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Traditional Understandings of Gender Diversity

Since 1974, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) has established strong and lasting governance structures, decision-making processes, financial policies and procedures, and networks, to achieve its overall mission, vision, and goals. Today, NWAC engages in national and international advocacy aimed at legislative and policy reforms to promote equality for Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender Diverse People (WG2STGD). 

Through advocacy, policy, and legislative analysis, NWAC works to preserve Indigenous culture and advance the wellbeing of all Indigenous WG2STGD People, as well as their families and communities. NWAC works on a variety of issues, including: Employment, labour and business, health, violence prevention and safety, justice and human rights, environment, early learning childcare, and international affairs.

 

 

 

NWAC provides support much like a “Grandmother’s Lodge.” We—as aunties, mothers, sisters, brothers, and relatives—collectively recognize, respect, promote, defend, and enhance our Indigenous ancestral laws, spiritual beliefs, language, and Traditions provided by the Creator.

 

 Visit us at www.nwac.ca to find more info about #G4E, as well as to access informational resources, fact sheets, webinars, and spotlights on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth leading important conversations and making waves in their home communities (and beyond) regarding topics of gender equality and advocacy.

Allyship

Allyship looks different for everyone. One key element to providing support is to actively listen. Truth and Reconciliation encourages extensive listening to lived experiences of Indigenous WG2STGD+ People. Centring Indigenous WG2STGD+ People’s voices is among the ways of showing support. A part of gender allyship is knowing how your gender identity can be a privilege. Indigenous roots lie in a matriarchal society valuing Indigenous WG2STGD+ People, finding them to be sacred. Two-Spirit folks have unique powers of having both male and female spirits, making them valuable to their communities. By acknowledging the destructions of settler-colonialism, and its role in Indigenous WG2STGD+ People, an ally can understand how current gender roles come from Western ideals and not Indigenous Tradition.

Another key element of providing support to Indigenous WG2STGD+ People is to promote positive representations of Indigenous cultures. While social media, and other forums of media, have portrayed harsh and untruthful bias and stereotypes to describe Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous WG2STGD+ People are strong and resilient. Part of this resiliency includes teaching all generations about the importance of healthy relationships and consent, prioritizing the importance of listening to your partner and appreciating their needs, without question. This can help in efforts to end the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2S+, by calling in unjust and unkind treatment of Indigenous WG2STGD+ People.

Learn more about healthy and effective allyship in our G4E fact sheet geared towards those who may be outside our community, but wish to contribute to gender equality and effecting positive change. [Insert G4E allyship Fact Sheet, or link to download]

Finding Support and Resources

As Indigenous youth, it’s not always easy to find practical, up to date and relevant resources that are suited for our needs as our realities vary wildly. While some of us may live in big cities with access to technology (and the knowledge of how to use it effectively) and cultural supports, there’s always going to be some of us that do not have access to the same resources. Generation 4 Equality believes that we all need to continue working towards expanding opportunities and financial incentives for Indigenous youth, from coast to coast to coast, to participate in advocacy efforts and further professional and interpersonal relationships with each other and the land.

Importance of Supports

  • Not having to go through it alone
  • Having someone who can understand what you’re going through
  • Knowing where to go and what resources are available
  • When I is turned into WE, illness turns into wellness

Recognize the personal biases that are present in all of us. We all have our own internal beliefs and values that we’ve developed throughout our lives, depending on the things we experience and learn along the way. By recognizing that these personal biases inside of us, it makes it easier for us to recognize them in other places too – like when searching for supports, resources or opportunities online. We all know that not all supports are created equally, and there’s a lot of junk to sort through when we’re trying to find services that would be relevant to our situations and safe for us to access. Doing this means we can better protect ourselves when navigating these spaces and recognize red flags that may indicate something is not quite right.

Some tips for narrowing down your search:

Using advanced search on Google, you can narrow your search down to specifics:

  • Location
  • Specific phrases, opportunities or resources you’re searching for
  • Timeframe

 

If you want to make sure you’re finding exactly what you’re looking for, you can just put that specific phrase in quotation marks. For example, searching “trans friendly” “harm reduction” “Edmonton” will give you a lot less irrelevant results. If you want to take this even further, you can select “advanced search” by clicking “settings” underneath the Google search bar. Instead of having to sift through pages of useless information until you find the one thing you think could help you, this minimizes the amount of searching you need to do!

Visit NWAC’s Culturally Safe and Trauma-Informed Knowledge Hub for a map of culturally-safe and anti-oppressive services and supports in your area!

Formal:

  • Counsellors
  • Indigenous Student Services at your educational institution
  • Friendship Centres
  • Local community drop-ins
  • Support groups
  • Doctors
  • Psychologists
  • Nurse Practitioners

 

If you’re not able to access formal resources, informal resources can be just as helpful and can help you connect with those in your community who have had similar experiences to you. Peer support has been shown time and time again to be a protective factor, and it’s value shouldn’t be understated. Some examples of informal supports include:

  • Peer Support
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Co-workers
  • Elders