Bullying, the Harsh Reality

It is all over the news.  The headline reads “Jamie Hubley, Gay 15-Year-Old Ottawa, Canada Teen Commits Suicide, Cites Depression, School Troubles” (Huffington Post, 2011).  Junior high and high school are a difficult time for any adolescent, but with the all the recent news and media on LGBTTQ* teen suicides it has become evident that being a member of this community during adolescence creates a whole new barrier to surviving this trying time.  “Homosexual youth are often harassed and sometimes physically abused at school” (Ward & Belanger, 2011).  I remember the two girls that came out in my high school, one lesbian and one bisexual, both of which were in my out of school depression support group.  The lesbian was constantly referred to as a “dyke” and the bisexual was always being bullied into choosing whether it was males or females she wanted.  People did not understand and they had no intention of trying.  The boy who came out for being gay was laughed at for trying out for sports teams and was forced by his classmates to change in the bathroom stall.  He tried to find humour in it but slowly he started skipping gym and avoiding sports altogether.  Although we all gave each other support for depression I never understood the struggle that their sexual orientation contributed.

According to Boyd, Bee, and Johnson (2009), the second leading cause of death among Canadian young people aged 15 to 19 is suicide (p. 349).  Depression is a very real thing and unfortunately for so many it does lead to suicide.  The Public Health Agency of Canada (2009), states that among other socio-economic factors, depression can be a result of prejudice. In my high school, a common solution to bullying for whatever the reason might have been was to provide the victim with counselling.  The bully rarely received more than “don’t do it” speech and prevention was never thought of.  My school did so little to address the bullying issue that unless you were a victim no one paid attention to it and the victims stopped looking for help.  Many became hopeless, and depression stemmed from those feelings of despair and pain. 

The depression that bullying can cause to a person is a harsh reality.  It can cause them to lose sight of their future, the goals they wish to accomplish and who they ultimately aspire to become.  For LGBTTQ* youth, the discovery of their sexual orientation and the coming out process should be a good experience.  However, bullying and homophobia from peers can attach negativity and fear to coming out.  As I stated early, prejudice can lead to depression.  Hearing negative words such as “fag”, “dyke”, and “homo” can be detrimental to an LGBTTQ* youth who is discovering their sexual orientation or their gender identity. I am happy to see anti-bullying against the LGBTTQ* becoming an important issue.  Movements such as the Purple Letter Campaign and the It Gets Better Project hope to accomplish a safer world for the LGBTTQ* youth by getting bills put in place to protect them as they go through their adolescent years.   

-Katelyn

References:

Boyd, D., Bee, H., & Johnson, P. (2009). Lifespan development. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Huffington Post. (2011). Jamie Hubley, gay 15-year-old Ottawa, Canada teen commits suicide, cites depression, school troubles. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2009). What is depression? Retrieved from http:// http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca

Ward, M., & Belanger, M. (2011). The family dynamic. Ontario : Nelson Education Ltd.

Immigrations Minister Searching for Air!

LGBT immigrants and refugees are a group that we often don’t think about. I honestly hadn’t even thought about this particular type of situation until I had to sit down and write about it and honestly, I am shocked. In the example I will give, it is true what Mullaly(2007) said, “the view the oppressors hold of the oppressed is that they constitute a dangerous class that must be controlled for the good of the whole society.” Immigration minister Jason Kenney, in the past year or so, decided to take out the “gay rights” from the citizenship guide. (theglobeandmail,2011) It caused a major uproar within the LGBT community, as they felt they were no longer important enough to be spoken about to prospective Canadian citizens who could be identifying as LGBT as well. I find that to be incredibly offensive, yet he made excuses saying there wasn’t enough room in the guide for EVERY right and policy. (theglobeandmail,2011) You have got to be kidding me.

                Afterwards, Minister Kenny appeared to find his common sense and proceeded to make a promise to the LGBT immigrants and refugees. It is a pilot project that will give $100,000 in assistance for the first three months to every immigrant or refugee identifying as part of the LGBT group. (thestar, 2011) As well as the Rainbow committee will be in charge of orientation service, food, accommodation and other basic needs. (thestar,2011)After this big announcement of the huge amazing pilot project for the LGBT immigration and refugees, Minister Kenny added the gay rights back into the citizenship guide due to huge controversy. (thestar,2011) I cannot say that this project is a bad idea, in fact I think it’s a great idea and it should’ve been thought of before but the basis on which the project was built, is guilt and I don’t think it should have gotten to that point. I believe that minister Kenny should apologize for what he had done, it was an utter disgrace and I found it revolting how someone could make excuses for their almost homophobic actions.

