The Journey Is Far From Over

The Journey Is Far From Over

Article by Peter ter Weeme BCLC's Chief Social Purpose Officer and VP of Player Experience

This June marks 53 years since the modern Pride movement started. It was born out of an event that took place early on the morning of Saturday, June 28, 1969, when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons rioted following a police raid on the?Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. This riot and further protests over the following nights were a watershed moment in the modern rights movement and the impetus for organizing various 2SLGBTQIA+ pride marches on a much larger public scale.

Some people ask why is Pride even necessary? There is no "Straight Pride" day so what makes?2SLGBTQIA+?people special? Well, while much has shifted in recent decades, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community still face a variety of challenges at home, at work and in the community and the journey to true equality in Canada and beyond is far from over.

When I was a teenager in the (gulp) 1980s, HIV/AIDS was raging through the gay community and politicians and others initially turned their backs on the "gay disease". Gender was very binary (male or female), cis and trans genders were not talked about. There was little if any, legal protections for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

Quite the opposite.

Police led repeated raids against bars and meeting places where men met. And when I came out to my parents, my mom said: "I am sad for you that you will never have kids or be able to get married".??(Spoiler alert: Due to new laws in BC and Canada, my now ex-husband and I adopted a child and we got married in 2005).

So while?a lot has changed over 40+ years, much work remains to be done. Many people, as well as some?faith communities, are adamantly against 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Access to respectful and appropriate health care is still uneven, especially for trans people and many workplaces can be unfriendly to anyone but cis, straight folks.

Outside Canada, the situation in some countries for 2SLGBTQIA+ people borders on terrible. Many jurisdictions criminalize and stigmatize sexual orientation or gender expression. And if you thought this was the stuff of fundamentalist governments in the Middle East, Asian or Africa, look no further than the United States and recent laws like the "Don't Say Gay" legislation passed in Florida.

The impact of these persistent social attitudes and punitive laws has had a profoundly negative impact on the everyday lives and mental health of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Indeed, suicide rates for people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual is 300% that of the general population while trans people see a rate six times higher.?

Like every human on the planet, 2SLGBTQIA+ people deserve love, acceptance and safety.?As mentioned earlier, the journey is far from over. But we are making progress and we won't stop until we get there.

Happy Pride!?