Yes, anyone can experience abuse in a dating relationship. Whether they are dating other guys or girls, males can experience all forms of abuse. That being said, we know that females are abused more than males. Teenage girls experience up to three times the physical violence as boys do in relationships. Also, most sexual assault affects women.

Often it’s difficult for a guy to come forward to get help because society expects him to act tough. If he tells people that he is being abused, some people might ridicule him or not believe what he says.

Anyone who is being abused should talk to someone they trust. A guidance counsellor, the Klinic Crisis Line (786-8686 or 1-888-322-3019) or a drop-in counsellor at 545 Broadway in Winnipeg can all listen and offer support.

We say that sex is what you are born with between your legs, and gender is what you know yourself to be between your ears.

People get to choose what gender they identify as, this is called our gender identity. It is totally possible for someone’s gender not to match up with their sex. For example, someone could be born with a penis, but know themselves to be a girl on the inside. In this case, someone might choose to identify as transgender.

Someone can also identify as a boy (male), girl (female), both (transgender, intersexed) or neither (no label, just a person). We get to decide our own gender identity but society usually pressures us to be accept only male or female gender roles.

It is important that we accept people for who they are even when’s it’s different than what we expect. All identities should be valued equally as all people should be too, regardless of their gender or how they identify themselves. No one should be put down for who they see themselves as.

Yes, some people are born with a combination of both female and male genitalia.  Such people used to be called hermaphrodites, but are now known as intersexed.  As well, some people feel like they have both male and female genders within them and can identify as either gender. There are also some folks that identify as transgendered. It means that your birth sex does not match your core gender identity.  For example, imagine being born with boy parts, like a penis and testicles, but feeling in your brain like you’re a girl.

Society’s narrow gender roles for girls and guys can make many people feel very restricted.  Many like to gender-bend, or act out of their socially prescribed gender. Finally, there are some people that may not identify with either male or female gender, and instead may prefer to relate simply as people.