The presence of LGBTTIQ (an all-encompassing definition meaning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer that is more commonly shortened to LGBT) youth are demonstrated through an upsurge in awareness trends such as gay-straight alliances in High Schools and pride parades such the upcoming Calgary Pride 2013. Through these tides, however, the potential counterbalancing stereotypes are still prevalent in young people today; “gay”, “queer”, “lesbian”, “dyke”, and slangs in this fashion are used among teenagers in inappropriate context, sometimes at the expense of these sexual minority youth.
Scanning through statistics such as the Generation Queer report, 27.5% of the 1,358 Canadian youth surveyed reported that they have witnessed verbal abuse and harassment being targeted to a LGBT Youth at their own age, just slightly over 1 youth out of 4 in the sample. From the experiences of these adolescents themselves, this CBC report shows that the numbers sharply increase to the point where 73% of that sample say they feel unsafe at school.
External social acceptance places a challenge to this group, but the significance of the internal, psychological barrier that can form cannot be ignored either. 30% of sexual minority youth have attempted suicide, with the rate 14 times higher for homosexual young adult males than for heterosexual ones, as seen in this document.
Don’t forget the fact that even the most accurate research on this demographic can be skewed slightly; many have chosen to not reveal their sexual orientation in fear of pressure from their peers and society. In this poster made by the gay-straight alliance at the Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, it is ironic that these young people are not accepted and respected at the same level for other matters such as equality among race or social groups.
With this emerging issue, so comes the programs that address it. This is the first year that Camp fYrefly is being hosted in the Calgary area in partnership with the Calgary Sexual Health Center (CSHC). From July 11th to 14th, Camp Jubilee in Cochrane will be the retreat for these sexual minority Youth ranging from from 14 to 24 years old. This camp provides the opportunity for these young people to share their personal experiences and interact with others who share the same connections.
The University of Alberta’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS), as the host of this program, have operated this camp in Edmonton for 10 years with this mission in mind. The name of this camp is an acronym that stands for Fostering, Youth, Resilience, Energy, Fun, Leadership, Yeah!
Read some of the participant’s experiences and testimonials here and watch this video for a highlight of the camp:
Although the applications have closed for both campers and volunteers (sadly), take a look at their facebook page and their donation page for Calgary’s camp. What is donated for the Calgary location stays in this location. 🙂 There is always the prospect of applying for the camp next year.
I have not come in contact with many LGBT youth during my volunteering journey, but this demographic intrigues me as they are subject to much psychological struggle in recognizing their sexual orientation. It is always my pleasure to read any comments that you send to me on the bottom of this post!
Thank you to the Calgary Sexual Health Centre –  CSHC for providing me with this opportunity to share this program with our readers. 🙂
