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
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.