New space and network open for Sask. LGBTQ youth

When Jacq Brasseur was young, they desperately wanted something like what they helped open on Thursday morning in Regina.

SaskQTY — which stands for Sask. Queer and Trans Youth — is an online network and a physical space in Regina for youth to get support and have a community, but also to share skills and knowledge.

“We’re excited to finally show Saskatchewan just how valuable queer and trans youth are and how much they can elevate our community when we offer them opportunities to do so,” Brasseur said.

Brasseur explained the space will give youth an opportunity to create their own programming. For example, if someone is a good cook, they could host a cooking workshop in the space.

SaskQTY was made possible through a $218,000 grant from the federal government’s Canada Service Corporation.

Brasseur said they were at the bank when they got the call about the funding.

“I had to take a step back, I think I almost started crying,” Brasseur said.

Raphaële Frignon is one of the program directors at SaskQTY. She said there are high rates of homelessness, depression and underemployment in the LGBTQ community.

“The network is to give trans and queer youth throughout Saskatchewan a platform to learn and to exchange and realize that they have power to make change in the community. They have power to do things collectively and by themselves,” said Frignon.

Frignon said the space and network will help youth build their employability tools and improve self-image.

The space and network are meant to be accessible to everyone, especially those in rural areas who might not have much of a community in their towns.

“We know that LGBTQ youth exist everywhere in the province and finding a way to bring them together was a really important part of this project,” said Brasseur.

When it comes to people getting to Regina from elsewhere, Brasseur explained SaskQTY will help with transportation issues for those who need it.

Pursuit of equality continues with coin

Brasseur hopes Canada continues to pursue equality after the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a commemorative loonie this week.

The coin pays tribute to the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969. Some historians, including York University’s Tom Hooper, said the new loonie mistakenly suggests equality has been achieved because of the government’s actions.

Brasseur said while the coin does mark an important anniversary, they said it’s important to listen to the messages from historians like Hooper.

“LGBTQ people continue to be criminalized in Canada, if it’s related to things like HIV criminalization, the blood ban, sex work, other types of issues,” said Brasseur.

“I think that the coin is a really great symbol but I think that we need really important action behind that symbol.”