June is celebrated as Pride month; it began to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots and represesents the ongoing pursuit of equal justice for the LGBTQ+ community. Here are five  quotes to honour Pride month: "Hope will never be silent." - Harvey Milk "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." - E.E. Cummings "And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are , be brave enough to support them, even if you don't understand." - Ellen DeGeneres "It is not

I had the richest of conversations with a young woman who had recently come out to her family. Although telling her parents and siblings she was gay went fairly smoothly, she spoke about an experience shortly afterwards that occurred  to which she was unsure of how to respond. She noted that she had been at a social gathering at her parents home and an acquaintance of her parents, in the process of small talk, asked her if she had a boyfriend. Although she answered truthfully

As we learned in a previous post, the rainbow flag was designed by Gilbert Baker from San Francisco in 1976. Originally, it had eight colours that were chosen to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community; over time, it has changed and today's version has 6 colours: Red : represents the symbol of life . Orange : represents healing . Yellow : is a symbol of  sunlight. Green: represents nature. Blue: is a symbol of serenity . Violet : represents spirit. The rainbow flag

June is Pride month. Every year, the LGBT+ community celebrates solidarity through various events. Here are some interesting facts about Pride: The month of June is significant due to the Stonewall Riots; a 1969 movement that resulted after the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in NYC, was raided by police. For 6 days, protestors sent out the message that LGBT+ people needed to be able to establish places in which they could be open about their sexual orientation without fear of bein

In a short clip entitled, “You are beautiful.” How this transgender woman found the courage to transition" featuring Maya Henry and found on CBC Docs, we meet Maya, a young woman who talks about what it felt like before and after her transition. Here are some key quotes: "I always knew I was different. I just didn't know how to describe it." "It felt like I could be who I wanted to be at home. With my sisters, I was one person, but then going to school, I had to be another

In an article entitled, "Just one supportive adult cuts the chance an LGBTQ youth will attempt suicide by 40%" written by Gwendolyn Smith and featured on LGBTQNATION , we learn that: "Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst young people, and LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to consider, plan for, and attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers." Four times more likely. That is a frightening reality for our LGBTQ youth and one that can be avoided. We know

One of the books I read on vacation was "Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family" by Amanda Jette Knox. Knox's overall theme that runs throughout the memoir is to 'lead with love;' a message that comes to pass in countless ways as her family shifts to embrace two trans people within their fold. An interesting fact from its pages include: "This extremely vulnerable population (trans youth) carries high rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide.

Jessica Love is the author and illustrator of "Julian is a Mermaid," a children's book about a gender-questioning child who finds acceptance from his grandmother. In PinkNews 's article "Trans Kids' book 'Julian is a Mermaid' is winning hearts and awards" by Josh Jackman, we read about Jessica's labour of love. Love notes that she wrote the book based on some conversations she had with a friend who transitioned in his 50's due to pushback he had as a child when questioning

This is what Frommer's had to say about travelling to Jamaica if you're gay: "Jamaica is the most homophobic island in the Caribbean, with harsh anti-gay laws, even though there's a large local gay population. If you're desiring a trip to get some sun,  forget Jamaica unless you want to stay deep in the closet." I would never had known this had we not researched gay-friendly Caribbean locations last year when planning a family vacation. This is why being an ally to the LGBT

In an article entitled, "Modern do's and don'ts for parents of gay kids coming out" by Ryan E. Thompson and featured on CBC Life , Thompson writes about the things to say (or not say) when your child comes out to you. Written with some cheeky wit, Thompson lists 5 key pieces of advice: Foster a positive LGBTQ atmosphere.   "Create a sense of diversity/openness in your home where your kids can feel comfortable if they are questioning. Don't assume everyone in the world is stra

When I was in high school (the late 80's in a small, rural town), no one in my graduating class was gay. CORRECTION : no one in my high school class would have felt supported enough to authentically identify and live as gay, bisexual or trans. Although I like to think that based on friendship, we would have been accepting, society at the time hardly encouraged it, and coming out would have been too frightening of a prospect. Let's face it; history has never been that straigh

When I was about 8 years old, after my sister and I had come in from outside, I was singing to myself this little song the neighbour girls had taught us. "Eenie meenie, miney mo, catch a 'n-word' by the toe. If he hollers, let him go, eenie, meenie, miney, mo." WELL! I will never forget my mother's immediate reaction; to this little kid, I had absolutely no idea what was getting her all ruffled. She went on to explain of course why the use of the 'n-word' was so derogatory an