ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Rainbow BC Conference organizers are very grateful for the assistance of the activists, school boards and associations, government representatives, from both provincial and federal ministries, who helped make this event the success it was.

This conference had the support and assistance of a number of funders and again we are grateful to acknowledge the assistance of the BC Teacher's Federation, the BC Human Rights Commission, the BC Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism, the BC Ministry of Education, the BC Ministry of Women's Equality and Status of Women Canada.

In particular, the education stream was funded through the support of:

• Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC (GALE-BC)
• Alberni District Teachers Union
• Armstrong Teachers' Association
• Association Des Enseignantes Francophones
• Central Coast Teachers Association
• Coquitlam Teachers Association
• Delta Teachers Association
• Kitimat District Teachers Association
• Nanaimo Teachers' Association
• New Westminister Teachers' Union
• North Vancouver Teachers Association
• Okanagan Skaha Teachers' Union
• Southern Okanagan Teachers' Association
• Surrey Teachers Association
• Vancouver Elementary Teachers Association

We would like especially to thank the core group of dedicated activists, Craig Maynard, John Argue, Julia Brooke, Gordon Waselnek, James Chamberlain, Romi Chandra, Brent Powers, Valerie O'Leary, Victoria Henry and Michael Morris, who gave many free hours behind the scenes to make this event a success. As well, we would like to acknowledge the members of Rainbow BC and the December 9 Coalition who give freely of their time and energy in an effort to improve the lives of queer people everywhere. We would like particularly to note and appreciate the efforts of the youth that both led the workshops and participated in them.

On a personal note, I would like to acknowledge and thank the many mentors who have guided and shaped my work: dedicated disability rights activist, the late Shirley Masuda who gave me my first break; Joan Meister and Eileen O'Brien, both past chairs of DAWN Canada, as well as the members of the Vancouver Lesbian Connection's Political Activism Committee who helped ground my politics in the grassroots of community organizing and supported as well as challenged, my thinking; Marina Morrow who has always had time to listen; my partner, Deb, who forgives me for all my long hours; and, especially barbara findlay who has both inspired and spurred me on in this work.

This report is dedicated to all of you and to all queer youth struggling to find a place for themselves in this country we call Canada. It is our hope that this work will help create a legacy of hope for queer youth. A legacy which hopes to ensure that queer youth will experience hope and know that shame, isolation, self-endangerment and death are not the only options when they discover they are queer.

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