Marginalized voices speak out at U of W

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This article was published 25/03/2019 (2441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Winnipeg released a series of calls to action Monday to advance the voices of two-spirited Indigenous and queer and transgendered people of colour in all sectors of society.

Believed to be among the most marginalized in Canada, the two groups began forging a formal relationship at the C2C 2017 conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the U of W. The purpose, then and now, was to highlight ongoing discrimination based on sexuality, gender identity and race and to recommend ways to build and strengthen coalitions between the two communities.

That started Monday, with a new lexicon and terms the two LGBTTQ* communities would prefer people use to address them in formal and informal settings.

For instance, 2S is a term used by Indigenous two-spirited people, and QTPOC stands for queer/trans people of colour.

More than 60 people attended a luncheon at the U of W, where the 30-page booklet of recommendations was released. Guests included founders, co-founders and elders for the Two-Spirited People of Manitoba and Queer and Trans People of Colour Winnipeg.

The 35 recommendations are described as calls to action, in a gesture to evoke the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s documenting the impact of residential schools.

“This is trying to work alongside the TRC, and to encourage folks not to forget about ongoing discrimination faced by two-spirited and QTPOC people,” said urban and inner-city studies assistant Prof. Chantal Fiola, who, along with women and gender studies assistant Prof. Sharanpal Ruprai, introduced the 30-page booklet.

The calls are organized under five headings — community, education, government, arts and culture, and all our relations — similar to the format the TRC used to frame its 94 calls to action in 2015.

They range from calls to “white settlers” to improve relationships by directing funding and material support to create spaces that recognize the two communities, to advocate on their behalf, and to consult with organizations that represent their concerns in dealings with institutions, from police to health care, education, justice, government services and employment.

“You need to think about the marginalized voices in our communities. That’s the start to building a relationship between Indigenous peoples and other groups in Winnipeg,” Ruprai said.

About 10 per cent of the general population is believed to be LGBTTQ*.

“These groups continue to be among those groups marginalized most,” Fiola said. “The calls themselves point out gaps in services for two-spirited and QTPOC folk, things like when national commissions and inquiries happen, two-spirited and QTPOC voices are left out.”

Another focus is to forge lasting relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of colour who identify as LGBTTQ*.

The U of W is believed to house one of the most comprehensive archival collections of materials on two-spirited Indigenous and queer and transgendered movements for social justice in Canada.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca