Content warning: This piece contains mention of mental illness, suicide, homophobia, and transphobia.
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Imagine walking into school every day knowing you are entering an environment where people don’t affirm your identity — this is Aiden’s experience.
Aiden (he/ him), a high school student who identifies as a Two-Spirit trans man, often hears transphobic and homophobic comments from fellow students.
“I get misgendered every day by students and teachers in front of the whole class even though I wear a big pronoun pin and have let all my teachers know my pronouns,” Aiden said.
At one point, due to increased COVID-19 protocols, Aiden’s school required teachers to patrol bathrooms to enforce social distancing.
“I use the men’s bathroom at school, and I’m always stopped and told it is the men’s room when I try to go in. The other students don’t want to use the bathroom when I am in there, and when they do, I get harassed and mocked by them daily,” he said.
Aiden says it took a year to have his name changed in the school database — or so he thought. When he returned the following school year, his name was altered to his deadname. Again, it took months before the school resolved Aiden’s request.
“I was walking back to class with this incredible weight off my shoulders, until I sat down in my seat and logged into my computer to see that nothing had changed except my feeling of safety and acceptance.”
One place Aiden does feel safe and accepted at school is in the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), which he’s been part of for three years.
Many 2SLGBTQ+ youth face discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools. Schools and educators are responsible for protecting all students and ensuring the school environment is welcoming. The presence of a GSA in a school community helps create spaces that are crucial for the health and well-being of 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
Access to a GSA can help 2SLGBTQ+ youth embrace their identities while meeting people who can relate to their experiences. It’s a place where students know they can be their authentic selves away from the violence and harassment they might experience at school.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed how 2SLGBTQ+ youth receive support from their peers and school community. The move to remote learning altered how students interact with each other, their teachers, and support and guidance staff.
Most school clubs and extra-curricular activities could not continue their programming during periods of remote learning. Some Winnipeg high schools did their best to offer their queer students GSA resources, but it was not easy. Obstacles — like lack of accessibility and privacy — blocked many students from safely or comfortably receiving the support they needed.
What makes school safe for 2SLGBTQ+ youth?
GSAs are becoming a common way to promote inclusivity and allyship in Winnipeg public high schools, which is important since the Manitoba Safe Schools GSA Guide reports that “more than 50% of 2SLGBTQ+ students have been verbally harassed about their sexual orientation, and 21% have been physically harassed or assaulted about their sexual orientation at school.”
“The importance of [a GSA] is that it gives students the option to get involved in whatever capacity they are comfortable with but to also be able to access their peers and supports within the school that they might not be aware of otherwise,” said Lindsay Brown (they/ them), classroom teacher and GSA advisor at Maples Collegiate.
Ultimately, an inclusive school community reflects the values and policies of a Gay-Straight Alliance — equality and support for all 2SLGBTQ+ students.
As the student leader of his GSA, Aiden has the opportunity to create a safer and more inclusive school environment for those around him.
“It is really important to have that safe space,” said Aiden.
How COVID-19 affected high school GSAs
GSAs drastically changed when schools shifted to remote learning during COVID-19. The GSA run by Lindsay Brown at Maples Collegiate had difficulty maintaining communication between its members. In the beginning, they did not have access to virtual platforms, which isolated students. They eventually started a Google Classroom, but that came with many challenges.
In some cases, students’ families had access to their Google Classroom accounts. If the student wasn’t out to their family, they might not have been able to join virtually. Many students needed space and privacy to meet online which they didn’t have at home. These students were isolated from their GSA for months.
“It was hard to find the best way to connect and communicate with these students,” said Brown.
West Kildonan Collegiate’s GSA, run by Jay Jimenez (he/him), had slightly different experiences connecting with students during COVID-19. When everything shut down in March 2020, so did their GSA. They could not hold meetings for the entire duration of remote learning.
Some students never got their GSAs back. Danielle Ehmann (she/her), a graduate of River East Collegiate, belonged to her high school GSA before COVID-19. She was at a point in life where she was questioning her sexuality and was seeking guidance from the GSA. She wanted to learn from different perspectives and experience the queer community.
