In late February, I was given the opportunity to interview Director of Education, Kristen Gilbert (she/her/hers) from Options for Sexual Health in Vancouver, Canada’s largest non-profit provider of sexual health services.
We chatted about abortion care in British Columbia, what intersectional and inclusive sexual and reproductive rights look like, and working alongside the community.
There is power in being the person who is teaching and the first part of being inclusive and intersectional is to reflect on whatever position of power I am in.
Much gratitude to Kristen for taking the time to share her expertise and contribute to these important conversations!
The wonderful Kristen Gilbert!
Q: What does an inclusive, intersectional sexual and reproductive rights framework look like to you?
A: One of the first things that’s really important to me is to acknowledge my identities and my biases as the presenter. There is power in being the person who is teaching and the first part of being inclusive and intersectional is to reflect on whatever position of power I am in. […] When I’m talking about sexualities to any group of people, I want to be sure that I’m reflecting on experiences that I don’t have. I want to be sure to bring that forward.
Another thing to notice [for an intersectional and reproductive rights framework] is that there are a lot of expressions of gender and a lot of expressions of attraction, (or what we used to call sexual orientation), that traditionally have not been discussed when we teach about human sexuality.
Photo Credit: Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Everyone deserves to know information that will keep them safe and healthy and also information that will help them control their fertility.
Q: In your view, what are some of the barriers to accessing abortion services in BC?
A: The first barrier that I find is geographic. On paper, because there are many places in Canada, and in British Columbia, where access to abortion care isn’t available. […] It’s all well and good to say everyone has the right to access abortion care, but if that means taking four days off work and finding childcare and finding the money to fly down to Vancouver for abortion care, well that’s not access, is it?
[t]he last thing that I’d mention is that when people want abortion care, they want and deserve good quality abortion care.
The second barrier that I want to talk about is the lack of abortion providers. The truth is, there are a lot of reasons why clinicians don’t offer this care. One of them is that during their clinical training, […] they [don’t] get any training on how to deliver abortions. And to be clear, it isn’t complicated. It’s not as though medical schools can’t provide this training. It’s that they have made the decision not to make it easy to get this training. Another reason why there aren’t providers is because the climate is a climate of violence for people who are proudly providing abortion care to their clients. […] Making the decision to provide abortion care is often fraught with very real fear about what will happen to their clinical practice, and, by extension, the lives of their family members and loved ones and colleagues.
And, the last thing that I’d mention is that when people want abortion care, they want and deserve good quality abortion care. You know, we had a hope that when medical abortion, or Mifegymiso, […] was approved in Canada, finally, that this would increase people’s access to abortion care because it seemed to take care of all of those barriers, right?
It meant that you didn’t necessarily have to travel to a city to get an abortion. It meant that your family doctor could provide you with that abortion care and it meant that you didn’t have to go into a hospital. However, we are so far, are not seeing that it’s having any type of improved access to abortion care in BC. I hope that will happen eventually, but we are not seeing that so far.
Q: What work is Options for Sexual Health doing to break down those barriers?
A: One of the most important things we do at Options is to be a very public and visible pro-choice presence in BC. Access to reproductive choice is our reason for being, in addition to healthy expressions of sexuality of all kinds. We are the Planned Parenthood International affiliate in western Canada and being proudly and visibly pro-choice is one of the ways that we can change people’s perception of abortion care. […] Hosting those discussions about abortion, I think, is one of the most important things that we do.
Our SexSense line […] is open 9AM to 9PM Monday to Friday. Anyone who has questions about how to access abortion care, from any part of BC, can call the SexSense line and be connected with resources or can get help with pro-choice pregnancy decision making.
Give SexSense a call at at 1-800-739-7367 throughout BC* or 604-731-7803 in the Lower Mainland
*The 1-800-739-7367 line is toll-free for callers within BC and the Yukon, Canada. For callers outside of these areas, regular long-distance charges may apply OR submit your question online.
How did we learn about sex? Who did we turn to? What information was missing? What did we learn which might be incorrect? How have our values shifted since we were young?
Q: In what way(s) can individuals in the community contribute to sexual and reproductive rights work?
A: I think it’s really important for parents and caregivers to know that young people have the right to comprehensive sexual health education in schools. BC, arguably, has the most comprehensive sex ed in the country. Despite that, we still find that the delivery of sexual health education throughout the province is what we might call “hit and miss” […], it really depends on individual teachers, on individual schools, on school boards and communities whether or not that comprehensive sex ed is actually delivered.
How did we learn about sex? Who did we turn to? What information was missing? What did we learn which might be incorrect? How have our values shifted since we were young?
It’s really important that those of us who are raising children know that beginning in kindergarten that people in BC have the right to hear about their body, and to hear about the diversity of families and values in decision making that we find in Canada. People have the right to this education. […] That can be very empowering for people to hear about.
Another thing that people can do, is they can reflect on is what they missed out on in their own education. […] How did we learn about sex? Who did we turn to? What information was missing? What did we learn which might be incorrect? How have our values shifted since we were young?
Photo Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about the future of reproductive rights in BC or Canada?
A: Things are changing quite drastically because we offer young people access to information. They have deep and complex understandings of their identities, they are able to articulate brilliantly, their desires and their consent. They make decisions about sexual activity based on [their] beliefs, values and love more than they do [by] making those decisions based on opportunity. […] I think the future is bright because of that and I’m thrilled that that’s the direction we’re going in.
Photo Credit: Marcelo Matarazzo on Unsplash
Kristen Gilbert is the Director of Education for Options for Sexual Health, Canada’s largest non-profit provider of sexual health services. Kristen delivers comprehensive sexual health education to students of all ages in a wide variety of school settings, including in the public and independent schools systems, in alternative programs, and for youth in custody. She also leads Options’ vibrant professional training programs, providing support for education and health professionals who wish to develop their capacity to connect confidently with clients about their sexual health. In addition to her work at Options, Kristen teaches a Nursing course in human sexuality at the University of British Columbia, where she also guest lectures in the departments of Education and Pharmacy.
Zain Abdulla (she/her/hers) is a proud woman of colour and soon to be law student. Dedicated to intersectional feminism and access to justice, she has worked with various non-profit organizations committed to social justice. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn from and grow alongside passionate, like-minded people. Zain facilitates workshops for youth with West Coast LEAF.
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