By Danielle Dueck (they/she), teacher, Prince Rupert
For many queer folks, seeing ourselves reflected in the classroom was not something that happened when we were growing up in the BC school system. Queer visibility was often limited to negative stereotypes and misinformation—that’s why events like the BCTF 2SLGBTQIA+ Summit make such a difference. Summits like this really show the positive changes happening in education, like increasing queer visibility and celebrating queer joy, encouraging students and staff to be their most authentic selves, and seeing folks like us in meaningful roles.
The +2SLGBTQIA Summit hosted in Vancouver last spring called queer educators from across the province to meet for two days of laughter, collaboration, tears, and validation. The summit was more than just a meet-up and networking space; it was also an opportunity to share queer joy—to have intentional space carved out for us. Having this space allowed us to cut away from all the questionable pleasantries that we often get from others, intentionally or not. For me, not having to constantly correct others about pronouns or be told that the nuances of my relationship choices are difficult to understand was freeing. Being able to ask other people who have lived experiences that mirror my own empowered me to collaborate and find ways to better our systems for students and colleagues. It felt like sitting in a room where we could also breathe deeply and recommit to making positive change in our schools.
Obviously, no queer educators meet-up would be complete without celebration, and in this case that took the form of a drag show. Shout out to all the performers who served us a delightful evening. Also, a huge shout out to our facilitators: Karen Chong, Heather Kelley, and Sam Bradd all provided a welcoming space for us and facilitated great conversations and activities.
As someone who lives and teaches in a rural, northern community, the summit was also bittersweet. I had the chance to meet all of these amazing humans who are teaching across the province, while knowing that, because of the physical distance between us, continuing this collaborative work would be exceedingly difficult. I’m thankful for the ability to connect through technology, as it allows us to bridge that distance, but it does really speak to the need for more in-person meet-ups. Online platforms have improved, but nothing beats sitting next to another person who understands so much about your lived experience.
Overall, I felt so thankful to be a part of something beautiful like the +2SLGBTQ Summit, and although I don’t speak for every member who attended, I think I can confidently say that we all walked away with a stronger connection to each other. We know that education can be tough, and the world can often be unkind to people who are different. But also, we are stronger together.
We’re here, we’re queer, and we will continue to be our best and true selves! Thank you for your service, you beautiful humans!
2SLGBTQIA+ Virtual Meet-ups
If you're a queer educator in BC's public school system and would like to connect with your colleagues throughout the province, you may be interested in the 2SLGBTQIA+ Virtual Meet-ups offered by the BCTF. The meet-ups are every second Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. Email Heather Kelley at hkelley@bctf.ca to sign up and receive a Zoom link.
Comments