Community members come out to support LGBTQ youth in Thunder Bay as day of protest winds down

Standing outside city hall in front of a rainbow-clad crowd, three high school students opened up about their experiences as members of the LGBTQ community in Thunder Bay. 

Claire Arvelin shared what it's like to pass as a straight, cisgender woman while witnessing their friends being bullied. Gwen Carrasco spoke of a teacher they had in B.C. who tore down pride flags and called students slurs. Jax Stevenson discussed how it felt to finally chop off their hair and embrace their gender fluidity.

To these 17-year-olds, their school's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is their safe space – the type of space groups across the country are trying to tear down.

"It just feels like a home. It feels like a second home in a place where we all feel equally loved for being who we all are," Arvelin told CBC News after the event. 

The three St. Ignatius High School students were among several speakers at the Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay's Love Always Wins Healing Rally. Roughly more than 100 people attended the event. One person was removed for trying to cause a disturbance.

The rally was held to counter a small protest held Wednesday morning in the city that mirrored marches across Canada, where parents and socially conservative groups protested LGBTQ-inclusive education policies in schools and in extracurricular settings under the banner of parental rights.

CBC News attempted to speak with a march organizer to learn more about who they were and their specific motivations for marching, but no one would identify themselves as such for an interview. CBC News also attempted to speak with other people there, but they said they were afraid of being misrepresented by a CBC journalist and declined to be interviewed. 

One person, who would only say his name is Mike, said he was not against LGBTQ rights, but was against the way LGBTQ issues are being addressed in classrooms.

The argument over parental rights

Critics and researchers say the term "parental rights" is a misnomer because it doesn't address the concerns of LGBTQ parents or parents of LGBTQ children.

Like other marches and protests Wednesday morning, signs from these protesters in Thunder Bay broadly signalled a desire to see more parental rights in classrooms and voiced displeasure with "mature content" being taught, along with one call to "keep porn out of schools."

The Rainbow Collective's event, held Wednesday evening, aimed to show that students in Thunder Bay deserve to feel safe at schools regardless of their identity or who they love.

Thunder Bay's Catholic and public school boards issued a joint statement affirming their support for transgender students and staff Wednesday as dozens of protesters took aim at how LGBTQ issues are taught in classrooms.

"Discrimination is contrary to our values, school and board policies," the statement reads in part. "Anti-trans discrimination and harassment create toxic learning environments for our students and staff, and will not be tolerated.

"We support the human rights of transgender, transitioning, and gender non-conforming students and staff, and their right to learn in safe, inclusive and equitable schools."  

Michel Dumont, a two-spirit queer activist and artist, attended Wednesday evening's rally and said it's important for parents to teach their children that love looks different for everyone.

"If you raise a child knowing that there's options, they will figure out their own path," Dumont said.

'It changed everything for me'

During their speech, Stevenson described what life was like before joining their school's GSA.

"I never felt like myself. No matter how much makeup I put on or how feminine I dressed, nothing helped. I purposely made myself look and act as feminine as possible to not stand out or attract attention.

"When I joined the GSA out of curiosity, however, it changed everything for me. I discovered what pronouns I was comfortable with and what name I liked. I was able to experiment with the ways I dressed or expressed myself," they said.

Claps and cheers from the crowd propelled the three students forward; Jax described it as a feeling of levitation.

As the Rainbow Collective called on politicians to fight for transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, gay and lesbian people under attack, local representatives did just that.

Mayor Ken Boshcoff, Coun. Shelby Ch'ng, Coun. Kristen Oliver, and Thunder Bay–Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois showed their support, with Ch'ng and Vaugeois sharing their experiences as queer women.

Protecting children

During their speech, Gwen Carrasco shared their perspective on what it means to keep kids safe.

"Let's talk about protecting children. Let's talk about how every single person who I know is part of the queer community has contemplated or attempted suicide. Let's talk about how every single person who I know is part of the queer community has received death threats and violence.

"Let's talk about how a 2019 Canadian health survey showed transgender youth are 7.6 times more likely to commit suicide," Carrasco said.

The trio's message to people in Thunder Bay: ask questions, be respectful and be open-minded.