GSA Visits

This page has content useful for our "GSA" visits to high schools.

The invitation to the teachers is here.

The contacts for the different schools etc are listed here.

Suggested Format

• Introduction
  • Mi'kmag land acknowledgement
  • About the Elderberries
  • What we have planned for today's session
  • You all have cards - these are for an Ask Me Anything. If you think of a question while we're talking, write it on the card, we'll collect them later
• We will be answering for ourselves, not for all LGBT folk. Sometimes we'll try to make a generalization, sometimes we'll tell you we're doing that.
• Main Part
  • Short self introductions
  • Speak to a topic maybe
  • Ask the students to add any more questions on the cards.
  • Answer questions

Dan's Introduction:

• I'm 57, I've known I was 8 years old (story about Mino)
• I've had several long term relationships. (story about the one that ended because of a drug problem)
• I live in a house in the north end of Halifax, I've lived there for many years and I really like it there.
• My work: Do you know the internet? I built it!
• Volunteer: publishing. what is publishing?
• Now mostly retired
• Life is good
• Now I'm a part time archivist (what's an archivist?)
• Current interest: thinking about privilege, different kinds, and how we can use it to do good in the world.

For Next Time

• Before:
  • We should agree what order we're going to speak.
  • We should plan a debrief meeting afterwards
• Prepare a couple sentences on words we use - and that these were words we used years ago in stories.
• Prepare some stories from our own high school days.
• It's easy to tell horror stories about how awful it was. Try to have at least one story of the good times.
  • Dan's: "We laughed and loved and danced - a lot! At the gay bar I would get together with my dancing partner and dance from 10pm until 1 or 2 in the morning." Remember one big argument about whether men were allowed to dance with their shirts off.
• During
  • If it's a double session, plan a brief physical activity at the midpoint.

Typical Questions

2020-01-16 Health & Wellness Day at Eastern Passage Education Centre:

• Did teachers do anything to stop bullying?
• How were you treated back then if you were gay?
• What did your parents think / act when you came out?
• Any ideas on how to come out with humour?
• I’m non-binary, does that mean that whoever I date, it will always be gay?
• How hard was life?
• Is it possible to be one gender and feel like the other but not want to make any changes?
• Can someone change their personal orientation if they wanted to?
• How do you stop from getting bullied by your siblings because you’re bi?
• What’s your worst bullying experience?

Coming Out

• How did you know you were LGBTQ?
• Who was the first person you told? (repeated X4)
• How old were you when you realized what your sexuality was? (repeated X 3)
• When did you come out of the closet?
• When was the first time you thought you were gay?
• When or how did you realize you were LGBTQ? (x2)
• When did you come out? How did people react?
• How did you mother and father react when they found out?
• How did everyone react when you came out?
• Did it feel nice to come out?
• How hard was it for you?
• Did you ever tell your friends when you were younger?
• How do I come out?
• Were you scared about coming out?
• It is verrrry hard for me to make friends and to tell other people that I am transgendered without them runnign away. Is there a way around that.
• How do you balance being open about how you are and being safe?

After Coming Out

• What was it like living life as LGBTQ+? (x4)
• Was life hard when you came out?
• Are you happy you came out?
• Were you ever ashamed of your sexuality?

Harassment

• Are you made fun of because of your gender?]
• Were you ever bullied while you were younger because you were gay?
• How do you deal with homophobic people?
• Did you ever get sexually harassed?
• Do you still get criticized or made fun of for being part of the LGBTQ+?
• How do you deal with other people hating on you?
• Did anyone ever call gay or a fruitcake?
• What was the worst thing anyone ever said to you?

Employment

• Have you been asked your sexuality in a job interview? (repeated X2)
• Were you ever denied a job because of your sexuality?
• Were you able to get a job easily?
• What discrimination did you have to deal with when getting a job?
• Did you ever have to lie about your sexuality to get a job?
• Have you ever been fired due to your sexual preference?

Social

• Was it hard to find people like you?
• Did you ever have to date the opposite sex to hide the fact that you are gay?
• Have you had a relationship with the opposite sex?/If you have, what restrictions/limits did you give yourself while you were involved?

Trans

• What bathroom do you use? Do you go to a girls bathroom or a guy’s bathroom?
• What was it like to realize you were gay/trans?LGBT+?
• Is there a way to tell if you're transgender?

Legislative

• How did you feel when gay marriage was made legal in Canada?/ Did you feel that it should have been done a long time ago?

Other

• Do you know what a furry is? Are any of you furrys?
• What do you call someone who loves fictional characters?
• Do you like Harry Potter?
• What made you want to start the elderberries?
• What was it like being an activist during that time?
• What's one of your favourite memories / stories about beign queer?
• Can a person be multiple genders / sexualities?
• Vous parlez français?
• What was it like transitioning to your selfs now?
• As an older queer person, do you feel more or less comfortable expressing yourselves in public?
• What does asexual mean?
• I'm bisexual and I told my mom and my brother and hsi friends make fun of me how do I respond to them?
• I like girls and boys but mostly boys does that mean I'm really straight?

Our Question To Them

• From Anita: How would you react if one of your parents or grandparents came out to you?