                As I kept searching for more information on this situation, I found a site on which they wrote an article about it but from a transgendered perspective. In fact, Minister Kenny never directly includes the transgendered into this project, only states LGBT, sexual minorities (which the article stated was the incorrect term) and at one point states sexual orientation but not gender identity. (transpedianews, 2011) I wonder if Minister Kenny will fight for all of LGBT, or simply those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. These immigrants and refugees deserve the best and that’s what we as a nation should give them. It is unfortunate that the gay rights were taken out of the citizenship guide at all, the project is a good start and we should keep going. Everyone deserves a chance at a safe life, no matter sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity or culture.

Belinda

References

Beeby, Dean. (march 14, 2011). Immigration Minister pulled gay rights from citizenship guide, documents show. Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/immigration-minister-pulled-gay-rights-from-citizenship-guide-documents-show/article1486935/page2/

Heather. (March 28^th, 2011). Citizenship and Immigration Canada to help Trans Refugees. Retrieved from: http://transpedianews.com/?p=212

Keung, Nicholas. (march 24^th, 2011). Canada to assist persecuted gay refugees. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/immigration/article/959975--canada-to-assist-persecuted-gay-refugees

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3^rd Ed.) Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press

The Unaccepted Blood Type

It is not a secret that there is a discriminatory attitude held towards those of the LGBTTQ* community, especially when it comes to the topic of the spread of HIV.  In Canada, there is currently a blood ban put on men who have sex with men (MSM), including gay and bisexual men.  According to Canadian Blood Services (2011), “Canadian public health data show that the MSM category is the highest risk for new HIV/AIDS cases”.  While the ban currently does not permit the MSM category from ever being able to donating blood, the Canadian Blood Services has opened the policy for re‑examination.  Canadian Blood Services aim would be to decrease the policy from being a permanent ban to less than 10 years but more than five years, any changes to this policy would need to be approved by Health Canada (Canadian Blood Services, 2011).

It can be argued however that the time length of the ban is not the problem with the policy.  If a man who is sexually promiscuous with women does not use protection is he more of an ideal blood donor than two gay men who are in a monogamous relationship? According to Lovell and Rosenberg (2011), when the disease initially started to spread across North America it so strongly affected the gay community that it held the label of GRID, Gay Related Immune Disease (p. 111).  The blood ban incorrectly places the risk of the spread of HIV on the sexual orientation, instead of the sexual behaviour.  We live in an advanced world where latex condoms are proven to protect against HIV. So if a man choses to have protected sex with other men he has taken the same, necessary steps to avoid the risk of transmission as a heterosexual male who has also chosen to use a latex condom.

By placing a blood ban on the MSM community and women who have had sex with someone from the MSM community, society has placed an unrealistic sense of security for those who identify as “straight” or heterosexual.  HIV can and is contracted by heterosexual people.  As stated by Nester, Anderson, Roberts, and Nester (2009), “heterosexual spread of HIV is increasing and promises to become the dominant mode of transmission”(p. 705). Is it important to have polices that take precautions so that HIV does not get passed through a blood transfusion? Of course it is important, in fact, every blood donation is tested for HIV (Canadian Blood Services, 2011). However, let us put in place a policy that puts the risk of transmission on sexual behaviour, not on sexual orientation. 

-Katelyn 

References

Canadian Blood Services. (2011). Canadian Blood Services policy on excluding men who have had sex with men (MSM) from donating blood. Retrieved from http://www.blood.ca

Canadian Blood Services. (2011). HIV and AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.blood.ca

Lovell, S.A., & Rosenberg, M.W. (2009). Community capacity amongst people living with HIV/AIDS. Geojournal, 76, 111-121. doi: 10.1007/s10708-009-9289-2

Nester, E.W., Anderson, D.G., Roberts, C.E., & Nester, M.T. (2009). Microbiology: a human perspective (6^th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill

"We need to take action"...

