Inuit gays and lesbians can’t be denied

This in response to the Nunatsiaq News article “Group wants gender identity in Nunavut human rights law” published Feb. 7, 2003.

In regards to the above-mentioned article, I have enclosed what I feel is my valid personal opinion that I wish to share.

I am a lesbian Inuk, and for the statement attributed to Premier Paul Okalik via the Nunatsiaq News that “gays and lesbians were not part of Inuit culture when explaining why the Baffin Correctional Centre does not provide condoms for inmates” is, in my opinion, total nonsense.

By virtue of that one statement, he has effectively cancelled those who do not fit his norm. I did not personally give him permission to cancel me out by definition of ignorance or insecurities. No one, no matter who you are, or what position you hold, has the power to do that.

There are two issues in the previous statement that I would like to address:

1. Gays and lesbians in Inuit culture

I, for one, would like to know, which culture do I belong to? I am not from Nunavut, but from Labrador, and an Inuk is an Inuk regardless if you are from the East, Central or the West. My biological family is orginally from Nunavik.

Speaking from personal experience about being a lesbian Inuk, it was very hard for me to “come out,” as I’m sure it was for others, regardless of culture. Coming from a small community where everyone knows who you are (if they don’t know you, then they know some relation of yours), and not wanting to tarnish the family name or embarass family members, I decided to stay in the closet. This was one of the major reasons why I left home. Boy, was I stupid, naive and innocent.

Comments like “gays and lesbians do not exist” take me back to the days when the elders and Inuit in positions of power denied the existence of incest in our culture.

This denial, in turn, leads to the internal explosion of our youth in attempted suicide and completed suicide. All of this was done in the name of keeping the Inuit culture clean, healthy and stable, and the perceived notion we projected to non-Inuit cultures was in total denial of these issues.

This led us to the quintessential portrait of the jolly, happy, short, squat Inuk that white society holds of us, running to our igloo. This is what we are comfortable with in allowing white society holds of us, running to our igloo. This is what we are comfortable with in allowing non-Inuit to view us in the stereotypical manner to which we and they have become accustomed, so as not not ruffle feathers and to be accepted by them.

This has got to stop. Only by truth and honesty will we make it happen.

2. Not providing condoms for inmates

I work for an Inuit organization as an HIV/AIDS project assistant. I am also on two national steering committees for HIV/AIDS. True, there may or not be gays in the Baffin Correctional Centre, but you do not have to be a homosexual to use a condom. I figure that when the urge hits, any orifice will do.

When I see a comment like this, I sometimes think to myself, what am I and the other steering committee members doing? We are trying to educate aboriginal people about HIV/AIDS, STDs, hepatitis C and to have safe sex, and the premier states that there is no need of condoms in the institution. It makes me shake my head in shame and disgust.

Tracy Adams
Ottawa