Youth group discusses “labeling”

We were very pleased and appreciative that Nunatsiaq News chose to write about our weekend conference in last week’s newspaper.

Y.E.A.H. North (Youth Educating About Health) is a group that helps teach youth (peer-to-peer) about healthy sexual decision-making. Our discussions and presentations were on a wide range of topics that surround healthy sexual decision-making. Some topics covered were STDs, birth control, pregnancy, abuse, assault, human rights, available resources, etc.

The article on our weekend focused primarily on a presentation that included a discussion on homosexuality. Our concern with the article was that it focused on only one of many topics discussed. The woman (classified as a “real live lesbian” in the article) gave a wonderful presentation to the youth on her experiences and her sexual preference. As questions were answered and conversations continued, the issues of labeling were discussed. The outcome of the talk was that she preferred not to be labeled as a “dyke,” “butch,” “lesbian” etc., but just as “Debbie.”

Our intention is not to shock or be disrespectful, but to indicate that sexual orientation was only one topic of discussion at our weekend conference.

To identify someone by their sexual orientation in your paper seems to be indicative of the struggle of society for anything perceived to be sexually “different.”

We hope that readers talk to each other about this letter with their children, parents and friends about sex and sexuality, and make it more of a normal topic than a mystery. We look forward to meeting with other youth and making the world a safer, more caring, and more respectful and responsible place.

The youth of Y.E.A.H. North
Iqaluit

Editor’s note: We never identify any person’s sexual orientation unless it’s relevant to the story. In this case, Debbie Paquette identified herself as a lesbian at a workshop that was held, in part, to discuss issues connected to sexual orientation. Therefore, we deemed it relevant to the story.