Some people in CBRM's LGBTQ community say bullying is on the rise

A transgender student in Cape Breton says he's faced constant bullying. It's not an isolated situation.

Seelie Romard is a 17-year-old transgender teen who goes to Riverview High School. He said that there's been multiple instances where he's been called slurs and even assaulted by another student during a lunch break.

"He'd come up and he'd always have a pencil to stab me right in the middle of the back," said Romard. "And then he'd run away back to his friends and laugh about it."

Some people in the LGBTQ community say harassment is on the rise in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, both in person and online.

Romard said a teacher at his school didn't take the problem seriously when he went to them to explain the situation.

"The teacher would be like … 'He just keeps picking on you because he likes you.' And I'm like, 'OK, but I don't like that. That's not something that anybody would enjoy. So I don't know why you would say that to me because it makes me feel really uncomfortable."'

Romard said he also has had milk dumped over his head during lunch.

"So, I eventually went to the office.... Then I went home to get a shower because I didn't want to smell like spoiled milk all day."

No specific data

He said the principal of his school said there was nothing she could do about it because no one saw it happen.

In a statement, the Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education said it doesn't have specific data on bullying incidents targeting LGBTQ students. It can't say whether incidents are on the rise.

Madonna Doucette, who works for the Youth Project — an advocacy group for LGBTQ rights — has been doing presentations in schools in the CBRM for 13 years to promote tolerance and acceptance for the community.

She said that during the last year or so, she and her staff have seen more aggressive behaviour from students during the seminars she hosts.

"This year I've had some of my trainers be told by students that their father should have beaten them because they were trans, that they deserve to be beaten by their dads because they were trans," said Doucette. "And they said this during one of our presentations in front of all the other students."

Doucette said she believes the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education is doing a good job trying to stop bullying in schools.

One of the ways the centre is doing that is through outreach programs, like the one Doucette and the youth project host.

"Students and staff in CBVRCE are supported in this goal by our Diversity and Equity Team, which is comprised of programs co-ordinators and consultants as well as student support workers," the centre of education said in a written statement.

"Members of this team work with all schools to ensure diversity and equity are included as part of curriculum for all grade levels and also co-ordinate specific presentations and programming to address needs at individual schools."

'Student safety and well-being is our top priority'

The statement went on to say that the centre is taking the issue seriously.

"Student safety and well-being is our top priority. Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education takes complaints of bullying, cyberbullying and other unacceptable behaviours very seriously."

The bullying of the LGTBQ community in the CBRM isn't just in schools. It's also happening online.

Leigh Evans, who identifies as non-binary, has started a new Facebook group called Cape Breton enby & trans queers. Enby is short for non-binary.

They said they started it because of the rise in intolerance and mean comments and jokes that they've seen on Cape Breton Facebook pages about the LGTBQ community.

"Myself and multiple friends have been seeing a lot of hate and just queer phobia in general being posted on different Cape Breton groups, which has been getting worse and worse, I find," said Evans.

"More and more people just treat the community as a joke when we really aren't."

Parental support

Romard said that although he's faced bullying at school, he has support systems online and in person, including support from both of his parents.

"I think education and communication is huge," said Lisa Romard, Seelie's mother. "Open your mind to the fact that there are people that are different from you, and that's OK."

Seelie Romard said that he wanted to speak out to let others who may be going through a similar situation know that they're not alone.

He also said things are getting better for him.

"I felt terrible at first, but eventually I kind of just realized that if I kept letting it get to me, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now."