Two-Spirit People 2735 5th Ave. Regina, SK S4T 0L2 Phone: (306) 924-8424 All children are born with Toll Free: 1-877-210-7622 Fax: (306) 525-3698 a purpose, a role, a destiny, Website: www.allnationshope.ca and possess a divine gift. What can you do? Gender & Sexual Diversity Intervene when you witness offensive behaviour or language. On November 28, 2017, Canada’s Prime Minister Use inclusive language to ensure everyone feels Pierre Trudeau apologized in the House of Commons to Indigenous LGBTQ/Two-Spirit people for the welcome and respected. harms that colonization has had on their history and Challenge policies, practices, and procedures that lives. For many Two-Spirit people this history has led create barriers for 2SLGBTQ people. to rejection and violence. Apologize regardless of intent. Everyone makes mis- takes in an ally role, what matters, is how you re- Impacts of homophobia and transphobia: spond when it gets brought to your attention. Mental Health - Depression, suicidiation and Be courageous! Don’t be afraid to learn, ask for suicide more information and provide support. HIV—Sexually transmitted and blood borne in- fections (STBBI) Who can I contact? Homelessness - Up to 20% of youth under age 29 OUTSaskatoon identify as 2SLGBTQ+ www.outsaskatoon.ca Substance Use - Limited access to treatment Two-Spirited People of Manitoba Inc. Heteronormative Patriarchy — When most as- Photo: All My Relations Photography— Leigh Thomas at the 2S Pow Wow www.twospiritmanitoba.ca pects of life are influenced by the values of Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation 2019 Edmonton 2 Spirit Society straight males. Attraction: www.edmonton2spiritsociety.com Exclusion from mainstream LGBTQ programs Often referred to as sexual orientation, this classifies a per- Two-Spirited People of the First Nations (racism) son’s potential for emotional, intellectual, spiritual, inti- www.2spirits.com Exclusion from Indigenous services and programs mate, romantic, and/or sexual interest in other people, Native Youth Sexual Health Network Exclusion from traditional ceremonies often based on their sex and/or gender. Attraction may www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com form the basis for aspects of one’s identity and/or Find more groups on Facebook and on the internet behaviour. What Indigenous cultures and languages tell us. Historically, each Indigenous group had specific roles https://egale.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Egales-Glossary-of- Two-Spirit/LGBTQ rights: for their Two-Spirit relatives. They differ from nation Terms.pdf Inspirational Documents: to nation, and most First Nations have a word for The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles Two-Spirits in their language, for example: Gender Definitions: 1,2,3) Cree: Ayâhkwew Transfeminine The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of In- Ojibway: Agookwe Transfeminine Gender Identity: Gender identity is an individual's internal and inherent sense and/or experience of gender. A per- digenous Peoples (Articles 2,11,15,24,31) Lakota: Winkte Transfeminine son's gender identity is fundamentally different from, and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the does not determine, their sexual orientation that is also Child (Articles 2,15,19) Sexual Diversity: protected under the Code. Sexual diversity is a broad and complex construct Gender Expression: Gender expression is the external rep- Legal Documents: that is understood as a fluid state that refers to one’s resentation of one’s gender identity. It is usually expressed The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sexual feelings and affection for one or more persons through “masculine” or “feminine” behaviour, and may (Section 15) across the spectra of sex, sexuality and gender. A include clothing, hairstyle, voice or physical appearance The Canadian Human Rights Act (Section 2) common misunderstanding is that sexuality is a characteristics. The Criminal Code of Canada (Sections 318(4) and binary (one is either straight or gay); however, past Transgender: Transgender is an umbrella term for people 718.2) and current research indicates that sexual orienta- with diverse gender identities and/or expressions that may tion exists along a continuum of emotional, romantic differ from stereotypical gender norms. It includes, but is The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code and sexual attractions (Psychology Today, 2013; not limited to, people who identify as transsexual and peo- Saskatchewan’s The Education Act, 1995 PHAC, 2011). Simple categories of heterosexual and ple who describe themselves as being on a gender continu- homosexual do not describe the lived experience of um rather than identifying with "male" or "female." Thank you for putting this pamphlet together: some people. Transgender people may or may not undergo hormone Although the markers may vary with time and place, treatment and/or medical procedures. the diversity of sexual orientation (heterosexual, Transsexual: Transsexual people have a strong and endur- homosexual, pansexual, asexual and bisexual) in- ing feeling that they are living in the wrong sex. Individuals cludes the varying emotional and/or romantic attrac- who have undergone, or who want, sex-reassignment sur- tions to people of the same and opposite sex. gery may identify as transsexuals. Persons who live in their self-identified gender and may have undergone hormonal Deepening the Discussion: Gender and Sexual Diversity, Sas- transition, but who do not wish to or cannot undergo sur- katchewan Ministry of Education, October 2015 gery, may also use the term. http://saskatchewanhumanrights.ca/learn/fact-sheets/human-rights-of- www.albertmcleod.com .