Behind the Pandemic in Aboriginal Communities - Interagency ...

Community LevelCommunity LevelCommunity LevelJennifer’s StoryJennifer’s birth certificate says she is a girl, but she has always felt in her heart that she is a boy. Growingup in a rural community wasn’t easy for Jennifer. She left home for the big city a few months ago.She had just enough money to buy the bus ticket and a few meals. Her first stop once she arrived inthe city was a youth shelter. The shelter had lots of great services but she didn’t like how the stafftreated her. She felt like the staff were looking down on her for being Aboriginal and, even worse,they were only willing to give her a room in the girls’ dormitory. She went to an Aboriginal drop-incentre to see if they could help her out, but she felt like the staff there seemed uncomfortable withher acting like a boy.Now she is staying with an older man. Jennifer doesn’t really want to have sex with this man, but it’snot so bad considering he makes sure Jennifer has a roof over her head, food, and, best of all, treatsher like the boy she knows she is.Natalie’s StoryNatalie desperately wants to do something after graduating from high school. Her mom has beenpressuring her to go to the open house for Aboriginal students at one of the universities downtown.Natalie doesn’t want to go, though. She just can’t bear the thought of people staring at the “whitegirl” when she walks into the room or having people tell her she’s not Aboriginal. She is tired of havingto explain her background to people again and again, or having to prove how Aboriginal she is to everyAboriginal person she meets. She thinks it might be easier to forget about trying to be Aboriginal andjust be the white person everyone thinks she is.Paula’s StoryPaula has been married to Harry for almost fifteen years. They have three young children together.Paula is a teacher in the small town where she and Harry grew up. Harry wasn’t able to find work inthe area and took a job at a remote mine. He is usually gone for two weeks and then home for twoweeks. It’s been hard on them and the kids, but they’ve always done their best to make it work. However,in the last few months, Paula has noticed that Harry has been acting differently – he calls lesswhen he’s away and hasn’t been as affectionate when he’s at home. She has started to wonder if hehas a girlfriend who also works at the mine.35