First Nations/Pre-Contact Era & Two-Spirited

Unless you have taken a course in school or have been directly involved with someone who is two-spirited, you may not be aware of the term "two-spirit". But even if people have heard the term before it doesn't mean that they understand what the word actually means. From my knowledge on first nation people and those who are two spirited means that, two-spirit people have two spirits within them. Within these two spirits, one spirit being more masculine and the other being more feminine. Studies show that "information about sexual orientation and transgender issues for Aboriginal cultures date back to 1555" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 153). If this information dates so far back, why we are once again going through a stage where being LGBT is not acceptable. Why have people worked so hard to be accepted, just to have to revert back to not being accepted. It is very challenging for me to be able to accept that this can even happen. It shows that this is not something that is new, and that people have been struggling with for generations and generations.

During the pre-contact times, the Aboriginal communities were very open and tolerated issues regarding sexual orientation. Firstly, it was seen that "sexual freedom and opposite-sex marriage was accepted, and one did not have to be a special healer or shaman to be accepted as gay" (Napoleon, 2002). Secondly, "sexuality was seen as a gift from the spirit world and restriction of sexual behaviour was not an accepted societal function" (Napoleon, 2002). Although in some Aboriginal communities, being two-spirited was not always looked at as acceptable or the norm. However the "preservation of ceremonial and social cultures by American Indians provides the basis for which to make arguments against the acceptance of LGBT Native lifestyles" (Gilley, 2010, p. 48). According to Gilley (2010) the diverse separation and changed thoughts on sexuality began during the European contact time. During this time many "Indians began to convert to Christianity and they accepted the idea that same-sex relationships were sinful" (Gilley, 2010, p. 52). After this large change that happened with the Aboriginal peoples, their ceremonial and social practices that included two-spirited people were not expected and had largely declined. Just because a person is involved in a same-sex relationship should not mean that their ceremonial and social practices should taken less lightly and or even taken away.

After the European contact happened is when the homophobia and discrimination begins. When people were comfortable with whom they are and were accepted by their friends, family and community, outsiders come in with different beliefs and views and promote their beliefs to the first nation people. An extremely high number of Aboriginal gay men, lesbian and transgender people end up leaving the community they know, and moving to large urban centers where they can feel safe, attain acceptance and anonymity. For aboriginal peoples to have to leave where they have grown up and have established their life just so they can be safe and feel acceptance is very sad. Overtime many tribes lost their ceremonies and practices. When looking at ceremonies potentially coming to an end "A Lakota elder and ceremonial leader said that we can't let these ways die over hate for gay people" (Gilley, 2010, p. 56). To me this is a very powerful statement. Why would you ruin sacred ceremonies that people have been part of for many years all because someone has a sexual orientation that someone may not be comfortable with? If people were able to be accepting and have open minds, not only could the communities come together, but these ceremonies and practices can be saved and continued throughout generations. These ceremonies have been a tradition for generations within family, and due to someone’s sexual orientation they are at risk to be extinct.

It is hard and sad to believe that something that was once looked at so accepted in the pre-contact era could change so drastically during the European contact. "As long as Aboriginal nations do not undertake to end discrimination against gay men, lesbians, and transgendered people, they accept homophobia and the continued loss of citizens who must seek safety and acceptance far away from home" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 171). Not only will communities lose people, they will also lose social and ceremonial practices. Not only will this affect the individual but it will also affect the families, as well as the communities involved. These people are packing up and leaving everything that they know, so that they can feel safe and accepted. I feel that, that in itself is a huge issue. People should not have to leave their lives, families and communities just so that they can be who they are.

Ultimately, I feel that people should be accepted for who they are as a person, and not for their sexual orientation. If people didn’t care about sexual orientation more people could work together for the greater good. I believe that with education and awareness that people can learn to have open minds and positive change can be made. I will continue to be an ally, and advocate for the LGBT community, and help reduce stigma and prejudice.  

Alysha
　

References

Gilley, B.J. (2010). Native Sexual Inequalities: American Indian Cultural Conservative Homophobia and the Problem of Tradition. Sexualities. Sage Journals, 13 (1) 47-68. http://sex.sagepub.com/content/13/1/47.abstract


Napoleon, V. (2002). Raven's Garden: A Discussion about Aboriginal Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues. Canadian Journal of Law, 17 (2) 149-171. http://forms.msvu.ca/atlantis/vol/292pdf/292napol.PDF

Music Video about Same Sex Love

Just wanted to share a video with everyone! It's an amazing song, Same Love - MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS FEAT. MARY LAMBERT

http://youtu.be/hlVBg7_08n0

- Elysha

My Reflection

Throughout this course I have learned a lot about the LGBT community and a lot about myself.  I came into the course advocating for the LGBT community.  My Child and Youth Worker class at Sault College put on an event that raised money for a much needed LGBT youth group in Sault Ste. Marie.  After creating this group and going through the struggles of getting donations and community supports I felt I could really empathize and truly understand some of the struggles that the LGBT community go through.  I have learned through this course with the blogs and mainly the presentation that I am very far off from truly knowing.

