IDAHO. It’s not just a state known for it’s potatoes. It’s also the acronym for the International Day Against Homophobia, an occasion that has been proclaimed by the Muncipality of Jasper this year, but remains largely unobserved and unknown in the community, according to someone who is trying to raise awareness about what homophobia is.

Les Dolan has been getting the message out about the day, which is intended as an opportunity for open discussion and increased understanding about what homophobia is and what everyone in a community, large or small, can do to make 

Jasper a safer place for people of varying sexual orientations and gender identities.

Dolan thinks that Jasper could do a lot more towards being a safe space for everyone.

“It’s not in your face here, so many people don’t really think about it,” she said. “There needs to be some awareness raising where people can examine their values.”

Dolan points to a column she wrote for the Fitzhugh and the 

subsequent reaction from some in the community.

“The responses to the Won’t Get Weird piece were very indicative to me,” she said. “They honed in and grabbed on that piece about being welcoming of all sexualities... and to me, that’s intolerant of the range and diversity of human sexual experience.”

While some factors may suggest that Jasper is a more tolerant and welcoming community than others of a similar size in Alberta and the surrounding area, Dolan wonders if that concept might be more idealistic than realistic.

“Our community is the same as any other in Canada in that people generally don’t have a tremendous amount of knowledge base about sexuality,” she said. “Most people just don’t have the opportunity for their views and values to be stretched.”

It’s not as though some in the community aren’t trying to do what they can — Dolan points to an attempt to start a gay/straight alliance at the high school.

“They got going and it was all straight kids, so it’s hard sometimes in a small place. There are lots of heterosexual allies, but we can’t really know what it’s like.”

Acts of homophobia can range from the extreme, like a violent assault, to the more subtle, like someone using “gay” as a negative adjective. Standing up to such behaviour is what IDAHO is attempting to encourage.

“We all need to stand up for what is right,” said Dolan. “It might not make you popular but you have to sleep with yourself at night.”

As the outreach worker for young adults for Community Outreach Services, Paul Schmidt sees examples of subtle homophobia on a regular basis, especially, he says, since the release of “Brokeback Mountain”.

“Some people quote from that or say that something is Brokeback Mountain,” said Schmidt.

He has been involved with more than one case where someone filed a human rights complaint due to concerns about homophobia, and knows of “a couple of cases where people have left town because they didn’t feel comfortable.”

Still, Schmidt is convinced that Jasper does a relatively good job of providing support for the homosexual and transexual communities.

“We probably fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum,” he said. “We’re not the typical redneck town, but we’re not the most forward thinking either.”