SadMag spoke to Vancouver-based artist, public school worker and nominated COPE school trustee  about education, art, gender, and her vision for safe, inclusive schools.

SadMag: You’re an artist but you also work with kids. Tell me about your involvement with education (past and present).

?Heidi Nagtegaal: i’ve worked for the vancouver school board for the last 8 years (since jan 2006)?. i love to work in east van, in what the vsb calls “inner city schools.” for the last 3 years i’ve worked at britannia elementary community school. before that i was working for about 10 years in respite care, home care, after school programs, and parks and recreation.

SM: What is the intersection of art and education in its best form?

HN: art can be education and education can be art. it’s all about perspective and how you see things. the best form of this intersection is when all people involved feel loved, connected, cared for, communicated with, and involved. it is in that state of mind that information can be given and received effectively. when the brain is relaxed, it is able to absorb more information and learn faster.

our brains integrate material when dopamine and serotonin are in our systems. when you make art, and you are in a creative state, your brain is releasing dopamine, which reduces stress, increases learning, and opens new neurological pathways.

stress is a brain killer, a creativity killer, it’s not good for you, not in your life, and not in schools either. self care is really important.

SM: What motivated the decision to pursue a spot on the school board?

HN: ?i was asked to by a bunch of friends. they came up to me and without knowing that any one else was doing, asked me to consider running. i was not interested at the time, and had my list of reasons why i did not want to be involved, starting from the “system is failing” to “i don’t believe in the government.”

i realized that being asked to consider this kind of position was kind of a rarity, and stared at a candle for a long time and thought about the possibilities of running for the school board as a candidate. i’ve worked in schools for so long, and have witnessed systemic violence, not because anyone is against the children, and wants them to suffer, but because the school system itself has big holes in it, and it’s not pencils that are falling through the cracks. it’s children.

so i decided to run for government, and see what happened. ?

SM: What do you hope to accomplish?

?HN: on a modest level, to get the conversation flowing, get people involved. the government is super broken, corrupted, aligned with big business; money & power are definitely all coming before people, communities.? even the bike lanes that vision vancouver put in – the ones i ride on – were put in without community consultation, and put in by a personal friend of gregor robertson. the vision vancouver Anti Poverty week was kicked off by petitioning the Supreme Court to have the tenants of Oppenheimer Park removed. tent city was started because living in the park was safer than living in their homes.

we all know there’s something wrong, but it’s hard to know what to do. i really love cope’s housing policies, and i think they’re real, based in real life, they don’t take developper donations, it’s all grass roots, we’re all activists, and artists, and i dunno, people with a plan. and it’s run with 2 staff, and this whole campaign is happening on 2 staff, no budget (well, a a very small one), and a whole lot of volunteer hours. npa and vision get donations year round, and during this campaign alone of millions of dollars, it’s crazy. and here cope is with their scraggly budget, and a bunch of good ideas, and we’re covering the news and media sources. articles are running on meena (wong) every week, and they can’t get enough.

so on that level, i’ve already accomplished my goal. on another level, it would be great to be voted in, and keep on doing the work at a municipal level, but i have to be voted in to do that, and we’ll see what happens.

there’s been polls done by npa and vision on statistics, and they don’t release them because they show that cope, vision, and npa are neck and neck. vision and npa like to say that the race is between the two of them, and vision is marketing that “you have to vote vision so that the npa doesn’t get in” when really, you can just vote cope and not bother with vision at all.

i’m really sorry to anyone who loves vision. their words are beautiful, but their actions stink, and i’m ready for a change. so i guess that’s why i joined cope, and that’s what’s happening right now. when i think about “what i hope to accomplish,” it’s happening now. the dialogue is changing.

SM: Tell me about the current transgender policy? What does it fail to address? How would you like it to change?

