Counselling services available at The Centre

The Centre is pleased to offer free counselling services. Our volunteer professional counsellors deal with many issues including:coming out, relationship issues, trans, HIV/AIDS, living with chronic disease, grief, internalized homophobia, body image, sexual abuse, sexuality and sexual health, depression and anxiety, and many other issues for the LGTB community.

To schedule an appointment please call Reception at 604 684-5307

All services are free and confidential

New group for LGTB people with developmental disabilities

Time sensitive

The (LGTB) Centre and Shade Consulting Ltd. present a new monthly social support group for Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual People with Developmental Disabilities

Co-facilitated by Margaret Newbury Jones & Alan Steen

Margaret Newbury Jones operates SHADE Consulting Ltd. and specializes in working with people with disabilities and unique learning needs around sexual health. She is a teacher by training and has worked in the disability field for over 20 years.

Alan Steen is a registered social worker with experience working with people with developmental disabilities and extensive experience as a volunteer counsellor for LGTB people.

When:
the third Thursday of every month
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Starts Thursday, Sept 20th

Place:
3727 Renfrew Street (at 22nd Ave)

social, supportive & safe environment
wheelchair accessible space

Transit information:
Option 1: Renfrew Skytrain Station and then take the #16 (29th Avenue station) bus, get off at 22nd Avenue
Option 2: 29th Avenue Station and then take #16 (Arbutus) bus, get off at 22nd Avenue
Option 3: Wheelchair/mobility friendly route Nanaimo Station and then take the #25 (Brentwood), get off at Renfrew Street

If you or someone you know is interested in this group, please contact:
Chris at 604-684-8449 or email generationsproject@lgtbcentrevancouver.com or
Margaret at 604-434-9579 or email margaret@shadeconsulting.ca

Summer '07 issue of "HIV/AIDS Prevention Resources for Educators" newsletter is out

The summer issue of HIV/AIDS Prevention Resources for Educators: Reaching Students with Special Learning Needs newsletter from the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities' AIDS & Disability Action Program is hot off the press! If you subscribe to the paper copy, you'll be receiving your issue soon. If you'd like to subscribe (free in Canada), just let us know.

In this issue ...

• The Role of Schools in Addressing Tobacco by Dan Reist
• Revision of Being Sexual series by SIECCAN
• Questions & Answers from the SHADE (Q&A from sexual health educator Margaret Newbury Jones)
• No Link to Promiscuity Found In Youths Using Condoms
• Taking Action: Understanding Advocacy by Darryl Quantz
• Victims Vulnerable to Re-victimization
• 5th Annual Access to Health Awards
• Tip of the Iceberg: Young Men Who Have Sex with Men, the Internet, and HIV Risk
• Report on Health of BC's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teens: McCreary Centre Society Study Looks at Violence and Health Issues
• Training Opportunities
• Suprises in BC's Street Youth Study

The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities' AIDS & Disability Action Program also publishes HIV prevention information in plain language, audio and Braille formats. Call 604-875-0188 (toll-free 1-877-232-7400) or email wdi@bccpd.bc.ca for details.

Report on Health of BC’s Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teens

Published in HIV/AIDS Prevention Resources for Educators: Reaching Students with Special Learning Needs (Summer 2007) (contact the Wellness & Disability Initiative for free subscription)

Report on Health of BC’s Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teens

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teens in BC experience greater levels of violence and more health challenges than heterosexual teens, according to a report by Vancouver-based McCreary Centre Society (MCS) and UBC researcher Elizabeth Saewyc.

Results from the study, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, are reported in Not Yet Equal: The Health of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in BC. The report reveals trends in life experiences, health and risk behaviours of LGB youth, in both rural and urban areas, across more than a decade.

"Most lesbian, gay and bisexual teens are doing well, but far too many experience stigma and discrimination. But when there are positive assets in these teens' lives, they do well despite risks." says Saewyc, an associate professor in UBC's School of Nursing and research director at MCS.

Study data were drawn from 1992, 1998 and 2003 BC Adolescent Health Surveys conducted in high schools across the province by MCS. The anonymous surveys included more than 74,000 youth in Grades 7-12 from more than 75 percent of BC school districts.

