The holidays can be painful for LGBTQ children and teens

By: Leanne Italie, The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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NEW YORK - This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. Advocates say there's even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play — particularly for the first time.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2018 (2838 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK – This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. Advocates say there’s even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play — particularly for the first time.

A San Francisco-area non-profit called Gender Spectrum says there’s plenty that parents can do to help. Parents should try to gather information from a child at the right time and in the right place. Accept that answers may come in bits and pieces. Reflecting on past holiday gatherings might help. Ask for three things that didn’t go well and how those things can be changed.

Parents also need to check their own attitudes at the door, especially if a child is feeling celebratory about coming out recently or deciding on a particular manner of dress.

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2018 file photo, a participant carries the rainbow flag during the annual gay and lesbian parade, organized by Taiwan LGBT Pride, in Taipei, Taiwan. This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. And advocates believe there's even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play, particularly for the first time. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2018 file photo, a participant carries the rainbow flag during the annual gay and lesbian parade, organized by Taiwan LGBT Pride, in Taipei, Taiwan. This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. And advocates believe there's even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play, particularly for the first time. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

As for gifts, ask givers to stick to what a child wants.

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FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2018 file photo, a participant carries the rainbow flag during the annual gay and lesbian parade, organized by Taiwan LGBT Pride, in Taipei, Taiwan. This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. And advocates believe there's even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play, particularly for the first time. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

The holidays can be painful for LGBTQ children and teens

Leanne Italie, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

The holidays can be painful for LGBTQ children and teens

Leanne Italie, The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018

NEW YORK - This time of year can be tough for LGBTQ children and teens when it comes to gatherings. Advocates say there's even more at stake when shifts in identity, new names and pronouns, unsupportive relatives and a general lack of knowledge about related gender issues are in play — particularly for the first time.

A San Francisco-area non-profit called Gender Spectrum says there's plenty that parents can do to help. Parents should try to gather information from a child at the right time and in the right place. Accept that answers may come in bits and pieces. Reflecting on past holiday gatherings might help. Ask for three things that didn't go well and how those things can be changed.

Parents also need to check their own attitudes at the door, especially if a child is feeling celebratory about coming out recently or deciding on a particular manner of dress.

As for gifts, ask givers to stick to what a child wants.

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Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018

Nifty neighbours also jonesing for geniality

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Recently, a new couple with no children moved onto our cul de sac, and everybody is taking notice! This attractive pair with no kids both drive amazing cars, work from home and leave their garage doors up a lot. Everybody on the street walks by to sneak a peek into the big garage at just about any time of day.

Lately, the man’s been out on his front lawn in a muscle shirt in the late afternoon, planting shrubs and putting up stylish fall-themed ornaments. At night they often leave the living-room curtains open. That makes for convenient viewing for curious neighbours like us!

A few days ago, my wife invited the new couple over for a barbecue and swim in our pool. They are really nice people, but mentioned that other people nearby have been pretty stand-offish. They wonder why. Should I tell them it’s probably just jealousy over their beautiful vehicles and enviable lifestyle, or should I just shut up?

—Wanting to Help, Sage Creek

ROBERT LEE / FREE PRESS FILES WFPS emergency communications staff handled calls for 136,198 separate incidents in 2025.

City to hire consultant to analyze 911 staffing levels amid skyrocketing calls

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Preview

City to hire consultant to analyze 911 staffing levels amid skyrocketing calls

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Yesterday at 5:36 PM CDT

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is ordering a detailed analysis of its 911 communications staffing level to cope with a surge in emergency calls and the demands of new technology.

WFPS emergency communications staff handled calls for 136,198 separate incidents in 2025. That number has risen every year since at least 2020, when 104,250 incidents were reported, the service’s annual report notes.

The total number of calls to the centre reached almost 275,000 last year. That broader figure also includes multiple calls per event and administrative calls.

