Callan Forrester – LJI reporter
May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. This is a day to recognize the violence and oppression that the queer and trans communities are still facing, to learn how to be a better ally, and to celebrate queer identities. This year, Chateauguay Valley Regional High School (CVR) made a point to highlight the day.
CVR has had a Pride group in the past; however, this year there were not enough students that signed up to have an active group all year. That being said, they were still able to organize a day of activities and education in honour of IDAHBT. Pamela Bussey, one of the club teachers, explains that they will try to get it going again next year “a little later in the fall, once kids have settled into friend groups.”
When it comes to having a queer pride club at CVR (which is for both LGBTQ+ students and allies), the response from students varies. For example, Bussey explains that “The energy during the trivia game was great! There were definitely kids there who are LGBTQ+ but also lots of kids who aren’t, and everyone enjoyed the game and took part. It was lovely to see very straight-identifying middle-schoolers taking part.” She sees a spectrum of responses when going classroom to classroom to advertise the club at the beginning of the year. This year, she did this with Fraser McClintock, who helped spread the word. She says that it makes a huge impact “to have a very well-liked and respected man there, who is not LGBTQ+, sending the signal that a Pride group is fine and normal and open to everyone – he made a point to stress that.”
For Bussey, now more than ever it is important for schools to have these kinds of clubs, “especially in light of all of the anti-trans rhetoric online, and movements both in the U.S. and Canada to restrict Trans people’s access to public spaces and sports,” she says. She explains that a lot of bigotry comes from a lack of understanding, adding, “Like so many other schools, CVR has some students who will use openly homophobic and transphobic language. This is almost always due to a lack of knowledge of LGBTQ+ people and a general discomfort with what we don’t know.” Having this club helps to normalize queer and trans identities and perspectives. It helps to open the discussion up so everyone can become more educated. “We are sending the message that all students, staff, and community members are important and welcome,” she says.