LGB youth were found in all grades and within all ethnic groups. They comprise two to four percent of students in BC high schools or an estimated 7,000 students.

Key findings include:
--LGB youth were two to three times more likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse, harassment in school, and discrimination about race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and other issues in the community compared to heterosexual teens, and rates of discrimination appear to be rising.

--Eleven percent of LGB teens attend school in rural areas and small towns in BC and generally report similar experiences, opportunities, risks and health behaviours as LGB youth in urban centres.

--Between 1992-2003, increased rates of sexual abuse were reported among bisexual females and higher physical abuse among lesbians. There was a decline in sexual and physical abuse among gay males, and rates were unchanged for bisexual males. Rural gay and bisexual males were more likely to report sexual abuse and more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year than their urban peers.

--Compared to heterosexual youth, LGB youth were two to three times more likely to either have been pregnant or have gotten someone pregnant. Rural gay and bisexual males were more likely to have caused a pregnancy than urban counterparts.

--Between 1992-2003, rates of suicide attempts increased for lesbian and bisexual females but declined for gay and bisexual males.

--LGB teens are less likely to report protective factors such as feeling cared about by parents and family members. Girls felt less connected to school than heterosexual peers. LGB youth were more likely than heterosexual youth to have run away from home once or more in the past year.

--Smoking is down for LGB youth, but use of drugs other than alcohol or marijuana increased for lesbians and bisexual male and female teens, but decreased for gay males.

--Gay and bisexual males reported higher levels of feeling spiritual or religious than heterosexual males. However, higher levels of religiosity were not a protective factor and were linked to higher odds of suicide attempts for bisexual males and females.

There are also some hopeful trends, says Saewyc. Smoking declined among all groups over the decade and risky sexual behaviours are also lower for most teens.

The decline in rates of violence and abuse faced by gay males corresponds with similar declines in most risky behaviours for them, such as binge drinking. However, rising rates of violence toward bisexual and lesbian girls mirror their rising rates of substance use, suicide attempts and other risks.

Some school districts have begun to develop supportive programs, like anti-bullying policies that specifically mention sexual orientation harassment and gay-straight alliance student groups in secondary schools, says Saewyc.

"LGB youth report higher exposure to risk and lower social support than heterosexual youth, so it is no surprise that more of them have health issues," says Saewyc. "We need to promote more supportive school environments for these youth and help families develop safer and more nurturing relationships with their LGB children."

The research study may be found at http://www.mcs.bc.ca/. Background information may be found at http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2007/mr-07-044.html.

Safe Harbour Program Spreads throughout BC

From an announcement from The Centre today:

Safe Harbour Launched in the Davie Village & Area

"Safe Harbour invites storefront businesses and organizations to serve as sanctuaries for anyone who experiences discrimination or harassment and briefly needs a safe place to go. On a broader level, Safe Harbour is about making a commitment to celebrating diversity in our neighbourhoods and treating everyone with respect - including seniors, youth, families, cultural communities, people living with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, bisexual people.

There are about currently 21 communities involved in this project throughout the province. The Centre has entered a partnership with the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) to organize the Safe Harbour Program for the Davie Village and area. While initially focusing on the Davie Village, we hope to expand to other areas of the West End in coming months.

Know that Safe Harbour sites welcome you, and if feeling threatened or harassed, our doors are open to provide a safe place for you."

From the Safe Harbour website:

"The Safe Harbour Program began in Nanaimo in 2004. ... Today, dozens of locations in Nanaimo proudly display the Safe Harbour window decal, and Nanaimo's Action for Diversity Team has received national recognition from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for developing the Safe Harbour Program.

In 2006, with support from the B.C. Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism Program, Ministry of the Attorney General, the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) refined the Safe Harbour model and resources for use in communities throughout the province."

To see Safe Harbour locations and participants: http://www.amssa.org/safeharbour/communities/organizations.cfm

Visit the Safe Harbour website at http://www.safeharbour.ca/
Visit the AMSSA website at http://www.amssa.org/
Visit The Centre website at http://www.lgtbcentrevancouver.com/