If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are at imminent risk of harm, please call 911, or visit the nearest emergency department or nursing station.
Check to see if your local Jordan’s Principle, Choose Life, or Prevention Programs offer any 2SLGBTQQIA+ Programming in your community!
If you are feeling alone, need advice, or would like to learn more about services available in your area you may contact any of the following organizations:
LGBT YouthLine (3PM – 8:30PM CST)
https://www.youthline.ca
Text (647) 694-4275
Trans LifeLine
Call 1-877-330-6366
Kids Help Phone
https://kidshelpphone.ca/urgent-help
Call 1-800-668-6868
Text CONNECT to 686868
NAN Hope
https://nanhope.ca/contact
Call 1-844-626-4673
Local Pride Organizations
- Borderlands Pride (Fort Frances)
- Rainbow Alliance Dryden (Dryden)
- Queers In Sioux Lookout – QuISL (Sioux Lookout)
- Kenora Pride (Kenora)
- Ever Sick! Arts (Treaty #3)
- Red Lake Pride (Red Lake)
- Grand Council Treaty #3 Mizi’iwe Aana Kwat 2SLGBTQQIA+ Council (Treaty #3)
How can I get involved?
Attend a pride meeting or attend a youth gathering! If you don’t have a pride organization in your community, don’t worry! All pride organizations started as grassroots efforts with as little as one person! If you feel safe to do so in your community, consider organizing a local pride event or Two-Spirit Awareness Day event – you can reach out to the Grand Council Treaty #3 Mizi’iwe Aana Kwat 2SLGBTQQIA+ Council for assistance!
Local Thoughts
- Personal Connection
- Cultural and Spiritual Pride
- Community and Family
- Having support from friends
- Love
- The community
- Adults who understand us
- If others were educated about my identity thoroughly
- People who know our culture and accept ALL parts of us
- Just more love and acceptance in our community
- Access to healthcare with people that respect us
- Knowing that I have someone that’s caring
- Non judgmental
- Life
- When they know my pronouns
- Seeing other Indigenous staff
- Non disclosure
Where can I access 2SLGBTQIA+ Healthcare?
Dryden
Dr. Francois Doiron
Dingwall Medical Clinic
40 Goodall St.
P: (807) 223-6683
Sioux Lookout
Dr. Justin Bell
Northern Clinic
4 Meno Ya Win Way
P: (807) 737-5183
Toll Free: 1-855-885-8824
Fort Frances
Dr. Alexa Lesperance
Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre
1460 Idylwild Drive
P: (807) 274-3131
Virtual Options
Foria Clinic, provided free to residents of
North Western Ontario.
https://www.foriaclinic.com
support@foriaclinic.com
P: (437) 317-9843
P: (647) 494-4107
Barriers for 2S Youth in the Healthcare System
Difficulty finding available healthcare professionals due to long wait times or limited access to specialized care.
Travel can be challenging, especially for individuals in remote or rural areas, limiting their access to healthcare facilities.
Limited access to healthcare professionals who are knowledgeable and supportive of non-binary and transgender individuals, or refusal of services related to gender affirmation.
Healthcare professionals treating 2SLGBTQIA+ issues as a mental illness rather than a legitimate part of someone’s identity, leading to stigma and improper care.
Many 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous individuals face challenges in having their families accept or support their sexual orientation or gender identity, adding stress when navigating healthcare systems.
What is gender-affirming care?
Gender-affirming care is treatment for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which impacts many two-spirit, transgender, and non-binary people.
Gender-affirming care can be as simple as a haircut or hairstyle that helps a person express their gender, clothes that match their gender expression, as well as other non-surgical and surgical options.
Non-surgical options may look like hormone blockers, hormone therapy (estrogen or testosterone and voice training. The effects from puberty blockers are not permanent, puberty will resume when you stop taking the medications.
Surgical options may include a mastectomy, voice surgery, fertility preservation, bottom surgeries (bottom surgery is only available to persons over the age of 18, regardless of gender)
Healthcare Coverage
NIHB covers medications and medical equipment for gender affirmation.
Medical equipment may include: binders, gaffs, packers, brassieres, bra inserts, or stand-to-pee (STP) devices.
NIHB may also cover out-of-town travel for any services not available locally.
If you are non-status, in Ontario, OHIP+ will cover the cost of medications if you are under 25. Manitoba partially or conditionally covers hormone therapy. You may be eligible for support under the Manitoba Pharmacare Program.
Ontario and Manitoba both cover various surgeries – please consult with your doctor or visit the website for your provincial healthcare program.
Your personal third-party insurance (Canada Life, Sun Life, Desjardins, etc) may cover any medications or surgeries not covered by NIHB or your Provincial Healhcare Plan.
What is Two-Spirit?
Two-Spirit is a term used by some Indigenous peoples in North America to describe individuals who embody both masculine and feminine qualities, or who occupy a gender role outside of the traditional binary understanding of male and female. The term was coined in 1990 by Native American activist and scholar Myra Laramee at the Third Annual Intertribal Native American, First Nations Gay and Lesbian Conference in Winnipeg, Canada. It was created as a way to provide a more inclusive and culturally grounded label for diverse gender identities within Indigenous cultures.Historically, many Indigenous nations recognized and revered Two-Spirit individuals, who were often seen as having unique spiritual, healing, or leadership roles within their communities. The term “Two-Spirit” was used as a way to reclaim and honor these roles, especially after colonialism and the imposition of Western gender norms sought to suppress
or erase Indigenous gender identities.