Edith René (She/They) reflects on her Shad experience and the moments that helped them expand their 2SLGBTQI+ advocacy and leadership.
Going into Shad, Edith René (She/They) expected the lectures, the workshops, and the limitless learning. But they found out quickly that the month-long program was about much more than the unfolding of intricate topics and new passions. It was as if Shad had its arms wide open, inviting students to be who they are and explore who they want to be.
For Edith, that was gaining the confidence to lead her school’s Inclusion Club, creating safe spaces for all identities including 2SLGBTQI+ students.
“I really want school to be a safe place for everyone,” says Edith. “At Shad, I really had the feeling that I could be whoever I wanted and I could express myself freely. I want people at my school to also feel that.”
Edith explains that there was an inherent message of inclusion and respect throughout the entire Shad A-Plus program at St.Thomas University. Whether it was open conversations that welcomed each student to share their ideas, late night musical performances, or a multicultural night, there was room for everyone’s unique interests, cultures, backgrounds, and orientations to be celebrated and respected.
Edith joined her school’s Inclusion Club at the beginning of high school. But when she reached Grade 11, the group found itself at risk of dissolving with no teacher to supervise and the senior leaders ready to graduate. Edith procured a teacher and planned some activities for the following year, but it was Shad that gave her the momentum to step up and raise the volume on their advocacy efforts in her last year of high school.
At Shad, Edith was exposed to all different types of leadership. There were the traditional leaders, who were confident, charismatic, and outspoken in lectures and workshops. But there were also students who held the same great ideas and thoughts, they were just a little more quiet and measured in their approach.
“Since I’m more of an introverted and shy person myself, that made me believe that maybe I could become a leader, even if it was something that kind of intimidated me.”
Now, Edith proudly leads the club, working with 26 members on activities and initiatives that champion inclusion, something Edith says is especially important amid a rampant culture of transphobia and homophobia in schools today.
This year, the club took part in their school board’s Rainbow Day, a gathering that connected them with similar groups at nearby schools for fun activities, workshops, and lectures on 2SLGBTQI+ activists and key figures. The group also planned activities for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, and created a coming out box in honour of National Coming Out Day. Through this exercise, students were invited to anonymously share something about themselves.
“Anyone could write anything on their paper, so it didn’t necessarily have to be about being part of the community,” says Edith. “That allowed people that were part of the community to write that down on their paper and put it in the box.”
After the exercise, the group displayed the notes in the hall, along with posters and origami cranes, as a public outpouring of love, respect and support.
They also took over the morning announcements for an entire month, sharing snippets of information about the 2SLGBTQI+ community and other meaningful intersectional topics like feminism and anti-racism.
It’s this type of sharing and support that Edith finds herself weaving into other aspects of life, whether that’s writing short stories that feature Queer characters or incorporating similar themes within her schoolwork.
“Most of the reason it’s such a taboo subject is because it’s not talked about a lot. I’m hoping that if I bring it more attention, then it might be less of a secret subject and something that people can talk about openly.”
For a French class project, Edith created a website that provides people with a glossary of 2SLGBTQI+ terms and phrases.
“I would say in the English community, I find a lot of references about LGBTQ culture, and it’s more present. In the French community, I feel like we don’t have the vocabulary to express that, so that’s why I wanted to promote that vocabulary through my blog.”
Edith is expanding the project into a nonprofit called Wings of Pride, an awareness and education initiative where origami figures will represent sub 2SLGBTQI+ communities and will direct people to her website to learn more.
Edith’s love of words expands beyond the classroom too, where they express themselves through poetry and short stories. They have entered several local writing contests with the Ottawa Public Library and recently won the CBC First Page student writing challenge. in the Grade 10 to 12 category with their piece about book banning, Lost for Words.
Over 1,200 youth entered the contest, which asked students to write the first page of a novel inspired by current events but set 150 years in the future.
They would love to add more pages to this story soon, diving further into the topic of censorship – but it’s just a matter of when.
“I have a lot of stories buzzing around in my head, so it’s also a wonder of which one I will start working on first.”
Edith has published articles for their school’s newspaper, La Plume Verte, about Pride, Shad, and also about Lunar New Year, drawing from her family’s part Chinese background.
Edith has fond memories of eating delicious Chinese food, celebrating Lunar New Year with family, and also learning about other cultures and identities during trips and travels.
“I think that’s where my passion for learning and advocacy comes from.”
Edith will be starting a new chapter at McGill University next year, where she will study English and French Literature and hopes to be part of the school’s well-established Queer Club. But what will remain the same for Edith is the lasting confidence to keep learning, keep leading and keep using their voice to spark change.
“I think the world would be such a better place if we could just accept everyone as they are.”