going to the Olympics is being derailed by a deportation order after Immigration officials rejected his family’s claim for asylum
Teen died from eating a spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes
A medical examiner says a Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge died from ingesting a substance 'with a high capsaicin concentration.'