A Spirit Day story to lift your spirit

On Wednesday, hundreds gathered in Vancouver at Emery Barnes Park, in a vigil to end homophobic bullying.

But while I was moved by the numbers that attended and the passion of the speakers, it was the story that a dear friend shared with me from Saskatoon that same day that had the most impact on me personally. This is the story of one woman making a difference for the kids at her school.

She talks of being proud of the kids in her school that day. I am brimming with pride in knowing someone like Gail. Thank you Gail for being there for your kids - letting them know they are not alone!

I walked in that day decked out in purple to support friends who have been bullied and for family members that have passed away and I know for a fact were the victims of gay bashing. I didn't go in that day thinking that I would make a difference. I didn't think the kids were going to notice but I knew the staff would. And the plan was that I would quietly educate them in my own way. I knew there would be eye rolling but I didn't care. It's not the first time they have rolled eyes at me.

I suspected there was a couple of boys in that school of being gay and they were not out and I worried about them. So much so that I have talked to their teacher and he is keeping a closer eye on the language being used in that classroom. He is amazing and has a zero tolerance on any prejudice of any kind. Did I mention his brother was gay?

I have heard the words "faggot" and "gay" in the hallways and I have pulled those kids aside and explained to then it was inappropriate. They have be reprimanded by teachers and principals but still it continues here and there. I know we don't catch all of it. I work in a bit of a rough school broken families is the norm, bullying, behavior problems, mental illness, kids coming to school hungry, kids coming to school with a head full of lice. With kids like that acceptance and social skills is not high on their list of priorities.

I really thought that my purple outfit was going to go unnoticed by the kids. For the most part I assumed they were uninformed but a small part of me hoped that they would notice. I really didn't think it would play out like it did. I really didn't have to say much; all it took was for me (a grown up)to be standing there decked out in purple. They were the ones who took the ball and ran with it. They were the ones opening up, taking pride and educating their peers.

It was the kids who started to speak out and inform others. Up to that point they were being hush-hush about the whole thing keeping it amongst themselves. I guess seeing as I was there in support it was like they felt as though they got the go ahead by an adult to speak up on the subject.

It was so cool to witness that chain reaction and how well it was received by the other kids standing around and listening.

I was so proud of them!

Vancouver Queer Film Fest wrap-up

It is always a bitter-sweet day after the closing gala of the Vancouver International Queer Film Festival each year.

Here's our highlights, by the numbers:

# of Feature Films: 10

# of Shorts: 31

# of Nights Where We Didn't See Any Films: 1

# of Parties Attended: 0 (who had time?)

# of New Friends Made in Festival Line-ups: 18

# of Individual Tweets during the Festival: Way too many to count!

And our highlights, by the films:

Film we would most likely watch again: Children of God

Film we would like to see burned: The Butch Factor

Film that made me think the most: The Butch Factor

Film that brought tears to my eyes: All of the anti-homophobia PSAs

Feature film that made me laugh the most: Violet Tendencies

Shorts that made me laugh the most: Super Queer & Lesbian National Parks

Shorts that made me avert my eyes the most: Horsey & Butch Tits

Each year we vow we will pace ourselves, see fewer films, maybe even get to a party or two. Each year we fail but it is the most fun I have at failing every year!

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival might be the second largest film festival in Vancouver but it is, without a doubt, the BEST film festival in Vancouver!

To all all the staff and the volunteers that make the Vancouver Queer Film Festival possible each year, THANK YOU!

Why Pride?

Fresh off another fantastic Pride week in Vancouver it's always good to reflect on why Pride festivities continue to be such a huge deal in the LGBTQ community.

For me, this year's Pride celebrations had an extra special meaning as my 73 year old father and his girlfriend, he a devout Catholic, joined us at the parade for the first time. This was actually his idea as I have never thought that he, or my Mom when she was alive, would have had any interest in attending. His reaction to the entire proceeding? He said he had a good time. Pure and simple.

But while Pride can be very personal, as it was for me this year, from a wider perspective it also provides us with an opportunity to be visible, an opportunity to show those that perhaps are questioning that there are others just like them, an opportunity for us to celebrate with our allies and an opportunity to show the rest of the world just how far we have come and how far we have yet to go in our quest for equality.

Will we one day live in a world where Pride celebrations are no longer necessary? I hope not. Who else is going to throw the best damn parties and most colorful parades in the world?

Does a B&B have the right to discriminate?

Owners of a bed and breakfast in Grand Forks, British Columbia are before the BC Human Rights Tribunal for allegedly denying a gay male couple a room. According to the B&B owners, Lee and Susan Molnar, this is because of their Christian beliefs.

Sorry Molnars, you like every other business in British Columbia cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation. You want to run a business you need to adhere to the laws.

As for not knowing what kind of behaviour you can say no to in your home, you have every right to say no to anything in your home. Problem is, by opening up your home as a B&B it is no longer just a private residence. Just like you couldn't deny a Jew from staying at your B&B, you can't deny a same-sex couple.

A sea of pink...

I was one of the lucky ones. While I was always a little different growing up I never really felt the full force of a bully. But I did see others feel the wrath of the school bully.

Today is Pink Shirt day across Canada, raising awareness of this major problem. Just how much of a problem is it? According to the Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet) the problem touches a great deal of students including those as young as grade one. The graph below shows the percentage of students who reported being victimized in the past two months.

Pink Shirt Day was started in 2007 by a group of students in Nova Scotia out to show support for one of their classmates that was being bullied. Today, thousands across the province are wearing pink to raise awareness.

Visit http://www.pinkshirtday.ca for more information.