HN: ?for starters, i work in an elementary school. dividing students up into “boys” and “girls” is seen as an ok way to learn patterns. the children are told to sit boy/girl, and are addressed as “boys and girls.” bathrooms: boys and girls. there’s no room for anything beyond the gender binary.

children are born beyond the gender binary. they transition from one gender to another, they flow between genders, they express their genders in many ways. the conversation has started to shift around what masculinity and femininity can look like, but it’s very much centred around the “sensitive boy” or the “tough girl” which, although it expands the idea of what gender can be, doesn’t exactly collapse the binary system, or integrate genders into a fluid structure, where all genders and gender expressions are embraced, nourished, and understood.

when you hear “girl” “boy” and never anything else, do you really think we are promoting a space for other genders? he and she are used in a classroom, but most teachers are still confused about the gender neutral pronouns, such as they, zir, and yo.

gender neutral bathrooms are a start, but the work is very deep, and we have a long way to go before all children are safe to gender express themselves without being afraid of feeling shame, or getting beat up.

i mean, we feel the same as adults, but we’re trying to change the world here. we want the futures of our children to be better than the ones we have. that’s the hope anyways. otherwise, what’s the point? damage control? yes. but no.

SM: Why is it relevant to you?

?HN: i work in schools. i went to school. i love learning. i don’t think schools are the best expression of learning out there, and it could be better. bullying is real, and we don’t have to set up social structures where those things happen rampantly. we can make it safer.

parents talk to me all the time about bullying, sensitive children, the need for feelings, and how to make space for all the feelings. children have feelings. i have feelings. we all have feelings. and we all have the need for safe spaces.

when children are forced to spend 6.5 hours of everyday in schools, it has got to be a place that makes them feel good, loved, heard, respected, and safe. when you don’t feel those things you feel sad, your brain doesn’t work as well, it’s harder to make friends, you feel miserable and unwell. that’s doesn’t work for anyone.

when humans are happy our brains work better! safe spaces make people happy. it’s not only a human right, it’s good for learning.

SM: Why should it matter to the rest of us?

HN: ?why would anyone want a school system where it is the way it is?

children go to schools that are underfunded, don’t have proper support, are in the dark as far as the full spectrum of gender and sexuality are concerned, not effective against bullies, or the creation of safe spaces, and have long wait lists for psychologist, school counsellors, special needs, or anything outside of the education of a standardized learner who fits within a binary.

that doesn’t seem healthy, supportive, or nourishing. it would be hard as a student to learn in a system like this. and it would be hard as a teacher to have a classroom full of children, and know that you can’t support them them the way you want to. as a support worker in the school system, i see children i love, who i have spent hours of time with, fall through the cracks. i know what it feels like to know that it could be different. and it matters. every child matters.

i want justice, not charity.

SM: What’s amazing about kids?

HN: … it’s endless. we play together, we love each other, we help each other. they carry around my coffee cups for me if i forget it on their table, and then giggle about it. when i go outside and i’m a bit late for something or i get switched, and then SURPRISE heidi is here, it’s not uncommon to get a “HEIDI!” and a group hug

i get secret messages and art works and handshakes from children every day. their parents and i bond simply because i love their kids and they hear all about me after school, to the point that they feel like they know me.

?according to the vancouver school board, i work with the most vulnerable youth in the district. when i go home to the valley, or talk about my life in vancouver, people are mixed. one reaction is “that’s so awesome!” and then there’s the “how do you do it?” and then the “isn’t it hard??”. and the “isn’t it hard” always freaks me out a little bit. like they’re saying “it’s too hard.” sometimes, that’s my projection, and other times it’s a real read and it’s actualized by a follow up comment featuring a racist, sexist, homophobic, classist rant about “those people.”

those people are our people. we can’t have a strong society when don’t see ourselves as a whole.

We last spoke with Christepher Wee in February, shortly after he won Mr. Gay Canada.

Since, then Christepher has continued to focus on his activism, using his new title as a platform to reach a larger audience.

And reach he has! Christepher has been involved in Pride events across the country, from World Pride in Toronto to Jasper, and was a keynote speaker at Surrey’s Pride in July.

