LGBTQIA+ Youth in Schools: | Mackenzie Kolton

In this episode I speak with Mackenzie Kolton, who is currently the Director of Learning of Egale Canada. Mackenzie is passionate about working in 2SLGBTQI advocacy and education and prior to Egale she was the Manager of Program Innovation at Big Brothers Big Sisters, co-developing Manitoba’s first Queer Lens Mental Health Training and overseeing their 2SLGBTQI department and staff. In this interview, we hear from some of the ways that Mackenzie's time with Big Brothers Big Sisters set her up to focus on concepts like joy and love and capability and inner strength when it comes to developing resources for queer folx.

As a Queer woman, Mackenzie is dedicated to working in collaboration with communities to build innovative programming and curriculum to address intersectional challenges. Mackenzie was awarded CBC’s Proud to Shine award in 2020 and 2021 to honour her work in advocacy and was named in the “Top 100 Fascinating Manitobans” in 2022. In the show, we talk about the current political and educational environment in Canada and the affect this has on 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. We explore topics including transphobia in and out of schools, the resources that exist for students, teachers, and parents/family, what the role of religion is in all of this. You'll hear more about it in the episode, but one of the things we talk about is how core teachings of so many religious traditions (like the call to love and respect others) can be brought into the conversation when we talk about queer acceptance and the acceptance of queer love. We finish the conversation by chatting about what it means to be an ally, and some of the various ways that people can practice allyship in their daily lives.

Permissions:
The instrumental of the song “Bones” by OKNaledi is used with permission. Check out the full version here.

Additional Resources (Egale)

RESEARCH:

1. "Speak Out: Addressing 2SLGBTQ Youth Dating Violence. Lessons on how to support 2SLGBTQ youth who face dating violence in Canada." July 2022. https://egale.ca/awareness/speak-out-addressing-2slgbtq-youth-dating-violence/

2. Peter, T., Campbell, C.P., & Taylor, C. (2021). Still in every class in every school: Final report on the second climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Key Takeaways. Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. https://egale.ca/awareness/still-in-every-class/

3. "What 2SLGBTQI Youth in Esports Want" September 2021. https://egale.ca/awareness/esports-report/

4. "2SLGBTQI Suicide Prevention Research in Canada: Evidence, Gaps, and Priorities. PHAC Suicide and its Prevention Final Report," October 2021. https://egale.ca/awareness/2slgbtqi-suicide-prevention-research-in-canada-evidence-gaps-and-priorities/

5. "Playing “Safe” and Troubling Youth: An Esports Literature Review", June 2021. https://egale.ca/awareness/esports-literature-review/

6. "Every Class in Every School: The first national climate survey (2011) on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools." 2011. https://egale.ca/awareness/every-class/

7. "Guide for the Development of an LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy. Conference Paper: LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Summit" 2012. https://egale.ca/awareness/guide-for-the-development-of-an-lgbtq-youth-suicide-prevention-strategy/

8. "Youth Speak Up About Homophobia and Transphobia, The First National Climate Survey on Homophobia in Canadian Schools, Phase One Report."  March 2009. https://egale.ca/awareness/phase1/

RESOURCES:

1. Adults Supporting 2SLGBTQI Youth. https://egale.ca/awareness/adults-supporting-2slgbtqi-youth/

2. Faith and 2SLGBTQI Youth. https://egale.ca/awareness/faith-and-2slgbtqi-youth/

3. Additional Resources: Trans and Nonbinary Youth Webinar.  https://egale.ca/awareness/trans-and-nonbinary-youth-resources/

4. Preparing Students for the Transition of a Trans or Gender Diverse Peer. https://egale.ca/awareness/preparing-students/

5. Tackling Anti-2SLGBTQI Cyberbullying in Schools. https://egale.ca/awareness/tackling-anti-2slgbtqi-cyberbullying-in-schools/

6. What to do when your child comes out to you. https://egale.ca/awareness/what-to-do-when-your-child-comes-out-to-you/

7. Draw-The-Line — Against Transphobic Violence in Schools. https://egale.ca/awareness/draw-the-line-atv/ 

8. Stuck in quarantine with your homophobic or transphobic family?. https://egale.ca/awareness/stuck-in-quarantine-with-your-homophobic-or-transphobic-family/

9. Pronoun Resource for Teachers. https://egale.ca/awareness/pronoun-resource-for-teachers/

10. Supporting Your Intersex Child. https://egale.ca/awareness/supporting-your-intersex-child/

11. Supporting Your Gender Diverse Child. https://egale.ca/awareness/supporting-gender-diverse-child/

12. 10 Faith-Based Reasons to Support 2SLGBTQI-Inclusive Education. https://egale.ca/awareness/10-faith-based-reasons-to-support-lgbtq-inclusive-education/