Vancouver Pride: Queer folks attracting more straight allies

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      Why do straight people fight for LGBT rights? The question was recently put to Seth MacFarlane, creator of the hit television show Family Guy and a prominent and straight gay-rights activist.

      “I like a good ass fuck as much as the next guy,” was MacFarlane’s response. Raucous laughter ensued and the liberal audience—MacFarlane was on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher—cheered the writer and actor’s subsequent arguments in favour of gay marriage.

      But MacFarlane struggled to answer the question that Maher—another straight man who routinely speaks in favour of queer rights—had posed.

      For many straight individuals, the fight for LGBT equality begins when they learn that a close friend or family member identifies themselves as queer. For others, the connection is not as personal but no less strong.

      Katrina Cheney, a straight 17-year-old resident of Langley, told the Georgia Straight that homophobia simply struck her as wrong, which made fighting for equality right.

      “I just graduated from high school, and every day of it, I noticed more and more discrimination,” Cheney said. She decided to do something about it.

      Cheney is now a volunteer for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. “I’m going to be helping the booth at the Pride parade on Sunday,” Cheney said enthusiastically. “It’s going to be interesting.”

      Not so long ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find a straight high-school student speaking out in favour of queer rights. Today in B.C., many high schools have gay-straight alliances, which serve as after-school clubs where kids—gay and straight—can talk.

      Jane Gill, a high-school teacher in Langley, has long been involved with GSAs. She told the Straight that groups like the B.C. Teachers Federation have been instrumental in establishing LGBT-friendly groups at high schools throughout the province.

      Straight students are attending these meetings, Gill said.

      She noted that this year, for the first time, a transgender student—who was born a male but identifies as a woman—requested that Gill call her by her female name. “I was like, ”˜Wow, that is super brave to do that in high school,’ ” Gill exclaimed. “Ten years ago, I can’t imagine having seen that.”

      The provincial government has also proven itself supportive of LGBT-related issues. On July 8, 2003, B.C. became the second province in Canada to legalize same-sex marriage. (Ontario was the first.)

      Ryan Clayton, a facilitator for Gab Youth Services, an arm of Qmunity that works with LGBT youth, agreed that more straight people are fighting for queer rights.

      For Clayton, straight people’s involvement in gay-rights advocacy is the result of a natural progression. He said that more people who have no contact with the LGBT community are simply viewing homophobia as wrong.

      Susan Harman, president of PFLAG, echoed Clayton’s words.

      “A time just comes for things,” she told the Straight. “One hundred years ago, it was women trying to get the vote. Then, in the ’60s, it was the civil-rights movement. And now it is this.”

      Harman’s son came out in 2003. She conceded that it was not an easy time for the family.

      “As a parent, you worry that it means that your child is going to be less safe on the streets. You worry that they are going to be subject to harassment, to discrimination,” she explained.

      But Harman said that in other ways, she was relieved when her son openly identified himself as gay. “I thought, ”˜Maybe my son wasn’t very happy, and it might make him happier to know where he is in life.’ ”

      This year, PFLAG Vancouver is celebrating its 20th anniversary. At the same time, Harman said, the organization has begun to question its relevance.

      She explained that in the six years that she has been with PFLAG, the number of people attending meetings has decreased. “I think part of that is that there are a lot of parents that don’t feel any need to go to an organization,” Harman said. “They are perfectly comfortable with it.” She also noted that the number of groups available to the LGBT community has increased.

      Many regard entertainment as a primary source of this new level of acceptance, the Straight found.

      Over the past decade, Will & Grace—a sitcom featuring a gay man and his straight female friend—was a prime-time hit. HBO’s The L Word made lesbian sex the envy of every heterosexual woman with cable. And megastars like Madonna and Sean Penn came to speak regularly in favour of gay marriage.

      Hollywood is playing a role in bringing straight people onto the LGBT community’s side, Clayton said. But he emphasized that there is still a long way to go and cited education as the key to acceptance.

      “I work in high schools,” Clayton said. “There is this steady violence of constantly hearing, ”˜Oh, don’t be gay,’ or ”˜Oh, don’t be such a fag.’ That’s present no matter where I go.”

      It was this “constant violence”, as Clayton described it, that Cheney noticed in high school.

      One week, she kept track of every homophobic remark she heard at school. The number was between three and nine offensive comments a day. “I just felt like there was something that I could do that would be easy to get involved in to help change things,” she said.

      Look for Cheney at this week’s Pride parade. She will be one of thousands of straight people celebrating equality.


      You can follow Travis Lupick on Twitter at twitter.com/tlupick.

      Comments

      5 Comments

      Bill

      Jul 30, 2009 at 9:22am

      Heterosexuals create Homosexuals in MILLIONS of numbers, yet most spend the rest of their lives abusing, degrading, murdering, raping and otherwise torturing THEIR VERY OWN GAY & LESBAIN CHILDREN.

      They do this while screaming their heads off about 'morality.'

      Morality indeed, Heteros. Morality indeed.

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      Stacy D. Green

      Jul 30, 2009 at 5:22pm

      I'm so very pleased to see such engaged and active advocates for equality. To know that our message is being received and indeed making differences in the lives of those who otherwise might feel so alone and scared.
      I tip my hat to PFLAG Vancouver, and certainly to Susan Harmon for a job well done, and another 20 years of great strides.

      S.D.Green
      President - PFLAG Canada

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      Roberts

      Aug 1, 2009 at 5:42pm

      Great article. As a straight guy who grew up callously unaware of the harm I perpetuated with gay jokes and put downs, I'm sorry. I have gay friends now and want only the best for all of them. We, straight and level headed gay friendly people need to stand up too and make an effort for our lgbt friends. It's just a matter of the kind of world I want.

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      CL Foxxe

      Aug 2, 2009 at 12:53pm

      Two of the most commonly misused terms in English are due to either Beavis & Butthead or South Park fame.

      The 1st "that is so gay" is often misused by morons that don't know what they are saying. What THEY mean is "I don't like that" but SOMEHOW it becomes a homosexual act.

      Then there is my favourite and most misused term of all. "Homophobic". ANYONE that has studied the use and contruction of english language words KNOWS this compound word literally means "Fear of Men" NOT "Fear of GAY MEN". Fear of Men is VERY common among heterosexual males (the more conservative they are, the more problem they have)

      Perhaps in understanding just what we are saying to begin with would be a GOOD START to understanding the damages we are doing to our fellows. Straight, Gay, Bi, lesbian or Transgender, what we do with whatever our genitalia happens to be is OUR OWN business. To hate someone over an issue you have no part of is mere foolishness and pompacity.

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      Jayme Harper

      Aug 3, 2009 at 4:33pm

      EXCELLENT Work PFLAG Vancouver congratulations on 20 great years ~ Colin, Susan, Katrina and June you all did an awesome job!

      Jayme Harper
      PFLAG Canada - Ontario Region 3

      0 0Rating: 0