“It was kind of like a big friend group, but we all understood that we are going through the same things. I wasn’t sure what being gay would mean, and seeing other people talk about what they felt towards other genders helped me realize I feel the same way,” said Ehmann.
When school went remote, the GSA didn’t follow. Students, including Danielle, were completely detached from the support system they relied on.
“It was really isolating and lonely not having a place to meet up with people,” she said.
Ehmann missed interacting with people she could be herself with.
“In the community, there is a basic understanding, and we can all be comfortable with each other because everyone knows we are different.”
The GSA at River East Collegiate is back in-person, but Danielle graduated before it started up again.
Community resources during COVID-19
The Rainbow Resource Centre, which offers support and programs like library resources, education, and counselling, used social media platforms to connect with youth during the pandemic.
“Despite our inability to meet in-person, Youth Program maintained regular programming events. By partnering with community organizations, youth were provided with workshops on safer substance use and overdose prevention, art expression, and financial management, as well as a Drag Safe Grad event,” an excerpt from the 2020/2021 Rainbow Resource Centre annual report explained.
Instagram and Discord (an instant messaging and digital distribution platform) were essential for 2SLGBTQ+ youth to connect with one another and seek support from program staff. The Discord channel became an online platform where youth could receive support, resources, develop friendships, and share interests.
A constant theme that came up in discussions was the feeling of isolation. In response, Rainbow Resource Centre created a Winter Cheer Card initiative for youth to receive a handmade card in the mail from staff in December. Youth from across Manitoba signed up to receive cards filled with positive and affirming messages.
The consequences of virtual support for 2SLGBTQ+ youth
A significant concern with virtual GSA meetings is the participants’ privacy and safety.
A high school student who is not out to her family (and will remain unnamed for her privacy) relies on her GSA to feel closer to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. She had difficulty accessing support during the pandemic. She had to continuously lie to her family about who she was talking to when joining virtual meetings. After her family noticed a pattern, she had to make a difficult decision. She could continue lying to her family and risk getting caught or no longer attend GSA meetings. Both options felt impossible, but she chose to stop attending the GSA meetings, further isolating her from her support network.
Not being at school was particularly difficult for students living in non-affirming homes.
“A concern was if students were in spaces at home where their identity wasn’t being affirmed, particularly with trans or non-binary students who might use a chosen name and pronoun that matches their sense of self at school no longer had that space,” said Brown.
Instead of seven hours a day of being called the name they identify with, some were facing transphobia or homophobia at home. This was a big challenge for some students because they didn’t have that refuge anymore, which impacted their mental health.
The Trevor Project, an organization that works to prevent suicides in 2SLGBTQ+ youth, put out a report, “Implications of COVID-19 for LGBTQ Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,” in April 2020 that found “An unintended consequence of physical distancing is the potential loss of the social connections that protect LGBTQ youth from suicidality.”
Many 2SLGBTQ+ youth spent time confined to places that were unsupportive of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity for long periods during COVID-19 and remote learning.
“I know of colleagues who had concerns of students self-harming or were dealing with severe mental illness that may have led them to thoughts of suicide,” said Brown.
What do GSAs look like now?
GSAs have had to adapt in the last couple of years; some of these changes persist even after high school returned to in-person learning.
GSA meetings are now back in person for many high schools in Winnipeg. The pandemic has shown that in-person support is crucial for 2SLGBTQ+ students.
Garden City Collegiate’s GSA started an initiative in the fall of 2021 to sell Pride merchandise to students and staff in the school to create a more inclusive school environment and encourage people to be themselves.
“When our students and staff wear the clothing, it sets the tone and is a powerful way to be an ally and show your support. This year we opened it up to all students, not just GSA students,” said Tara Smith (she/her), GSA advisor.
The impact and symbolism Pride merchandise has on students and staff would not have the same level of positive effects if school and the GSA were still being held online.
“Seeing students and staff wearing the merch around the school makes me feel welcome because they wear it without fear or shame,” said Keira Murray (she/her), a student in the Garden City Collegiate GSA.
