Growing up LGBTQ2+ in 'isolation' of rural Ontario
Jay Ellis came out as gay in Grade 11.
It wasn’t until his university years that he told people he was transgender, which in this case means he’s transitioning from a woman to a man.
Growing up in rural Ontario, he heard his fair share of taunts and snide comments.
“It was never specifically directed at me, but I knew there were things being said, and mine was a slow burn. Slowly people finding out, more and more,” says Ellis.
That fear of ridicule, is what kept AJ Adams in the closet until after he left his native Kincardine, Ont.
“Looking around when I was sort of having those thoughts of, maybe I’m gay, there was nothing I could look to, not even a Pride flag or a person I could approach. There was nothing that said, 'Oh that might be me.' So, I just stayed in the closet until after college, like a lot of kids from the country who go away to the city for post secondary school,” he says.
Growing up LGBTQ2+ in the country is the focus of a series of webinars Adams is hosting in conjunction with Kincardine Pride, every Thursday in June, called "'Out' in the Country."
“It’s an important conversation we’re having,” says Adams.
With some years under their collective belts, coming back to their hometowns post-'coming out,' they both see more Pride flags and organizations signalling important change.
But, they also see room for improvement. Ellis, especially sees it in kids who are his age when he came out.
“They are still experiencing the same snide comments, the same little pokes that I did. So, we’re still getting there, but they have a community to fall back on, where I didn’t have that as much, outside of my small group,” he says.
“Sventy-six per cent of LGBTQ2+ folks experience some sort of hate speech based on their gender or sexual orientation. For those communities with pride organizations, 33 per cent felt that those organizations helped decrease that hate speech in their communities,” says Adams.
You can access the “‘Out’ in the Country” webinars here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.