Sault youth: ‘Oh, you’re a lesbian? That’s cool, I know someone else who’s a lesbian’

“Pansexual is when you fall in love with someone’s personality and not their gender - the gender doesn’t matter,” said Hailey Senecal, 16, of White Pines high school and one of the youngest members of Sault Pride.

Senecal isn’t pansexual herself, she identifies as lesbian, however as a young non-heterosexual person growing up in the Sault she has knowledge and a unique perspective that perhaps many of older generations don't.

Senecal sat down with SooToday at Sault Pridefest’s Youth Dance to discuss these experiences.

Senecal said she realized she was a lesbian at 12 years old.

“My father found out when he went through my phone and with my mother I just told her this is who I am and this is who I love… My mom just gave me a big hug and said ‘I already knew’.”

She said that around one in ten people at her school identify as some sexuality other than heterosexual and that, for the most part, people are very accepting.

“People really don’t care. They say things like ‘Oh, you’re a lesbian? That’s cool, I know someone else who’s a lesbian’, it’s pretty normal actually.”

Still, things aren’t perfect, and some of the sexual prejudice that was more common in years past, remains.

"It’s very very different now (for LGBTQI people). I think, before, people did not get the proper treatment they deserve, especially gay men and transgender people. Some of that still exists today. A lot of men are expected to be interested in women and so (if they're not) they are still experiencing problems.”

Senecal had two male gay friends in mind.

“The problems are usually them being picked on by other males. Guys will say things like ‘Oh, don’t let him get to close to you he might touch you’; stuff like that. (However), you’d be surprised how many people step up as allies (in those situations)” said Senecal.

Senecal said that at White Pines right now there are posters up in the hallways supporting LGBTQI rights.

Senecal said that she gets most of her information about LGBTQI issues outside of school.

Just through talking to friends both straight and gay, people in the community, and on the Internet, she picks up information about the more and more visible complex world of sexuality, like what the difference between being pansexual' and being bisexual.

“If you’re bisexual you generally care about both sexuality (male or female) and the personality of the person you’re with but as a pansexual you don’t really care about the gender and it’s just the personality.”

But she’s found her informal education on sexual matters has sometimes left holes.

“For the longest time I didn’t know there was a condom for females. I found out about them through the Pride committee and was surprised because I thought I was already educated on sexual safety," said Senecal, who would like sexual safety information for LGTBQI community taught in schools.

And her general message to everyone out there?

“If people realize that we are not trying to fight anybody or hurt anybody, that we’re just trying to spread our love, then that would be amazing and maybe a lot more people would be open and accepting to the fact that love is love and it's shared equally by all people.”