VIDEO: Creating a safe place for LGBTQ youth

Cape & Cowl Comics has already been the beneficiary of the generosity of TD Canada once in its first fiscal year. When the bank found out about owner Jay Aaron Roy’s intention to create a safe place in the community through his mother, they were quick to get involved.

“She had mentioned her son, who had opened a comic book store, and had a view and a vision for the back room of a safe space, where local kids can come and hang out, and in particular having an LGBTQ safe space drop-in in the rural areas, where there really isn’t one here besides the library,” says Roy, whose comic book store has been thriving in Lower Sackville the past 10 months since it opened. “They learned about how I got my passions for activism and safe spaces, which had a lot to do with my mom, and a lot to do with a mentor of mine that I had, Leighann Wichman.”

For those who don’t know, Wichman was the director of The Youth Project in Halifax, which worked tirelessly to be there for the LGBTQ community in HRM — especially its younger members. Wichman passed away last October.

Wichman and Roy became fast friends after meeting at Strange Adventures, when Roy still worked there. The two shared a love of pop culture, and a passion for giving LGBTQ youth a place to enjoy it.

“She got me involved in volunteering and such, and we just became friends, and connected over loving youth, and giving them safe spaces to express themselves,” says Roy, who says Wichman was very involved in the early stages of growing Cape & Cowl. “She painted this entire store, and the counter.”

TD Canada had already surprised Roy with a renovation/refurbishment of the safe space at the back of his store very shortly after he opened his doors. But it turns out that they were not done with Cape & Cowl, and recently gifted the Roy with one final finishing touch.

“They recently visited us again when they had some executives in town, and it was very touching,” says Roy. “They came in and gave us another surprise yet again, unveiling a plaque, saying, ‘Welcome to the Leighann Wichman Safe Place.’”

Wichman’s name now adorns the entrance to the Cape & Cowl safe space, now officially named in her memory. Roy suspects that it’s possible Wichman might have balked at the honour out of humility if she were here today, as she would often shun the spotlight, but an email from her brother sent to Roy might suggest otherwise.

“I did get a lovely email message from her brother, saying that the whole family was touched,” says Roy. “What David, her brother, told me is that this is really where, if she was going to have her name up anywhere, this is where she would have wanted it — somewhere that showed her love of pop culture, but also showed that she loved creating safe spaces for youth.”

Cape & Cowl’s safe space is one of only a few advertised safe spaces for LGBTQ youth in Lower Sackville, and it gets a lot of use in the community, according to Roy — everything from video game tournaments and Magic The Gathering games, to birthdays and storyteller meet-ups. Not everyone who has used the space knew of Wichman and what she was all about, but through the new plaque, they’re getting to know her pretty fast.

“I don’t think everyone knows about her — I didn’t know about her until I met Jay,” says Milan McKay, founder of the new Lower Sackville Storyteller’s Meet-up group. “It’s super powerful to have her name up there, because then that spreads her message, and I think that’s the same message that Jay wants to share, and I want to share.”

Other patrons and consignment partners (of which Roy has over 35) are making their first pilgrimages out to the store in person, just because they heard of the plaque and what it stands for.

“This is my first time here. I wanted to come by and check out the space,” says Amy Wilson, who has a pop culture-themed candy business called My Sweet Geeks Desserts. “I saw that on Facebook, and I thought that I would come by and put a few chocolate goodies in the fridge, because I was inspired by the sign and the story when I saw it.”

Roy is happy to see the space, now named after his friend and mentor, filling the need in the community it was designed to meet. But he also recognizes that he alone hasn’t made it what it is — it is the product of the community as a whole coming together to make it what it is.

“It’s a classic ‘if you build it, they will come’ — it’s Field of Dreams,” says Roy, who’s gearing up for another one of his popular seasonal craft fairs in the coming weeks. “I feel more like a facilitator — I knew that these types of spaces are needed very much in this area, so I had a feeling it was going to do well …we’ve grown it a lot. The community has helped grow it.”

So remember, if you’re in Sackville and you need a safe space to hang out and have fun without concern or judgment, Roy and Wichman have got your back. To get involved with any of the events that happen in the Cape & Cowl safe place, or to start an event of your own, Roy can easily be reached through the store’s various social media accounts.