IN CALGARY 2013 Camp fYrefly empowers LGBT youth to stand up for social change BY PAULA TROTTER AT FYREFLY, PEOPLE CAN FULLY BE hen Monica McCree came out as THEMSELVES WITHOUT WORRYING bisexual in January 2012 and started ABOUT BEING DISCRIMINATED, I Wdating another woman, she didn’t know how her friends and family would react. FELT A LOT MORE CONFIDENT IN “I didn’t know what to expect, but my MYSELF AND KNOW THAT I AL- friends were so cool,” says the 17-year-old who graduated from Sir Winston Churchill this year. WAYS HAVE THE SAFETY NET OF While friends and family have embraced her “THE LGBT COMMUNITY TO FALL TAKING FLIGHT sexuality, McCree knows others are not as BACK ON. fortunate. “There are a lot of people who aren’t in the situation where they can safely be out or they’re The camp also provides participants with a safe being bullied,” she says. “Even if people don’t and unconditional sense of belonging, says Wells. face direct discrimination, there’s still the overall All of this helps inspire campers to stand up for oppression that you get from society. Our society social change the remaining 361 days of the year. is very heteronormative.” McCree was one of the more than 40 youth who Sexual and gendered minorities continue to participated in the first Calgary-area Camp fYrefly. face discrimination. A few examples of this “At fYrefly, people can fully be themselves include: sex education in schools is only directed without worrying about being discriminated,” toward straight students; police-reported hate she says. “I felt a lot more confident in myself crimes motivated by sexual orientation increased and know that I always have the safety net of the by 10 per cent between 2010 and 2011, while LGBT community to fall back on.” incidents motivated by race, ethnicity and McCree’s experience at camp further fueled religion decreased during the same period, her desire to advocate for sexual and gendered according to Statistics Canada; lesbian, gay and minority rights. bisexual youth are at higher risk of attempting The teen established a Gay-Straight Alliance suicide than heterosexual youth; and the Alberta at her high school the year she came out, government approved Bill 44 in 2009, which helping to foster student discussion about allows parents to pull their children out of class sexuality and organizing awareness events such when lessons of sexual orientation and other as a Pride Day. contentious topics are being discussed. She would like to be a youth leader at Camp “We can have all the legal equality we want, fYrefly next year, and has signed up to volunteer but that doesn’t rapidly equate to social equality,” with fYrefly in Schools. An evolution of camp, says Kris Wells, a researcher with the Institute Wells says fYrefly in Schools goes directly to for Sexual Minority Studies in Edmonton and where the students are to raise awareness about co-founder of Camp fYrefly, an Alberta-based the consequences of bullying motivated by leadership retreat for LGBT youth. sexuality and gender. Photo submitted by Kris Wells “They don’t need to change,” he says of young He believes standing up to injustice within the Monica McCree was one sexual minorities. “It’s society that needs to school environment will result in rapid social change. of the more than 40 youth change — and the best way to change that is to “I think resistance is still largely based in to attend the first Calgary- empower these people.” stereotypes,” says Wells. “Misinformation, area Camp fYrefly, a four- That’s the goal of Camp fYrefly, which got stereotypes, prejudice — all of these can be day leadership retreat its start in Edmonton nine years ago and just rectified through education.” for LGBT youth. McCree, offered its first retreat to Calgary-area LGBT McCree and Wells will be walking with other who is bisexual, says the youth in Cochrane this July. Camp fYrefly members as parade marshals at experience strengthened The four-day camp includes a plethora of this year’s Pride Calgary. her resolve to advocate workshops that educate teens and young adults Calgary’s first Premier’s Pride Brunch in for sexual minority and on issues such as healthy relationships, knowing support of Camp fYrefly will be held Aug. 31 in gendered rights. their rights, self-defence, what community conjunction with Pride Week. Tickets are $50 and resources are available, basic life skills such as can be purchased at www.premierspridebrunch. financial literacy. eventbrite.ca. IN CALGARY 2013 All in the family BY MEGHAN JESSIMAN hat’sagood party without atheme? —CalgaryHerald Archive This year,Pride Calgary will be Wfocusing on bolstering the family- Our Pride is growing friendlyaspects of its festivities and drawing attention to an important aspect of LGBTQ life in Calgary: same-sexfamilies. Pride 2013 Parade &Street Festival Today’sfamilyunit is no longer just comprised of amom, dad and their children. BY, MEGHAN JESSIMAN Canadian families come in amultitude of formats, and, as long as they contain love, veryone lovesaparade —evenmoreso, it seems,when