But it’s not all parties and parades: Christepher now serves as an ambassador for Rainbow Refugee Canada and the Men’s Heath Initiative. He’s also a resource for the Gay Straight Alliance and has been officially adopted by the Two Spirit First Nations community who have named him Sage Niis Miou.

Christepher sat down to chat with Sad Mag about the upcoming Mr. Gay World competition in Rome, Italy where he will be competing on the world stage.

Sad Mag: How was your Pride?

Mr. Gay Canada, Christepher Wee: It was excellent. I’ve been going to Pride since the end of March! Vancouver Pride was at the beginning of August and prior to that I was at Surrey Pride. I got back from World Pride in Toronto just the night before. It’s always great to be home.

SM: What’s your favourite thing about Pride events?

CW: All the community events. The family picnics and the seniors’ days—in Vancouver, we had Aging with Pride, the Pride Picnic at Brockton Oval, and the Pride Run and Walk. I don’t go to the party events at night so much. I may drop in for an hour or so, but I really love the community events. That’s when you get to talk to people, interact with people.

SM: What do you think is still important about Pride? It’s been around a long time—what is it that makes it relevant to us now?

CW: I think they’re still very relevant and important for a few reasons. There’s still a long ways to go in terms of equality so we need to keep at it and be visible and vocal.

Pride events are also a time to remember our ancestors, what they did and what they went through to get where we are today. There’s an element of remembrance.

It’s also a celebration of all the victories we’ve achieved this year. In Vancouver, we had the Parks Board initiative to provide gender-neutral bathrooms and the School Board’s revision of its LGBTQ policy. These things need to be celebrated with the whole community, not just the LGBTQ population but with our allies as well, who come together and join with us to show that we’re united in building a better tomorrow.

This year, Surrey City Hall refused to fly the rainbow flag so there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. We’re not at the day where Pride Week or Pride celebration doesn’t need to happen because equality…we’re not there yet.

There’s still a long ways to go. Until everyone, everywhere can be free, I think we need to keep celebrating Pride and pushing for change.

SM: You’re headed to Mr. Gay World in Rome, Italy. What are you most excited about, heading into that competition?

CW: I think I’m most excited about meeting all of the delegates to see what kind of activism and community service actions they’re working on. I’d like to see if we can get something going globally. Imagine dozens of us from all parts of the world doing something at the same time – that could create a phenomenon!

SM: What kind of events will be happening in Rome? What will you be doing there?

CW: It’s a regular pageant so we have a lot of pageantry elements: the photoshoots, the Q&A session, the panel judging, and the talent portion. There’s also a city tour and a look at the LGBTQ services offered in the city. On the Mr. Gay World website, you can see our itinerary—it’s very detailed!

The other thing about the competition is that it gives competitors a worldwide platform to talk about what we’re doing and to bring our issues to the world press. One of the new components at the competition is a pop-speech. You’ll be given a word or topic and you’ll have a minute to talk about it. This is to see how articulate you are and how you can think on your feet.

We also write an exam when we arrive. You need to know your LGBTQ current affairs and history, and Pride history. It’s not just about your looks or how you strut your stuff on the runway.

There’s a sports element too. Last year they went to a police training camp and completed the course there. I’m quite interested to see what we’re doing this year.

We’ve already started our competition with a set of online challenges. Our first challenges was to pick an iconic place where we live and do a 60 second video, unedited and uncut, introducing our city and ourselves. I went to Stanley Park and stood where you could see Canada Place and the Vancouver skyline. We also have online quizzes and handbooks that we need to read. Our current challenge is to present a short documentary of our gay life in our city. This is great for me because I can use all of the video clips I’ve been shooting across Canada.

SM: How many countries compete at Mr. Gay World?

It’s different every year. This year there are 32, last year there were 25 so the numbers are definitely increasing. This year is the largest yet!

SM: What are you hoping for out of this competition?

CW: One, I’m hoping that the delegates can collaborate and do something globally. Even if I don’t win, that’s something I want to do. I’ve already started with my contacts in Asia, being a support for local groups. I definitely want to do something with the Mr. Gay World delegates, if possible.