“Every year in this country, 300 kids take their own lives,” claims Rick Mercer, in a passionate and thought provoking segment on his show, The Rick Mercer Report that aired in October and then subsequently went viral on the web.  “And this past week one of those kids was Jamie Hubley. He was 15, he was depressed and he happened to be gay.”  The young man that Rick Mercer is referring to is Jamie Hubley of Ottawa, Ontario.  In mid-October, 15 year old Hubley, who was openly gay, took his own life after years of torment and abuse that he had suffered at the hands of his classmates.  His father said that his son had suffered from depression (CBCNews.ca, 2011).  Jamie’s story is a heartbreaking one that has received much publicity.  Unfortunately, his situation is not uncommon among teens, and he is certainly not the first to have taken such extreme measures to end his suffering.  Adolescence, as I’m sure most of us can recall, is an emotionally turbulent and confusing time in our lives.  We were sensitive to our environments and vulnerable to many societal influences, especially our peers and loved ones.   It only makes sense that a mental condition such as depression would perpetuate one’s need to isolate themselves when they don’t feel accepted by society or amongst their peers.  Depression is a common condition among teens, though it’s often brushed off as typical teenaged apathy or chaos.  It’s also important to acknowledge the link between depression and suicide. It’s been noted that 80% of all suicides are committed by people who are depressed (Canada.com, Body&Health,2011).  It is the leading cause of death among adolescents, and LGBTTQ* youth are more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers (Canada.com, Body&Health, 2011).  One research report indicates that LGBTTQ* teens are “are 3 times more likely to report a history of suicidality and more than twice as likely to report symptoms of depression than their heterosexual counterparts” (Medscape Medical News, 2011).  

Another study suggests that the link between suicidality and depression within LGBTTQ* populations is not only an issue for adolescents.  It concludes that suicidal thoughts and behaviours are also a risk for people in their mid-twenties and that there’s an association between suicidal ideation and disclosure of one’s LGBTTQ* identity to immediate family (Igartua, Gill,Montoro, 2003). 

Another study, which emphasizes the importance of sexual support and how it relates to mental health, suggests that high levels of sexual support results in decreased amounts of emotional distress (Doty, Willoughby, Lindahl, & Malik, 2010). The study also suggest that support for sexual stress for LGB youth was less available from family and heretosexual friends and more available from sexual minority friends. This is relevent because the need for support at a young and vulnerable age is especially important and contributes to the stablilty and well-being of an adolescent who is struggling with his or her identity, and as Mercer states in the video above, in order to estabish a support network for teens who are struggling with their sexual identities, members of the LGBTTQ* community should not be invisible anymore.

Unfortunately, for many young people, bullying and homophobia doesn’t stop after High School.  One particular study in the UK has found that is still an existing problem on university campuses.  It reported that more than half of LQBTTQ* students avoided or purposely concealed their identities out of fear of being negatively targeting or discriminated against (Ellis, 2009)

Depression is known to be a biological condition that is triggered by chemical imbalances in the brain, causing individuals to have feelings of guilt, hopelessness, and sadness, as well as reduced energy and motivation.  However, we cannot deny the fact that our environment has a huge impact on our mood and general well-being and when both a negative environment and a mood disorder become a combined issue for a person, their situation becomes much more complicated and difficult.  When these issues are placed on the shoulders of a teen who is dealing with the turmoil of adolescence, who may be experiencing bullying, and who is trying to come to terms with their own identities and wondering if they’ll still be accepted, one can only imagine the hell they’re going through.  We, as a society need to acknowledge it and take action. As Rick Mercer said, “It’s no longer good enough for us to tell kids that are different that it’s going to get better; we have to make it better NOW.”  No doubt.

-          Julia

References:

Adolescent Suicides, (2011), Canada.com, Body and Health, Retrieved Nov. 22^nd, 2011 from: http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=135&channel_id=9&relation_id=10860

Cassels, Caroline, (April 7^th,2011). ‘Striking’ risk for suicidality, depression in gay teens, Medscape Medical News, Psychiatry, Retrieved Nov. 22^nd,2011 from: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740429

CBCNewStaff, (Oct 20, 2001). Gay Ottawa teen mourned at packed church. CBC News, CBC.ca Retrieved Nov. 22^nd,2011 from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/10/20/ottawa-hubley-funeral.html

Doty, N.D.,Willoughby, B.L.B., Lindahl, K.M., & Malik, N.M. (2010). Sexuality related social support among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(10), 1134-1147.

Ellis, S.J. (2009). Diversity and inclusivity at university: a survey of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) students in the UK. Higher Education, 57(6), 723-39.

Igartua, K.J., Gill, K., Montoro, R. (2003). Internalized homophobia: a factor in depression, anxiety, and suicide in the gay and lesbian population. The Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, Vol.22, Iss.2, Pg.15

Keep the LGBT Youth Alive!

