Douglas Gosse - Out Proud: Stories of Pride, Courage, and Social Justice

O UT PRO U D

O UT PRO U D

Stories of Pride, Courage, and Social Justice

EDITED BY DOUGLAS GOSSE

P.O. BOX 2188, ST. JOHNS, NL, CANADA, A1C 6E6
WWW.BREAKWATERBOOKS.COM

WWW.EGALE.CA

COPYRIGHT 2014 Breakwater Books Ltd.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Out proud : stories of pride, courage, and social justice /
Douglas Gosse, editor.
Short stories.
ISBN 978-1-55081-487-3 (pbk.)
1. Sexual minorities--Canada-
Biography. 2. Gays--Canada-Biography. I. Gosse, Douglas, 1966-, editor of compilation
HQ73.3.C3O98 2014 306.76092271 C2014-900562-8

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CONTENTS

Douglas Gosse

Gemma Hickey

Jenna Mackay

Paul Edward Fitzgerald

Kim Chee Lee

5.Engaging Teacher Candidates in Anti-Homophobia
Discussions: Reflections on Caution, Care, and Commitment

Leanne Taylor

Sarah Blackstock

7.How I Came Out to
My Class of Twelve-Year-Olds

Laurie Townshend

Kaylie Sorrenti

9.Not Your Typical Mining Town Experience:
My Life as a Queer Trans Man in Sudbury, Ontario

Vincent Bolt

Iona Sky

Jane Eaton Hamilton

Sassimint Grace

David Le

Valrie Bah

Nicole MacFarlane

Andrea Hayward

Joanne Brigden

Jane Byers

Jaclyn Haynes

Noelle Bickle

ShannonWebb-Campbell

2.Chicken Soup for the Martian Soul:
One Mans Quest for Masculine Identity

Paul Nathanson

Margaret Robinson

Lukayo F.C. Estrella

Alex P.Whey

Francisco Ibez-Carrasco

Bogdan Cheta

Chantal Vallis

Tucker Bottomley

Krista McCracken

Lisa Walters

12.Living Out Every Day:
An Effort to Fight Hegemony in its Many Incarnations

Amy Soule

Nathan Downey

1.Making History, Making
Community: One Canadian Lesbian Story

Melissa Sky

Dorian Cliffe

Kerri Mesner and Carl Leggo

Jennifer A. Barnett

Nicole Doucette

Anthony Mohamed

Jessica Del Rosso

8.Big Talk: The Failure to Build LGBTQ*
Positive Space for Youth and Youth Workers

Kate Miller

Valerie Windsor

Jamie B. Laurie

Tom Churchill

Katy Craggs

Adam Carroll

5.The Problem with Gay Organs:
Reflections on a Body Deemed Unfit for Medicine

Jason Behrmann

Kael Sharman

Hubert Brard

8.The High School Music Room
as a Safe Place and Space

John L. Vitale

9.To Kiss a Boy: Working to Make
Schools Safe for Queer Teens

Julian Kitchen

10.3-H Clubs for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth:
Working at iSMSS to Make It Better Now

Andr P. Grace 313

Christine Cho

12.Queerly Hopeful: Moments of Educational
Activism Beyond the GSA

Vanessa Russell and Louise Azzarello

13.Taking Change to the Street: Kicking Homophobia
and Heterosexism to the Curb

Jenny Kassen and Alicia Lapointe

PUBLISHERS NOTE

The essays in this volume contain mature subject matter, and discretion is advised. Out Proud is an anthology of personal narratives collected in the spirit of diversity and freedom of expression. The opinions communicated here do not reflect the opinions of Breakwater Books or of Egale Canada Human Rights Trust.

I am pleased to welcome you to Out Proud: Stories of Pride, Courageand Social Justice. This anthology is devoted to essays from a variety of Canadians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, trans*, intersex, interested, queer, questioning, two-spirited, asexual, or allies (LGBTTIQQ2SA).The acronym is long, and continually growing, as social activists attempt to be inclusive. While these essays have a central theme of pride, courage, and social justice, they are additionally organized into sub-sections: Seeking Social Justice, Forging Families, Intersecting Identities, Constructing Communities, and Un-learning Learning.

In pop culture and academic circles, we sometimes hear that we are living in a post-gay era. However, these essays clearly express the ongoing and pivotal role sexual orientation plays in the daily lives of Canadians. Nevertheless, this anthology purposely highlights the fluidity of identity beyond sexual orientation. We all drift in and out of privilege depending on multiple factors, including race, class, gender, age, disability, geographical location, language and culture, and sexual orientation. In other words, several of these identity markers may overlap in a given situation. For instance, one may be working class, high-school educated, and living in a rural setting with few community resources, while another may be upper-class, university educated, and living in an urban setting, rich in community resources. While both may self-identify as gay or lesbian and persons of colour, their lived realities may be quite different. Even the thematically grouped sub-sections of this anthology have much overlap.

In Seeking Social Justice, Kim Chee Lee, our eldest author, brings light to the underreported homophobic abuse of the elderly in The KC Story. In I Used to Be Alone, Kaylie Sorrenti tells how the medical system can pathologize trans* youth, and the importance of finding ones personal and collective voice. In her essay entitled, Why? Iona Sky talks to her child about the pivotal role of relentless questioning in seeking social justice for all people.

Forging Families is a collection of essays with the theme of family connections; some are about blood relations, foster families, or chosen families. In her essay, The Cost of Living, Valrie Bah reflects on being raised in a Haitian-Beninese household in Ottawa, the realization of poverty, and the evolution in her familial relations. In Come Out Come Out Whoever You Are, Joanne Brigden, with a tongue-in-cheek tone, manages to amuse and educate regarding stereotypes. In Chosen Family, Jane Byers tells a moving story of foster care, adoption, religion, and love.