Gens Hellquist, founder of the Avenue Community Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Saskatoon, came to deliver a presentation to Sakewew students May 31 on the subject of how "homophobia is killing us."
Hellquist's talk had previously been delivered to the 15th annual Breaking the Silence conference held at the University of Saskatchewan, and he was invited by the school's Gay-Straight Alliance to deliver it to the class.
The wide-ranging presentation focused on statistics showing the high cost of homophobia in society, and the many indicators that demonstrate just how damaging homophobia is. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students feel less safe at school, are bullied far more often, and commit suicide at far higher rates than non-GLBT students.
Hellquist showed the determinants of mental, physical and emotional health and demonstrated how a homophobic society has produced far worse health outcomes for its GLBT members. He pointed to the fact that doctors are not trained in how to treat GLBT patients and often refuse to treat GLBT patients when they learn about their sexual orientation. He also drew attention to the fact that school sexual-education classes assume heterosexuality.
The event was one of many put on by the Sakewew Gay-Straight Alliance this year. Tellingly, one of Hellquist's major points was how schools could be made into safer spaces for GLBT students. One of his suggestions? Start a gay-straight alliance. Throughout his presentation he expressed pride in the school for having a designation for GLBT issues.