Bullying affects everyone, it hurts everyone. How many people do you think suffer from bullying in our schools? I am going to guess that during the 13 years of schooling, at one point or another you will or have been bullied. It is more common than people would like to think, something you may not consider to be bullying could be bullying to the person you said or did it to. That bullying can lead to many disorders, disorders such as anxiety, depression, bulimia and anorexia. For youth who identify as LGBT or do not appear to act or dress with hegemonic masculinity or emphasized femininity, get bullied often and throughout the school years. The impact on those children and youth is tremendous. Bullying is a more legal form of oppression, as Mullaly states “oppression at the personal level comprises those thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours that depict a negative prejudgement of a particular subordinate group.” Isn’t that what they’re doing?

                In my experience, when I told friends in high school that I was bisexual, they were okay with it, some even disclosed that they were “experimenting”. Although, at some point, everyone in the school knew yet no one made fun of me or bullied me. On the other hand, I have a friend who was a part of the LGBT group and was consistently called a “dyke” or “fag”. She developed some really horrible mental illnesses due to the constant teasing. According to Crisp and McCave (2007), challenges the LGBT youth will or can possibly face, include coming out or disclosure, mental health and substance abuse issues, sexuality and sexually transmitted infections, harassment and violence. For the LGBT youth, the majority have suffered deeply due to other people’s prejudgements and horrible ridiculing. As said by MacDonald (2006), “One of the most serious and tragic consequences of the lack of adequate social support is the disproportionately high rate of suicide and attempted suicide for young lesbians, gays and bisexuals, a factor recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada.” So in other words, the youth in the LGBT group, are extremely affected by mental illness and are committing or attempting suicide more than heterosexual youth and we haven’t done enough to change that.

                I believe we need to provide more opportunity for social programs that are specific to LGBT youth, we need to lower if not eradicate the extremely high rate of suicide and attempted suicide. Crisp and McCave (2007) said that, “when gay-straight alliances are presented in schools, LGBT students felt safer, there was less harassment and bullying, increased attendance as well as an increased sense of belonging.” I think we should try to achieve that in all schools across Canada. Mental illness can be biological sometimes, but in some and in the cases of the LGBT that are constantly bullied, it isn’t just biological, it’s societal. 

          I have added a video, that has some shocking statistics and remembers a few of the LGBT teens who have committed suicide, and made it to the news. Imagine all the ones, that didn't.

Belinda

References:

Crisp, Catherine., McCave, Emily L. (2007). Gay Affirmative Practice: A Model for Social Work Practice with Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24(4). 403-421. Doi: 10.1007/s10560-007-0091-z

MacDonald, Sean.  (2006). Acknowledging the Rainbow: The Need for the Legitimization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in Canadian Schools. Education Law Journal, 16(2), 183-218.  Retrieved from CBCA Complete. (Document ID: 1183590171).

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford

 University Press.

Gay & Gray

As the “baby boomer” generation grows older, there is an increased need for health care providers to care of their needs. The aging of our Canadian population also includes the aging of a generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited and queer individuals. LGBTTQ* individuals face a number of challenges as they age as described below, the institutionalization of heterosexism has made it difficult for LGBTTQ* elders to get the needs and social services they deserve.

       "They often do not have access to adequate health care, affordable housing and other social services that they need due to institutionalized heterosexism and transphobia”  Mainstream senior providers have limited information or training in how to appropriately work with and serve our diverse communities. Existing regulations and proposed policy changes in programs like Social Security or Medicare, which impact millions of LGBT elders, are discussed without LGBTTQ* views and interests as part of the debate” (Young,2011) .

         The inequality facing LGBT older adults is rooted in the effects of our societies social stigmas and prejudice attached to aging. “In part this ageism is obviously the product of a market-driven economy for which youth is so heavily commodified. Fear of progressive decay and eventual death is also a natural reaction to getting older”(Renaldi,2005). Not only do LGBTTQ* elders have the stigma of being seniors, but also the stigma of identifying as non-heterosexual. Often the stigma alone of being queer keeps the elderly out of retirement homes and those that do get in are often shunned and treated with disrespect.

        Let’s not forget that many LGBTTQ* elders came from a period where homosexuality was considered deviant and even a mental illness for a very long period of time.  Therefore it comes as no surprise that “for elderly lesbians and gay men, the fear is even greater because they are forced to depend on networks and social institutions that have traditionally been known to be intolerant of them” (Senior site,2011). Often seniors who are open about their sexual orientation in their daily lives withhold this information from their healthcare provider, because they are worried the health care provider will chose not to help them.

