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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
In an effort to give the Yellowknife lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer (LGBTQ) community a voice, two local activists are working to bring the popular It Gets Better movement to the North.

Taking off from the inspirational work by American relationship and sex columnist Dan Savage, who founded It Gets Better in September 2010, Yellowknifers Jacq Brasseur and Nicole Garbutt are seeking to help combat feelings of inadequacy among Yellowknife's lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer teens.

Like Savage, who sought to instill in high school students hope for the future, Brasseur and Garbutt have started a supportive network that will focus on the shared life experiences of LGBTQ residents. Both Brasseur and Garbutt have credited Yellowknife's V-Day branch director Nancy MacNeill for coming up with the idea for Yellowknife and thinking of a localized It Gets Better movement for teens.

"I came out at a young age and I always wanted a Pride organization in town," said Brasseur. "How I felt in high school was that I wanted a Pride organization here not so much because there is homophobia, but rather because it is nice to know there are people around who are like (me)."

Brasseur explained that while Yellowknife has had a similar organization in the past with the now-defunct OutNorth, the new group hopes to be more inclusive and provide a better awareness about the city's queer teen reality. Out North, in contrast, had been focused on supporting gay adults.

Both Brasseur and Garbutt have met together once to provide a nucleus and general discussion for the group and they have produced a survey for citizens in order to get a sense of how such a group can best be shaped.

Survey questions focus on the demographics of the respondents and seek to get a sense of the level of homophobia in local schools. An open field at the end of the survey allows respondents to provide thoughts and opinions on the subject which might help the new group tackle some of the unique challenges faced by the Yellowknife queer community and how they fit into the broader culture.

In many ways, Brasseur and Garbutt are taking careful but progressive steps toward forming such a group and have repeatedly stressed the importance of getting direction from all residents; not just members of the queer community.

In a month, the two hope to establish regular promotional events with queer-friendly movie nights and other positive community features that complement the It Gets Better movement.

Brasseur and Garbutt are currently looking for any ideas or assistance in building a supportive network for Yellowknife's queer community. People can participate through e-mail at itgetsbetteryk@hotmail.com.

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