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trans masculine people not to wear binders at all instead of giving
them guidelines for safe binding practices.

Dependency on community care was also brought up. With
mental health care services failing to provide a safe and helpful
environment for mentally ill people on the queer spectrum,
other 2SLGBTQ+ people often found themselves left holding the
bag, supporting their peers far above and beyond the work that a
member of the community should be doing.

In a breakout session discussing the issue of over-reliance
on community care, participants were asked to raise their hands
if they’d ever had to support another at-risk member of the
community. Everyone raised their hands. When asked if they’d
had to support these people to a point where the emotional labour
had started taking a toll on their own mental health, everyone

raised their hands again.

“Healthcare providers need to be
proactive and do their own work
to understand the unique needs
of 2SLGBTQ+ young folks,” said
researcher and youth advocate
Christopher Canning on Twitter,
summing up one of the main points
brought up during the discussions.
“It is not incumbent upon young
folks to teach their providers.”

Collecting experiences

The focus of the forum was to assess
the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ youth by
collecting their experiences and
recommendations. In a room full
of people who'd experienced a
myriad of hardships and barriers
to access, the work essentially
boiled down to hours of painstaking
emotional labour. A crisis counsellor
was provided on standby, and
participants were encouraged to
take breaks and keep their own
emotional wellbeing in mind
throughout the day.

Thursday night was largely
spent outlining the format of the
forum and introducing participants
to the space. The Wabano Centre
is a beautiful building, featuring a
two-storey open gathering space
- with acoustics that serve to amplify

 

the voices of anyone standing directly beneath the enormous
medicine wheel painted on the ceiling above. Two-Spirit
Knowledge Keeper Sharp Dopler opened that evening, welcoming
the assembled “freaks and weirdos” with sharp humour and a

wry smile.

“I see you,” said Dopler. “You're like me, and you’re not. And
that’s our strength.”

Aboriginal Experiences Ottawa conducted a drum circle
workshop later that evening.

The format of the forum on Friday varied between
presentations and participation in discussion groups. As well,
individuals who volunteered to do so were taken aside to be
filmed and interviewed. The presentations largely discussed
current problems in the mental health care system from many
perspectives, including those of activists, service providers,
a Two-Spirit youth care worker, and a Bugis, Javanese-Malay
refugee who made national news when their claim was accepted
after their family disowned them for being openly queer. Hazim
Ismail identifies as bissu, one of five genders recognized in
traditional Bugis society.

“You can’t talk about gender expectations without talking
about colonization,” said Ismail during their presentation on
gender diversity.

They called for mental health service providers to take into
consideration non-Western experiences and frameworks with
regards to 2SLGBTQ+ experiences.

“To approximate me as ‘nonbinary’ [instead of bissu] is still
imposing a colonial framework on my identity,” Ismail said.

Discussion results were collected by various means—largely
in the form of notes and mindmaps compiled by participants
and handed over to organizers at the end of the discussions.
According to organizers, these results will be developed into a
report and two videos that will be passed along to the Commission
and circulated.

In the breakout session discussing the need to support those
who provide community care, the main takeaway point was
simple: “We need to talk about this more.”

Events and forums such as this one are sorely needed in a
system wheremarginalized peopleexperiencesignificantbarriers
to accessing necessary healthcare services. As was written down
and emphasized during one of the many discussions that took
place during the forum, 2SLGBTQ+ people know what we need. It’s
time healthcare service providers start listening and responding
to those needs.

Hopefully the discussion—and the drive for change—will not
end here.