The youth group that we help raise money for is run by HARP (HIV AIDS Resource Program).  My class raised over $6000.00 for the group.  Although this was not easy, there were several people who usually would have supported that no longer did and we got several doors closed in our faces.  Some people flat out told us that they would not support the cause, while others (regular supporters) just never called back.  This just made my class want to try harder and proved how necessary this group is to help these young people.

After struggling through getting donations and acceptance I felt as if I understand some of what the LGBT community goes through.  I was rudely awakened when I was writing these blogs and through my presentation.  People who identify as LGBT have far more struggles then I could have imagined, struggles that I would have never thought about, struggles that I had not had to think about.  Small things to me that I would never have to question, like acceptance from my family can be a struggle of someone from the LGBT community. Blood donation is another how on earth can someone say no to blood, it could save lives!  Being discriminated against in boy scouts is another, I could have never dreamed about being told no if I were in girl guides because of my sexual orientation. These are things that I have never had to worry about and I have become more grateful for that.  I have become more aware, but will never call myself an expert.

I do not consider myself part of the LGBT community; I do consider myself an ally.  This is something that I should have disclosed at the beginning of my presentation.  I should have made it aware that I am still learning and this is what I had learned so far.  I have also learned that when speaking about this sensitive topic there needs to be caution used around the language.   One slip of the tongue could offend many people even if it was not intentional.  I have learned so much about the rights of the LGBT community and how we need to keep fighting for them.  As a Social Worker it is important to learn from the mistakes you have made and understand yourself before you can attempt to help someone else.  I feel I have achieved this throughout this course, although I am not done learning, I have learned so much in order to advocate for the LGBT community.

-Britney

What I learned from this course

     I have learned a lot in these past few months. This is the longest that I have been away from my small town where I have lived since I was seven. The town that I am from, Georgetown, is a very small close knit town. The population is mainly Caucasians, which has kept me from experiencing and interacting with people of different cultures. Once I moved up to the Sault I was given the opportunity to interact with different people, with different backgrounds, from different places. Being in the social work program in the north has especially helped me out with broadening my horizons and opening my mind to new people and things.
     The one thing that I felt was the best learning tool were these blogs. Having to blog about different social issues really allowed me to take the time to research more about what is going on in our world today, especially behind closed doors. Being in the LGBTTQ group really taught me a lot because I learned about so many issues facing this community that I never even knew existed. Not only did I learn about this community but I learned about other communities and their issues in society today. Having to comment on other blogs forced me to read about the issues facing other communities which taught me a lot that I never knew was going on.
     Being in this program in the north has given me so many more opportunities then I would have had in a program at a school back South. I have been able to learn much more about the First Nations communities then I would back home. I am excited to further my learning about these communities in the next few months.
     I want to thank my classmates for informing me on such much that I did not know through these blogs and group presentations. I also want to thank Professor Straka for teaching us through lectures about the history of social work and the history of the First Nations communities. Not only did she teach us about that but she taught us other skills that would be useful in our lives, like how to research and find good scholarly resources. It was all very beneficial and I am happy and so much more knowledgeable then I was a few months ago.

Alexandra

Learning Through the Course - Bonus Blog

Bonus Blog

Through this course I have managed to learn many new and interesting things.  Aside from course material, one thing I learned that I didn't know before was that Algoma University used to be a Residential School.  Learning this was a shock to me, but most importantly it showed me how much more there is that I need to learn. 

I see this course as a great starting point to what I need to have further learning on.  Everything that we learned will help us in our careers as Social Workers, however I know that learning continues all throughout our life.  It is important for us to be understanding of social welfare before and after European contact.  We need to have an understanding of how social welfare was developed in Canada, and what services are available to what people.  As Social Workers in the north, it is important to have an understanding of the history of Anishnaabe peoples as well.  We need to know about the Indian Act and what affects Residential Schools had and continue to have on these people and their families.  I will admit that I was unaware of most of this, and am interested in learning more.

As a class we split into groups. Each group got to focus on an oppressed group of people, learn about this group, and present their findings to the class as a whole.  This was a great way of researching, and getting information learned out to the class.  The groups focused on issues such as class, race, gender, culture, age, sexuality, and ability.  The group I decided to be in was the LGBT group.  Although I do not identify as LGBT, I consider myself to be an ally to this group of people.  Having family members and friends who identify as LGBT really opens my eyes to some of the discrimination this group faces on a daily basis, and how important it is to have supportive and nonjudgmental people in your life. 

Through this experience of group work, I have learned a few things.  I have learned that language is very important.  It is important to be aware of your language and the language that is appropriate for the work that you are presenting.  Along with language, it is important to be self aware, and in some cases self identifying yourself to the group in which you are presenting to is essential.  It is helpful to let your audience know that you are in most cases not an expert in what you are doing, and are only presenting facts from your research. I also learned the importance of all group members being on the same level with what is being presented, and that practicing the presentation a few times before the presentation may be helpful.  Through this group I was able to learn many things that will help me to grow as a person, and with my future career as a Social Worker.

