Yukon Chatter Bug

I’ve always wanted to attend the annual Yukon International Storytelling Festival, but it seemed like every year I had other commitments. This year, I decided to play hookey from working at school over the weekend and attended the festival on Saturday.

I was very impressed with the storytellers, and my favourite was Ivan E. Coyote. Ivan is originally from Whitehorse and now resides in Vancouver or thereabouts. Her short stories are funny, candid, and usually relate to her own life experiences.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m referring to Ivan using feminine pronouns, but if you read her writing, some of her stories revolve around her experiences growing up and feeling like she didn’t quite fit into the gender box. She eventually changed her name, and in one of her most recent stories I read, she explains how being referred to in either gender doesn’t quite fit, so she usually lets people decide for themselves how to address her.

We live in such a gender-specific society that leaves no room for even the slightest deviance of the pendulum from either extreme, that I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for people who feel they don’t quite fit on either side completely.

A student at a local high school where I subbed was faced with the same dilemma. My heart went out to him when, while doing attendance, a couple of other students taunted him by using the female version of his name. I have to admit that I wouldn’t have known his gender just by looking at him. A little later, one of the students walked over to him and started taunting him more. Keep in mind that as a substitute teacher, kids don’t really take you seriously, and there’s lots of stupidity and horsing around. I had a “chat” with the kid doing the taunting, but what did he care? I don’t know if I got across to him; I can only hope so.

One saving grace was that I knew that authors were coming to the school to spend time with students, and Ivan was one of them. I only hope that somehow, that student (taunted one) was able to find solace in knowing that he wasn’t alone.

Going to the festival also gave me the opportunity to pick up Ivan’s latest book The Slow Fix. I’ve already read most of the stories with only 20 pages left to read. “In the title story [The Slow Fix], she does her best to fix what’s wrong in the world by telling the homophobe in the barber’s seat next to hers to shut up” (Arsenal Pulp Press). Her stories are eye-openers about how we take gender and identity for granted. It’s kind of like being left-handed in a world where everything’s geared to right-handedness.

This little post is my contribution to “the slow fix.”