“Things have changed in the last decade and call volumes have increased dramatically. That puts pressure on our systems,” said Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas).

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Yesterday at 5:36 PM CDT
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The survey also found that the majority of respondents support the use of body-worn cameras for Winnipeg police officers.

Downtown no place to be after dark, huge majority of Winnipeggers say in survey

Joyanne Pursaga 8 minute read Preview

Downtown no place to be after dark, huge majority of Winnipeggers say in survey

Joyanne Pursaga 8 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:22 PM CDT

Most Winnipeggers are afraid to walk alone downtown and believe the city needs more police officers, a new survey finds.

Winnipeg Police Service released its 2026 citizen survey Friday.

Downtown safety appears to remain a major concern, with just 44 per cent saying they feel very or reasonably safe walking alone in the area during the day. The number plummets to eight per cent overall at night, down from nine per cent in 2024, the last time the survey was conducted.

This year, 14 per cent of men felt very or reasonably safe walking alone downtown at night, compared to just three per cent of women.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:22 PM CDT
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Local Anne Oake Recovery centre presser Photo of Scott Oake talking to the media with the construction site behind him The Bruce and Anne Oake Memorial Foundation hosted members of the media for an important milestone in the development of the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre at 70 Snow Street in south Winnipeg. The event was hosted by Ron MacLean, with special guests, community leaders and supporters as we make an exciting announcement and officially launch the next chapter of the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre. See story by Melissa Sept 10th, 2026

Retired sportscaster Scott Oake determined as fundraising for women's addictions treatment facility enters home stretch

Melissa Martin 4 minute read Preview

Retired sportscaster Scott Oake determined as fundraising for women's addictions treatment facility enters home stretch

Melissa Martin 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026

For now, the patch of land just east of the Victoria Hospital doesn’t look like much: just a field of rocks, mounded dirt, and concrete piles driven into the earth. Yet when Scott Oake looks over the site, he can already imagine how it will look in just over a year’s time, when the new Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre is expected to open.

It’s easier to picture this time around. In 2020, when the recently-retired CBC sportscaster and his late wife, Anne, were building their first labour of intermingled grief and love, the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for men, it was hard for him to wrap his mind around how a raw construction site could transform into a welcoming addictions treatment facility.

When that centre opened in 2021, Oake found it looked “almost identical” to the architect’s renderings. So it’s easy to hope the Anne Oake Centre will be the same. It will be the first facility of its kind, its founders believe, not only in Canada but in North America: a place where 50 to 70 women can pursue sobriety while staying with their children.

“At Bruce Oake there’s a culture of love, and most of all a culture of hope,” Oake said, speaking at the site Thursday after a media conference to announce the final push of the centre’s fundraising campaign. “I can feel it every time I walk into that building. And I know it will be the same here.”

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Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026
SUPPLIED Ivor Asham harnesses a chuckwagon horse at Birds Hill Park Ranch.

A life's story: ‘Ivor the Driver’ found his calling in the ranching life

Aaron Epp 7 minute read Preview

A life's story: ‘Ivor the Driver’ found his calling in the ranching life

Aaron Epp 7 minute read Updated: 9:59 AM CDT

Ivor Asham’s family couldn’t have picked a better image to accompany his obituary. There he is, riding Flash, his beloved brown and white quarter horse, a black cowboy hat on his head and a drink in his hand.

Asham owned and operated Birds Hill Park Ranch for nearly 35 years, where he shared his lifelong passion for horses with thousands of visitors. He moved hay, harnessed horses and drove the wagons, introducing himself as “Ivor the Driver.”

Over the years, Asham built a reputation as the quintessential cowboy.

There’s a restaurant at the ranch filled with memorabilia that he collected over the years. Calgary Stampede posters, cowboy boot-shaped shot glasses, a child’s rocking horse, a wagon wheel and numerous photos of legendary actor John Wayne are just some of the items that line the walls.

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Updated: 9:59 AM CDT