Overall I enjoyed this class, and the material that we learned.  As mentioned previously, I know this is just a starting point for me, that there is a lot more for me to learn, and that learning is continuous...


MEAGAN 

Gay Men and Blood Donation (December Update)

Previously stated on the blog,  men who have any sexual relations with the same sex are prohibited from donating blood. This regulation is seen as discriminatory against the LGBT community. But the Canadian Blood Services' is making a change, and not much better. They proposed that men who have sexual relations with anyone of the same sex should be banned for a period of 5 - 10 years. 

Susan Cress director of the AIDS awareness organization of Calgary stated "So if they take somebody’s blood, screen that blood and conduct an HIV test on that blood, and it’s negative, then they should be able to move forward and use that donor supply and have these individuals become part of building a stronger blood supply in Canada.”

Dr. Graham Sher, the CEO of the Canadian Blood Services points out that gay men still make up 48.5% of the HIV community. He stated that "that's why Canadian Blood Services hasn't completely repealed the ban." But what about the other 51.5% of people who have HIV? Are they discriminated against in any way or is it just the gay community?

Although every bag of blood donated has to go through proper protocol testing making sure that the blood is healthy enough for donation, the Canadian Blood Services' continues to deny the gay community the right to donate.

Susan Cress also stated “If Canadian Blood Services is following those protocols and screening all of their blood for HIV, for hepatitis C and for other blood-borne pathogens, then there shouldn’t be an issue at all in letting this population be a part of the community and be a part of saving lives.” 

It is only fair that everyone is given the equal chance to donate if they don't have any of the deadly and dangerous blood diseases such as HIV or AIDS. They should not be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.


- Elysha


Stark, Erika, and Calgary Herald. "Ban may be eased for gay male blood donors." Calgary Herald − Breaking news, business, sports, video and classifieds. N.p., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/eased+male+blood+donors/7651583/story.html>.

Self Reflection of being part of the LGBT group!


I chose to be part of the LGBT group because I took an LGBT course at Sault College in my Child and Youth Worker Program that was developed and taught by one of my professors and have become extremely interested in gaining further knowledge. I came into the program with some education of the LGBT community, but was eager to learn more. Throughout this semester in SWRK1006 I have gained more knowledge about the LGBT community. During the course I have definitely become more educated and more aware of the LGBT community. Some of the things I was able to get the opportunity to learn new about, was their struggles, and the issues they currently face on a day to day basis, as well as laws and regulations.
　
My group was presenting our PowerPoint and as it played out, I was aware of a few things that should have been done differently to make the class a safer place. After the presentation was over I began self-reflecting not only about how the presentation went, but if the information I presented was appropriate and non-offending to everyone. I went into this thinking more about what information was best to put in my presentation, rather then also thinking about how I should present my presentation. One thing I made sure of was that the use of language was professional and very appropriate, but there were other things I should have been more aware of, but wasn’t. There would be many things that I would change if I were able to present this again.

First off, I should have stated right off the bat that I am a straight ally, and that in itself is challenging. I would have stated that I am also learning about the LGBT community and I am in no way educated in that area. And I also would have stated that I do not mean to offend or hurt anyone. I should have presented the questionnaire we designed in a different way as well. It was a Heterosexual questionnaire that we presented to the class and that we presented it in a way that we assumed we were a class of only heterosexual persons. I should have stated that I am not being presumptuous that anyone does or does not identify as gay or straight but just to realize that people who don’t identity as straight are faced with these questions on a daily basis and to see how awkward and uncomfortable it can make you feel. People who identify as straight aren’t bombarded with these questions. It was just supposed to open up the mind and allow you to look outside of the male and female.

Overall, this has been a very positive learning experience for me. I was self-aware. I knew that I needed to self-reflect about this situation, because I would never want to hurt someone, when I am really trying to be an advocate for them. It will also make me think outside of the box when preparing for any kind of presentation and making sure that I am making the room a safe place for everyone. I will continue to make sure that I am presenting statements at the beginning letting everyone know where I stand, my knowledge and my intentions, so that boundaries aren’t crossed. I have also learned so much from my group, our combined learning, our different views, and coming together on this presentation. From my group I have learned about Gay Marriage, sex-reassignment surgery, Blood donations and gay men, as well as the bathroom bill and much more. I was able to learn new information from their posts, and hope that they have learned new information from mine.

I enjoyed the opportunity to also read the blogs that my classmates have done. It gave me a chance to get to know them as well as learn about what they are passionate about. I also learned alot of new information from reading each of the other groups blogs and have learned things I would not have known about otherwise. I really liked how it was a different way of learning; it gave us a chance to also express ourselves in a way we may not always get to. I enjoyed that we finished the class off with all of the group presentations; I really feel that this is where all the class information, learning, and teachings came together. The presentation portion of the course is where I actually learned the most valuable lessons in the class.

Bonus Blog

Alysha