She explained that the merchandise makes a safe space for students who don’t feel comfortable coming out or being themselves at school.
“This project, in particular, is to have that visual show of support with the sense to be able to wear a rainbow proudly,” said Smith.
The GSA wants to make sure the merchandise is affordable. They include pins in the merchandise line because they are a more affordable way to show support.
GSAs know it’s important to schedule meetings when it’s easiest for most people to attend.
Aiden’s GSA meets during lunch on school days, making it accessible for all students. The GSA had difficulty getting everyone back as a group when they initially returned in person. They had to adjust to after-school meetings, which was hard for students who weren’t out to their parents or whose parents weren’t supportive of them attending. This meant some people were getting excluded.
The Maples Collegiate GSA also experienced challenges when returning in person.
“It was difficult to maintain a consistent group because half of our students came one day, and half of our students came the other,” said Brown.
Brown’s GSA also found lunchtime meetings an important aspect of inclusivity.
“We weren’t able to eat comfortably in the same space with social distancing. We couldn’t share a meal, which is a big part of the community building aspect, so it was literally and figuratively distancing in the space.”
It was hard to find spaces where students could organically interact with each other in a safe way.
Lasting Effects
The isolation and lack of support many 2SLGBTQ+ youth experienced during COVID-19 can have lasting effects on their mental health.
“Uncertainties surrounding the impact COVID-19 may have at an individual and societal level can lead to anxiety about an individual’s day-to-day life as well as anxiety related to what the future may hold for them,” according to The Trevor Project report.
2SLGBTQ+ youth living in unsupportive or unsafe homes who are waiting to graduate or move to a more supportive environment may feel like the pandemic is postponing their ability to live as their true selves, The Trevor Project explained.
The pandemic continues to leave lasting effects on the support and resources GSAs provide its students. More than ever, GSAs are needed to support students who spend lots of time in school — for most students around six hours a day, five days a week, and 40 weeks of the year.
GSAs are not just another student group or club; ultimately, they can save and protect the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
Aiden walks into his GSA, eager to make changes that were on hold during COVID-19. He sits in his desk chair, pulls out his lunch, and starts to talk to his peers.
The group shares how they’re feeling and plans ways to better educate teachers on protocol and rules Manitoba schools should follow regarding trans and gender diverse students.
The priority is making safe spaces — a gender-neutral changeroom and bathroom.
“That is what we are working on right now, to create a safe and inclusive environment not just in the GSA but in the whole school,” Aiden says.
COVID-19 has already posed so many challenges for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, and now Aiden says he feels the school is using COVID-19 restrictions as an excuse to avoid adopting ways to support queer students.
What this group of students is fighting for — a space where all students are safe and free to grow and learn no matter how they identify — seems so small compared to what they’ve overcome.
There should be no more excuses.
Resources
If you feel isolated, need support, are in an unsafe environment, or cannot safely access a GSA, here is a list of resources available in Manitoba:
Klinic Community Health: https://klinic.mb.ca
Anakhnu: Jewish LGBTQ2S+ groups: https://www.radyjcc.com/culture-community/community/anakhnu-jewish-glbt-group/
Nine Circles Community Health Centre: https://ninecircles.ca/news-events/welcome-the-bipoc-mental-health-worker-list-to-nine-circles-community-health-centre/
Collectif LGBTQ* du Manitoba: https://collectiflgbtq.ca
Like That- Sunshine House: https://guides.wpl.winnipeg.ca/2SLGBTQ/organizations
Our Own Health Centre: https://www.ourownhealth.ca
QPOC Winnipeg: https://www.facebook.com/qpocwinnipeg/
Rainbow Resource Centre: https://rainbowresourcecentre.org
Rainbow Harmony Project: https://www.rainbowharmonyproject.ca
Trans Manitoba: https://www.facebook.com/transmanitoba/
The Winnipeg Transgender Support Group:
https://rainbowresourcecentre.org/support/groups/winnipeg-transgender-support-group