By Colin McGregor
Creating an LGBTQ2S+ movement in rural areas doesn’t seem like an easy task. However, there may be less homophobia in the countryside than one might think. In the Bas Saint-Laurent (Lower St. Lawrence) region, social worker and activist Marie-Claude Joannis, who has lived in Kamouraska for 20 years, believes that “it’s not true that rural areas are like the Stone Age!”
Reflet de Société spoke with Marie-Claude, co-spokesperson for Diversité KRTB (Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata, Les Basques), a Facebook page that brings together LGBTQ2S+ people from across the vast Lower St. Lawrence region. The Facebook page has been around for two years. Marie-Claude shares her experience, emphasizing that the reality of each person who identifies as sexually and gender-diverse is different and that she cannot speak for everyone.
She was asked: What are the issues facing the LGBTQ2S+ community in the regions?
In any major social movement, whether it’s the feminist movement or those for the civil rights of Black or racialized people, there will always be what are called “internal conflicts” because these groups are made up of very diverse individuals. Similarly, within the LGBTQ2S+ community, there are personalities, but above all, very diverse issues, which inevitably creates mutual misunderstandings and sometimes conflicts. It’s worth remembering that these tensions within major social movements exist in rural areas as well as in cities, and in all eras.
Diversité KRTB has over 500 members and is a closed Facebook group. To access the content of this page, you must agree not to post fatphobic, anti-hair, racist, or intimidating comments. We insisted on this commitment from our members because there are several LGBTQ2S+ groups on Facebook that are quite disrespectful or that engage in the hypersexualization of individuals, and these attitudes are not part of the values of the group’s two founding spokespeople. More than 500 people are committed to upholding this.
Respect is the absolute value. We established from the outset that this group is a safe space not just for sexual diversity, but also for all differences. Only about twenty people have been contacted because they haven’t answered the membership questions, often due to forgetfulness, sometimes out of conviction.
For me, freedom of expression comes first. I think there are guidelines to be established. This is our approach. There are all kinds of Facebook pages; everyone can find something that suits them.
The Main Challenge
According to Marie-Claude, one of the main challenges for sexual and gender diversity in the KRTB region is the lack of an official, street-level meeting place. Local cafes and bars in her area are rarely, if ever, associated with the LGBTQIA+ community. At least now, Diversité KRTB offers a place where members of the community and their allies can meet and connect safely.
The other major problem is that the Lower St. Lawrence region is extremely vast. It stretches from Rimouski to La Pocatière. That’s at least a three-hour drive from one end to the other. This makes it difficult to organize gatherings for an evening!
The need to come together is becoming increasingly important. There are certain areas where we see a concentration of queer and non-binary people. Younger people tend to gather more spontaneously. This is the case in Kamouraska and Trois-Pistoles. These areas are a bit more organized in terms of alternative and cultural life. Rivière-du-Loup is a bit more central, but it’s not necessarily where LGBTQ2S+ culture is most vibrant.
Homophobia in Rural Areas
When it comes to homophobia, the main difference we see in rural areas compared to major urban centers is that in rural areas, people know each other personally, explains Marie-Claude:
Every time I go somewhere, people ask me, Who are you? Her mother is a Bouchard, from a family of 20 children in St-Onésime. Locals make the connection, and that creates an automatic respect.
From that perspective, there’s almost always a connection to be made with the person. Homophobia still exists, but people are more careful because they won’t just hurt the person; they’ll also hurt others they know. It’s not anonymous when you make homophobic remarks in rural areas.
The phenomenon of anonymous insults is a significant one. I’m 43 years old and I haven’t experienced much homophobia in my life. It’s quite funny because I experienced it this summer during Pride in Montreal! I was with my girlfriend, we were holding hands in the street, and then some young people, around 18 years old, went, « Ugh, ugh, they’re holding hands. » That had never happened to me before in the KRTB or anywhere else; on the contrary, we often receive positive feedback.
In our region, I recently saw LGBTQ+ groups in CEGEPs and high schools. Young gay, lesbian, non-binary, queer, etc., people no longer need to hide like they did in her generation. There are many more allies than in my time. The new generation is more open about being themselves; they are queer, they are non-binary, it’s not necessarily linked to their sexual orientation, and this is a social phenomenon also present in the region.
This is my current perspective; I could be wrong. I don’t want to speak for the entire LGBTQ2S+ community of the KRTB. Homophobia and transphobia certainly remain a major issue, here too. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows! As a social worker, I see people who experience ostracism, rejection, and prejudice. At the same time, it’s also not true that homophobia and transphobia are widespread in rural areas.
A Clear Shift
At the Cégep, we’re seeing a clear shift. This generation is much more open compared to ours. At the Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup, there are now non-binary restrooms.
This shift is happening all over Quebec. People watch TV, and it’s true that there have been many positive representations of sexual and gender diversity in TV series and variety shows. People are generally much more comfortable with their sexuality and exploring it.
That said, at Diversité KRTB, there are still people who come from Montreal or other major centers who tell me, “I feel like I’m reliving my coming out,” often single people. Many find heteronormativity more prevalent in rural areas. Before they find us, Diversité KRTB, they already have to develop a certain social network. We don’t have a physical storefront; you’ll have to find us on our Facebook page.
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