“MEET CALVIN”: A STORY OF LOVE, HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND OTHER HOKEY STUFF
Perth, Ontario. Suicide prevention, self-acceptance, self-confidence, love and happiness are top of mind for Calvin Neufeld, and he wants to share what he has learned.
“Meet Calvin” at a free public presentation and film screening on Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Church in Perth, and hear the story of his journey as a female-to-male transsexual. Calvin is the subject of the 2011 short documentary On the male side of middle, directed by Paul Neudorf, which demonstrates how strong a family can be when they love, care and listen to each other.
"Suffering is epidemic,” Calvin says. “It’s a nasty bug, contagious too, with symptoms ranging from fear to cruelty, cowering to bullying, self-destruction to apathy. I’m tired of watching it destroy lives as it nearly did mine. Life is good, and it can be better."
Calvin notes young people seem particularly vulnerable to suffering, from bullying to suicide. “They’re on the front lines of violence and despair – but they’re also intelligent and adaptive and rebellious by nature; the change should start there, and with urgency. Why? Because kids are killing themselves when a better life is possible."
At the heart of Calvin’s work as a speaker is the conviction that life is good. The focus of his presentation is on suicide prevention, self-acceptance, self-confidence, loving your neighbour, loving yourself, being happy and making quality of life a priority.
“Like all people, children and adolescents struggle with self-acceptance and self-esteem,” he says. “The epidemic is nothing new, but that doesn’t make it incurable. Accept yourself and make the most of what you’ve got. What else can anyone do? What else can I do? What could be better? These are the things I like to talk about."
He says every topic, from queer issues to bullying to veganism, lends itself to this fundamental conclusion. “It’s a simple message and a powerful weapon. Words, humour, and honesty have the power to transform lives for the better.”
This event marks the launch of Calvin’s new career as a self-described "speaker, writer, and thinker” and is intended to model the service that he is offering to schools, churches, businesses and community groups alike. To RSVP for this free event or to find out more about Calvin Neufeld, visit http://www.calvinneufeld.com/.
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Press release courtesy of Stephanie Gray, Communications Consultant
