A message from Dr. Jae Ford, Resident Public Health Physician, FNHA Office of the Chief Medical Officer
February 10-16 is SexPlus Week, an annual awareness campaign dedicated to creating a future where sexual health can be freely discussed and diverse expressions of sexuality celebrated. This includes challenging misinformation and dismantling barriers that keep people from accessing the knowledge, care, and freedom they deserve.
As a physician who is both Two-Spirit and First Nations (Mi'kmaq), I would like to talk about the effects of colonization on the sexual health of these communities.
Prior to colonization, First Nations and other Indigenous peoples viewed sex as sacred and a natural part of society. Two-Spirit (2S), Indigiqueer, and Indigenous lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (LGBTQQIA+) people (shortened to Two-Spirit for simplicity) embodied diverse genders and sexualities, filled nation-specific roles, and were respected and accepted members of their communities.
However, settlers viewed Two-Spirit people as abnormal, and insisted on strict, binary norms of gender or sexual behaviours. Settlers also saw Two-Spirit people as threats to the power structures upheld by white supremacy and systems of oppression, as Two-Spirit people subverted colonial ideals and values. Because of this, settlers tried to erase our existence by enforcing heterosexual (straight) behaviours and rigid binary gender norms through tools of colonization such as religion and residential schools.
As Indigenous people work to revitalize and Indigenize our knowledges and worldviews, we have seen a resurgence in Two-Spirit identities, roles, and communities. This has been a major source of strength for those of us who are Two-Spirit. Prior to this resurgence, there were fewer resources to answer our questions and to help us feel included.
Since 1990, when Elder Dr. Myra Laramee (Fisher River Cree Nation) gifted us the term “Two-Spirit" during the Third Annual Inter-Tribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference held in Winnipeg, there has been a growing acknowledgement of and pride in being Two-Spirit. For example, my Two-Spirit Mi'kmaw relatives are finding contemporary words and roles for Two-Spirit kin people to combat the efforts of colonialism to erase them. (In my ancestral language, the knowledge of our traditional words for Two-Spirit people have gone dormant / are sleeping.)
However, the effects of colonization and marginalization are still felt by our Two-Spirit community in our experiences in Western society. Many of our Two-Spirit relatives struggle to find connection to their nation or the broader non-Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ community since there is still unlearning work to be done in the areas of homophobia and transphobia, as well as racism. I raise my hands to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Healers, and communities who have done the work of unlearning and are calling home their Two-Spirit kin. This work is sacred and protective for our relatives.
There has been so much good work and good medicine done to reconnect with the sacredness of sex, for all people, including Two-Spirit kin. Sex is a healthy part of our health and wellness and is tied to our wholistic (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) wellbeing. We need to support our relatives in learning how they can approach healthy sexuality in a way that honours and respects their intersecting identities.
Just as there are protocols in ceremony, there are ways we can keep ourselves and others healthier when we have sex. We can start by knowing our STI/STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood borne infection) status to make informed decisions and use sexual health supplies to keep each other safe.
One tool you can look for is from our partners in the Community-Based Research Centre's (CBRC's) Two-Spirit Program. They have created a Two-Spirit Medicine Bundle which honours that Sex is Sacred and wraps together sexual health supplies, including an HIV self-test kit, and traditional medicines. Find out more here: cbrc.net/medicinebundle
Other places to learn about sexual health include FNHA's Sexual Wellbeing Learning Model, Sex Sense, and SmartSexResource.
Places to find sexual health services include FNHA's First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day, GetCheckedOnline, or find a clinic and testing site near you.
For more general resources and supports for Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ folks, check out FNHA's 2S/LGBTQQIA+ resource page.