it’srainbow-themed. that’ssomething to celebrate. It’sunderstandable, really. Imean, what’s not to love about aweeklong festivaldedicated to equality, Calgary Pride has not always operated with acceptance and, well, pride within Calgary’shomosexual community? If that’snot areason to go all out atheme.Infact, last year wasthe first time it with acelebration, Idon’t knowwhatis. took on asocial message. E Though YYC’sfestivities still pale in comparison to Pride festivals thattakeplace in cities such as For2013, the boardofdirectors has Vancouver,San Francisco and Sydney,Calgary’sfestivalgrowth rate is on aremarkablyspeedytrajectory.Since decided it is important to raise awareness the first Pride Festivalin1990, which onlyinvolved afew hundred people,Calgary’scelebration has growninto a of the challenges faced by same-sex multi-dayextravaganza, with morethan 30,000 attendees in 2012. families.The hope is thatthe regular “Wehaveseen ahuge growth in attendance over the last five years,” says Pride Calgary president Stephen Pride festivities,aswell as the family- Wright. “Attendance forthe parade and festivalseems to be expanding by about 5,000 people each year,so focused events taking place this year,will within the next five years we hope to see 50,000 people hereinCalgary.” allowsame-sexparents and children the This year’sfestivalkicks offFriday, Aug. 23 with Qthe Arts,aperforming arts presentation and dance opportunity to connect with others like party in partnership with Fairy Tales Presentation Society.The party continues with avariety of events the them. following long weekend. From club events to socials and brunches,this festivalhas alot to offer in terms of Pride Calgary 2013 features an expanded diversity. FamilyFun Zone run by alocal LGBT youth Of course,the main draw is always the parade and street festivalitself.Starting at noon, Sunday, Sept. 1, organization and afamily-friendlybarbecue the parade,floats and all, begins at 8th Avenue and 1st Street S.W. and ends at the festivalgrounds at Shaw (Bi-B-Q) held on Saturday, Aug. 31 from 5to Millennium Park.With participants from all walks of life in YYC, the parade is atestament to our city’sshifting 8p.m. at James Short Park. attitudes. Pride Calgary president Stephen Wright “Calgary reallycomes together forthis festival, sometimes in unexpected ways,” Wright says.“We have entries says thatwhen it comes to daytime events in from the Calgary Police Service,RCMP,Hazelle the Ga(y)zelle from GayFriends in Calgary,churches and all Calgary,the focus is on fun of the good, clean sorts of community associations.It’satrue mix.” variety. It is important to note thatthe parade and street fest thatfollows areafamily-friendlyevent, and always have “The Pride parade and the street festival been. Featuring live performances,great music from out-of-town and local DJs,food trucks,and afamilyzone, thatfollows arehaveand always been the festivalisthe ideal place —the beer gardens excepted, of course —tobring the kids foranall-access lesson completelyfamily-friendlyevents,” Wright in acceptance and celebration of diversity. explains.“They’re open to all ages and “Everyone is welcome at Pride Calgary,” says Wright. “People of all ages,genders,sexual orientations and as such, public indecency will be nationalities.” prohibited.” THIRTY-SIX Proudtocelebrate. Everywhere. Everyday. We’rewithyou. TD is excitedtocelebrate Pridewith allofour friends.Don’t missyourchancetowin atriptocelebrate WorldPride2014Toronto in luxuriousstyle,with TheUltimateWorldPridePackage. The Ultimate WorldPride Package* WIN Enter now at TDUltimatePride.ca Brought to youby ATDPreferred Travel Provider *Contest ends September 6, 2013. There are 3prize packages available to be won, one for each of the Western, Central and EasternRegions (ARVCDN$6,000, 5,000 and 6,000, respectively). Each prize consists of atrip to Toronto, ON for the 2014 WorldPride event. Winner and guest must travel between June 26th and June 30th, 2014. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. No purchase is necessary. Skill testing question is required. Full Rules are available at TDUltimatePride.ca All trade-marks are the property of their respective owners. ®/ The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or awholly owned subsidiary, in Canada and/or other countries. IN CALGARY 2013 True love Calgarycouple lets go of fears and judgement to embrace who they are and take awalk down the aisle BY PAULA TROTTER arriage is the ultimate commitment, not just to another person buttobeing honest and transparent with yourself about whoyou are, says Calgary-area reverend Nadene Rogers. M It’sasentiment her partner,Maureen Phillips,agrees with. Phillips,69, wasmarried to aman for33years.She struggled to come to terms with her sexuality evenafter thatrelationship ended. “It wasahuge turmoil formeatthattime because Ihad to decide between following wheremyheart wasand what Ireallydesired, or staying whereIwas in thatlimited thinking and restricting myself from what Ifelt wastrulyright forme,”saysPhillips.