I’m hoping to do really well in the compeition because of the platform the title provides. I’ve noticed that since I won the title of Mr. Gay Canada, it’s made a huge difference in terms of media coverage and profile. If you’re just Christepher Wee, well, you’re just Christepher Wee. But if you have a title behind your name, it gives you the opportunity to be a visible voice

SM: You mentioned that being Mr. Gay Canada has given you a platform, a higher profile and more media access. We talked a bit about that in the last interview. Have you found you’ve been able to more your various goals forward?

CW: Definitely! I mentioned working with Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) last time and, before I became Mr. Gay Canada, there wasn’t a lot of interest. But now that I’m Mr. Gay Canada, I’ve become a national resource on the GSA Canada website. People from all over Canada can contact me and ask me to come to their school and speak, to write something or give advice. I don’t think that would have happened if I were just Christepher Wee. Mr. Gay Canada opened the doors to that.

I’ve also been approached by organizations to act as an ambassador. I’m an ambassador for the Rainbow Refugee society. I’m proud to speak out to help our brothers and sisters who live in countries that have anti-gay laws. I try to bring attention to the plight of these refugees who flee their home countries to avoid persecution.

I’m also an ambassador for Men’s Health Initiative. They’re a Vancouver-based organization that not only focuses on HIV awareness and education but also generally on men’s health – social health, physical health, mental health. We started a campaign together to raise the visibility of minorities. When you see a lot of MHI advertisements and education materials, you only see Caucasian men. I felt that we needed to increase the visibility of other demographics. So we just started a new campaign, Vancouver Fabulous, where I’m on the poster and the post card and there’s a second version coming out in the fall. We’re also launching a Chinese website – a replica of the MHI website but in Chinese with Chinese individuals pictured on the website. Moving on from that, we’re going to look at other demographic groups that need visibility.

SM: Aside from the networking and realizing how much of a platform you have as Mr. Gay Canada, What would you say you’ve learned in this role?

CW: I don’t think I realized the magnitude of impact that I can have with this title. Originally, I wanted to use the title to do good for my community, to have a voice and be visible. I didn’t realize the impact it would have on so many people. The Facebook messages I get, the emails I get, the thank yous from people that I meet at events—it just blows me away. I didn’t anticipate having that much of an impact. I’m really grateful for that.

I’ve also learned a lot about Canada and how wonderful everyone is. I sometimes sound like a broken record on my videos because I always say how proud I am to be Canadian and how proud I am of the community here. But it’s the truth. Everywhere I’ve gone, from Jasper to Toronto, it’s amazing the response you get from people. And the way you see people treat each other is amazing too.

At the Trans Pride event this year, I met three guys from Edmonton who had come out just to be allies, to be visible allies. They’d made up a bunch of T-shirts to hand out to people. I’m planning on working with them to help them develop their business so that their T-shirts with positive slogans can become more than that. Can become an educational medium. We’re going to do something that has an educational element with the message. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get something ready for the Mr. Gay World competition.

SM: What advice would you offer to those looking to be activists?

CW: I just want to say that everyone, everywhere should pitch in where they can. It doesn’t matter what community you belong to or how you identify yourself, it’s all about the entire community working together as one community. Working together so that our children and our nieces and nephews can have a better life than ours. So if everyone can pitch in and help out wherever they can and be a voice on a daily basis for activism – you know, activism is not just about Pride once a year. It’s about daily activism work, educating your friends and parents. For every person you educate, they can turn around and educate someone else. It’s a great way to give back to your and to move forward. It can totally change what our society will look like, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now.

You can fol­low Chris­tepher Wee on Twit­ter (@ChristepherWee) and on Face­book. He also holds the Twit­ter han­dle @WeeChristepher as a plat­form for his hi5Diversity program.

Mr. Gay World will be crowned on August 31, 2014. You can check out the pageant’s program here. You can also vote for Christepher here – you can vote every day until August 31!