Gay Straight Alliance making its mark

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This article was published 17/11/2010 (5666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Josh Stark wanted to be a role model for other gay youth.

Jade Webber is straight, but felt the need to speak up because she has friends and family who identify themselves as LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.

Kenzie Raddysh was looking for the confidence to say something when she heard a homophobic comment made in a hallway or classroom.

But no matter what drew these students to the Gay Straight Alliance at Dakota Collegiate, they have one thing is common — the belief that their efforts are making the school a safer place for the LGBT community.

The alliance is a school-based club. Its primary goal is to support the rights of LGBT students and their allies, explained Stephanie Arthur, a Grade 12 student at Dakota.

“It (feels) like more of a safe place, somewhere to discuss these things,” added Rachel Henry, another Grade 12 student.

Having a safe space is important, said Catherine Taylor, an associate professor of education at the University of Winnipeg — especially since many  LGBT students feel unsafe in their high schools.

Taylor, the primary author of a study entitled The First National Climate Survey on Homophobia in Canadian Schools, released data in March 2009 that showed 75% of LGBT students surveyed felt unsafe in at least one place at school.

Meanwhile, 75% of the 1,700 participants of all sexual orientations reported hearing phrases like “that’s so gay” in high schools.

Phase II of the study, set to be released later this month, used a more statistical approach and found similar findings, Taylor said.

“The results are the same,” she said. “We’re able to say that Phase II validated the findings of Phase I.”

Both Louis Riel School Division and Seven Oaks School Division participated in the Phase II surveys, she added.

Taylor noted students report feeling safer when their school takes a stand, such as through policies that explicitly address homophobia and through developing gay-straight alliances.

“Schools have to get over their fear of churches and parental objections and all of that,” she said, adding she believes most Canadians are supportive of the LGBT community. “I think school districts are more fearful than they need to be about community reaction.”

Concerns over the reaction to the Dakota Collegiate alliance did prompt the group to take precautions at the beginning, according to staff advisor Tracy Rettig.

When the GSA started meeting in November 2009, it operated incognito, she said.

While there were posters advertising the GSA, the general student body didn’t know when or where the club met, or who its members were.

Now, a year later, the group’s goal is to be more public and make its presence felt more strongly at the school.

Earlier this month, for example, some of the alliance’s 15 members gave presentations to the student body as part of the school’s club day to let people know what they’re all about.

Some reported snickering from individual audience members, but Stark said he had students approach him in the hall and compliment the presentation — a sign to him that as his classmates mature, they become more understanding and aware of their actions.

“In Grade 7 and 8 people would always call me ‘fag.’ I don’t hear that anymore,” he said.

Tackling homophobic comments is an ongoing project for the club, whether by helping its members find the confidence to speak up or by educating other students about how hurtful their words can be.

While the group says that real and hateful homophobia still exists, the members agree that some of the comments come from a lack of education — not hate or anger.

“I think it’s a peer-pressure type of thing,” said Kadin Zaffino, a Grade 11 member of the group.

The word “gay” has entered the speaking culture as a synonym for “stupid” and a lot of people don’t really think about the connotations before opening their mouths, she explained.

Henry admitted she used to do likewise, saying “that’s so gay” to describe something she felt was stupid.

“I started realizing it was offensive,” she said, adding somebody pointed out to her how hurtful the phrase could be.

Rettig agreed the group’s efforts are having an impact on the student body.

“I do notice less comments and more understanding,” she said.

But despite the fact the group feels most of the student body doesn’t make homophobic comments out of anger or hate, GSA members agree it still makes them feel unsafe.

“You can’t tell if they’re just being ignorant, or being hateful,” Henry explained.

Rettig said she thinks the GSA can have an impact on hateful homophobia too by “normalizing” being LGBT.

“Every time people are being educated about something it takes a while,” she said. “Hateful, angry homophobia — the more that we’re here — exists less and less and less.”

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com