There are many programs available to the LGBTTQ* seniors here in Canada, examples are Windsor pride community, GLARP, 50 plus, ,OLOC and many more programs offering help to the elderly LGBTTQ*. These organization are dedicated to ensuring that LGBTTQ* elders have equal access to the benefits, protections, services and institutions that they are entitled to. Although there are such wonderful programs for these individuals, there are still no policies aimed to better the LGBTTQ * elderly, which is why we need to advocate for equality for the marginalised to ensure the LGBTTQ* elders get the needs they deserve. These are their last years with us, let’s make them count!   

-Brigitte Tetrault

References

Renaldi, R. (2005). Gay and lesbian elderly. Retrieved from: http://www.renaldi.com/portfolio/elderly1.html

Gay seniors face stigma . (n.d.). Senior site- sex & seniors . Retrieved November 11, 1920, from www.seniorsite.com/sex/gay_seniors_face_stigma.asp

Woolf, L. (n.d.). Gay and Lesbian Aging. Webster University. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/oldergay.html

Young , Laurie . "Aging | TaskForce." National Gay and Lesbian Task Force | building LGBT political power from the ground up. The Task Force, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://www.thetaskforce.org/issues/aging

Come one, come all.

I was not only troubled but also astonished when I read an article in The Canadian Press which read  “Citizenship and immigration Minister Jason Kenney has removed any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship” (Beeby,2010,p.1).  That is to say, the 63 page guide contains absolutely no information on gay and lesbian rights. This is quite upsetting for the reason that if we were to compare Canada to other countries there has been a remarkable amount of change given to the rights of the LGBTTQ* throughout the past few decades. Wouldn’t immigrants and refugees like to know this information prior to entering our country?

The Canadian press had learned that the earliest draft of the guide indicated under the section Towards a Modern Canada. "Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 and more recently, civil marriage rights to same-sex couples was legalized nationwide in 2005," And in the piece on citizenship rights, the initial draft said: "Equality Rights - Canadians are protected against discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or age" (Beeby,2010,p.1). However neither one of these sentences were published.

Now let’s talk about Jason Kenney for a moment, the man at fault for removing all information referencing gay rights from the study guide. Following the Conservative victory in the 2006, on January 4, 2007, Kenny was sworn in as the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, and has held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism since October 30, 2008. (Prime Minister of Canada [Pm], 2011)

Being a member of the Conservative government, it comes as no surprise that Minister Kenney opposes same-sex relationships. In fact he has, “insistently opposed same-sex marriage since his time as an opposition MP in the House of Commons” The Globe and Mail (2010). In my opinion, the fact that Kenney firmly opposes homosexuality proves that he purposely removed all information regarding gay rights from the study guide. This makes me wonder why he holds the post of Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

Although due to Kenney’s actions, immigrants and refugees migrating to Canada will have no knowledge of the gay rights they are entitled to, it is nice to know that  immigration regulations came into effect on June 28,2002 allowing  the sponsorship of same-sex partners into Canada. At the present, ,members of the LGBTTQ* community are formally able to sponsor their partners, in other words,  Canada and many other countries gladly extend immigration rights to prospective gay and lesbian immigrants. (LaViolette,2004)

I am grateful to learn that all members of the LGBTTQ* are able to immigrate to Canada; however it upsets me that the Minister of Immigration is homophobic. I am certain that many same-sex couples move to Canada to enjoy improved civil rights, benefits, and the protection of a tolerant society. However in my opinion it makes absolutely no sense that the man administering immigration affairs is against homosexuality; he has already removed all references to gay rights from the study guide, what will he do next?

-Brigitte Tetrault

References

Beeby, D. (2010, March 3). Kenney denies removing gay reference - Canada - CBC News. CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/03/kenney-gay-guide003.html

LaViolette, N. (2004). Coming Out to Canada: The Immigration of. McGill Law Journal, 49, 970-1002.

Rayside, D. M., & Wilcox, C. (2011). A twenty year survey of Canadian attitudes towards homosexuality and gay rights . Faith, politics, and sexual diversity in Canada and the United States (p. 49). Vancouver: Ubc Press.

The Honourable Jason Kenney - Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism - Prime Minister of Canada. (n.d.). Prime Minister of Canada / Premier ministre du Canada. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from http://pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=77

Canada passes bill to legalize gay marriage - The New York Times. (2005, June 29). NY Times Advertisement. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/world/americas/29iht-web.0629canada.html