The beauty of a garden depends on the resources and tools available that help each plant to flower. Similarly to a garden, a community in which everyone is nurtured is a community that flourishes.
I identify as queer, which is an umbrella term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer etc. LGBTQ+ and queer resources have been important in helping me nurture a healthy relationship with myself and in becoming a loving and active community member.
I grew up in a smaller community that, like Squamish, was about 40 minutes from the city. My high school had a small Gay Straight Alliance club, but the club’s existence didn’t make exploring my identity as a high school student possible. I wasn’t sure who I was, let alone how I sexually identified, and although the group was made up of mostly straight identified students, I never even considered going to a meeting. It was still too scary of a subject to explore. However, it seems as though I wasn’t the only one who felt this way in my hometown because all of the out LGBTQ + students who I knew ended up moving away to the city before or during high school, or like me, left this self exploration for later in life.
It wasn’t until I felt like I was part of an especially caring community, with more out folks and resources (like free counselling), that I was able to begin healthily exploring who I was, and in effect my sexual identity.
At Quest University, I have been a leader of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance for the past three years. During this time, I began realizing that there were very few free queer resources in Squamish. In November, when I heard about the opportunity of helping to create a queer conference that was spearheaded by Squamish youth, I was very excited to be involved.
I began working with Safe ’n’ Sound Squamish, a group founded this past winter, before we even had a name, and I have learned from everyone involved about how to create a group from the bottom up. From working as a member of Safe ’n’ Sound Squamish, I have also discovered how much good I really believe this new group can do for our community.
Safe ’n’ Sound Squamish was formed to celebrate and honour LGBTQ+ citizens, their families and allies through awareness, education, visibility and resources that will benefit our entire community. Visit our website at safensoundsquamish.com to learn more about the Someone Like Me Conference on May 9 at Howe Sound Secondary, and consider donating to help us continue to support and nurture our inclusive, compassionate and caring community.
Grace Salisbury is a student at Quest University and a planning committee member of Safe ‘n’ Sound Squamish.
