Keeping Queer Youth Safe:
Creating a Legacy of Hope in BC

1999 Rainbow BC Conference Report
© Rainbow BC, July 2000       ISBN: 0-9687605-0-3

Prepared by: Monika Chappell for Rainbow BC, July 2000


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DEFINITIONS

I. INTRODUCTION

  1. Keeping Queer Youth Safe - Conference '99
  2. What is Rainbow BC?
  3. Conference '99 Focus

II. CONFERENCE '99 OUTLINE

  1. Post Conference Debriefing

III. BACKGROUND

  1. Queer Youth Face Many Problems
  2. Homelessness
  3. Coming Out
  4. Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Genderism
  5. Health Concerns
  6. Dramatically Low Self Esteem
  7. School Harassment and Violence
  8. Counselling, Spiritual and Peer Supports
  9. High Risk Behaviours
  10. Suicide
  11. Higher Rates of Child Sexual Abuse
  12. High Rates of Substance Abuse
  13. Eating Disorders
  14. Ageism in Employment
  15. Social Marginalization within the Gay Community

V. THE FOUR STREAMS

  1. Safety and the Prevention of Violence Towards Queer Youth in Employment and Income

    Employment and Income Issues:

    Employment and Income Stream Recommendations

  2. Safety and the Prevention of Violence towards Queer Youth in the BC Education System

    Education Stream Recommendations

  3. Safety and the Prevention of Violence Towards Queer Youth in Health

    Health Stream Recommendations

  4. Safety and the Prevention of Violence towards Queer Youth in Spirituality

    Spirituality Stream Recommendations

V. CONCLUSION

VI. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

  1. Employment/Income - Key Themes for Action
    • Getting the Information Out There
    • Working Against Queer Youth Marginalization Through Real Input

  2. Education - Key Themes for Action
    • Public Support for LGBT/GLBT Youth Safety and Human Rights
    • Ending Invisibility - Creating and Using Queer Youth Resources
    • Training the Teachers

  3. Health - Key Themes for Action
    • Awareness and Education
    • Support for Queer-Positive Resources
    • Inter-Ministerial Coordination
    • Healing the Queer Communities
    • Taking Action on Queer Youth Health through Real Input
  4. Spirituality - Key Themes for Action
    • Ending the Isolation: Creating Resources/Building Links
    • Ending Hate: Taking Action
    • Training, Training, and More Training

APPENDICES

APPENDIX ONE
Gay/Straight Alliances - Workshop Outline

APPENDIX TWO
making the choice between going left or right changes my life.

APPENDIX THREE
What Can You Do?

APPENDIX FOUR
Teachers' Convention Offers Hope for Gay Students

APPENDIX FIVE
Human Rights 101 (simplified)

APPENDIX SIX
SAVE THE CHILDREN

APPENDIX SEVEN
REACHING OUT: A Report On Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Youth Issues In Canada

APPENDIX EIGHT
Saving Lives

APPENDIX NINE

Resources & Links
There's a whole world of Web sites devoted to queer issues, groups, events and people. Start exploring and you'll quickly realize that you're not at all alone, and that there are literally millions of queers out there. The following section contains a partial listing of resources that might be helpful for queer youth and was created through an amalgamation of print resources and web resources (using the words, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer youth as keywords for web site queries).

Please use your own common sense when accessing these resources. While we have made efforts to ensure these resources are current and supportive of queer youth, contact information always changes and so do the persons providing the services. As well, many of the web pages contain links to other sites, most of which have not been assessed by Rainbow BC.

ENDNOTES

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