The StarPhoenix Features an Article that mentions Asexuality

[Heart]

In a recent article about the Breaking the Silence conference, asexuality is mentioned and (briefly) elaborated on:

Although the event has been going on for 17 years, there are still new topics to explore. Bailey Lindsay, a Grade 12 student from Saskatoon, was one of the leaders of a session on asexuality, which had never been a featured topic before.

Asexuality is an umbrella term that refers to people who do not feel sexual attraction to others of any gender.

“It’s not a new thing, but it’s definitely a new concept for a lot of people. Unlike things like gay and lesbian, which people already know about, a lot don’t really know what asexuality is,” said Lindsay.

Broadening the scope of the conference fosters the inclusion of more people than ever before, she said.

The whole article is here.



2015 Edit: The above link doesn't work anymore, but the content can be found here. For future reference:

Breaking the Silence offers safe space
By Sean Trembath, The StarPhoenix March 23, 2014


Chandra McIvor was a speaker at the 17th annual Breaking the Silence Conference on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity at the University of Saskatchewan over the weekend. DEREK MORTENSEN/STAR PHOENIX PHOTO
Photograph by: Derek Mortensen , Saskatoon Star Phoenix

For two days this weekend, the Edwards School of Business became a safe haven.

The 17th annual Breaking the Silence conference ran Saturday and Sunday at the University of Saskatchewan. The event featured panels, breakout sessions and other presentations covering a variety of topics related to gender and sexual diversity.

“It actually warms my heart, hearing these stories, and struggles they’ve went through, I feel like I shouldn’t be ashamed of who I am. I’m not ashamed at all, but being at this conference has opened my eyes,” said Naya Chief, a North Battleford high school student who helped lead one of the session on Saturday.

Chief is a member of Sakewew high school’s gay-straight alliance, which has been operating at the school for 10 years. She considers herself lucky to study at a school where she can feel included.

“It depends on where you’re going to school. Sakewew is very open. There’s not much bullying or teasing that goes on there. There’s a lot of gay students,” Chief said.

Breaking the Silence broke several of its own attendance records this year. More than 160 people registered for the weekend and 39 of them were high school students. On Friday, more than 300 people gathered at the Broadway Theatre to hear comedian Elvira Kurt kick off the weekend with a comedy performance. All three attendance numbers set new high marks.

“(Breaking the Silence) represents voice. What that means is, there’s a ton of people here from all over the province, people who are just starting to come into their authentic selves and are wondering, ‘Where do I go? What do I do?’ ” said Chandra McIvor, who works with LGBT youth at Saskatoon’s Avenue Community Centre and led a session on the weekend.

“They don’t necessarily have that support in their community, but they get to come to a conference like this and be with like-minded people who support them and value them.”

Although the event has been going on for 17 years, there are still new topics to explore. Bailey Lindsay, a Grade 12 student from Saskatoon, was one of the leaders of a session on asexuality, which had never been a featured topic before.

Asexuality is an umbrella term that refers to people who do not feel sexual attraction to others of any gender.

“It’s not a new thing, but it’s definitely a new concept for a lot of people. Unlike things like gay and lesbian, which people already know about, a lot don’t really know what asexuality is,” said Lindsay.

Broadening the scope of the conference fosters the inclusion of more people than ever before, she said.

“Diversity is very important and it’s important to celebrate it. As we add more topics that not many people know about, it creates more understanding and more acceptance of everyone,” said Lindsay.

This was the first year that every breakout period had at least one session run by youth, according to McIvor. She encouraged the young people she works with weekly to come to the conference and their responses were quite positive.

“I’ve had my youth very emotional, saying, ‘It’s the first and only time in my life where I feel like I’m the norm.’ I think that’s very powerful when it comes to these type of conferences,” she said.

Edited April 3, 2015 by ithaca