Virtual exhibit
Hear Our Stories: 2SLGBTQIA+ Stories from KW
Hear Our Stories
Welcome to the Hear Our Stories Podcast virtual exhibit!
This podcast series and exhibit are brought to you by the City of Waterloo Museum for the people of KW. University of Toronto MMSt students Sarah, Harkamal, and Julia are your hosts as we explore the 2SLGBTQIA+ and Queer community of the City of Waterloo and KW area. Find out where you can listen to the audio-only episodes here!
Scroll through this exhibit to watch every episode of the podcast as it is released and explore some extra content from each one!
Hear Our Stories: Welcome to the Podcast!
In this opening episode of the Hear Our Stories Podcast, meet your hosts: Harkamal (she/her), Julia (she/her), and Sarah (she/her). The podcast hosts introduce you to the Hear Our Stories podcast, its mission, and tell you a little bit about themselves! In each episode we will include related links to support and follow, so for this introductory episode we’ve included links for some of the organizations that our guests are affiliated with to get all of you listeners exited for what’s to come!
Scroll down to watch this episode.
Harkamal
Harkamal is a cis-female, Punjabi, Sikh and a child of immigrants. She is from Etobicoke, where her parents chose to settle in the 80s. She did her Undergrad at Queens University in Religious Studies. Her interest in museums is in collections and the inclusion of non-Western frameworks and knowledges within these spaces. She’s also interested in exploring the use of narratives in museums and archives for collective memory and identity. Harkamal is a huge reader; she also loves to garden and has many houseplants.
Julia
Julia is a settler born in KW, but she currently resides in Centre Wellington. She is cis, her pronouns are she/her, and she identifies as queer. Before she started at the University of Toronto, she did an Undergrad at the University of Guelph and a Master’s degree at the University of Waterloo, both of which were in Classical Studies. She has very big dreams of improving museum content on antiquity – specifically in content on gender and sexuality. Outside of school and work, her hobbies generally include playing Dungeons and Dragons and making silly little cosplays for whatever TV Show or movie she’s currently obsessed with.
Sarah
Sarah is a cisgender bisexual settler women, born and raised in Guelph. She is also a mother to a very spirited four year old. She attended Laurier in her Undergrad and her background is in classical archaeology and history. She has a deep love for collections and her dream is to dismantle colonial collection practices within archives and museums. Outside of school she is an avid tea lover and an amateur chef. She also enjoys doing puzzles, reading, snacking and watching tv and movies. She is a long-time Marvel fan, loves her period pieces, and recently got into F1.
Watch the podcast introduction
Book Recommendations from Your Hosts:
Harkamal:
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Julia:
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Sarah:
Anything held on Archive of Our Own (AO3)
Books Recommendations from Rad Riot Books:
Bloom by Kevin Panetta
The Devourers by Indra Das
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Nimona by ND Stevenson
Norma Jean Baker of Troy by Anne Carson
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Support and Follow
ACCKWA
Facebook: @ACCKWA
Twitter: @AIDSCKW
Community Fridge KW
Instagram: @communityfridgekw
Dyke Bar Take Over
Facebook: @DBTKW
Instagram: @dykebartakeoverkw
Ground-Up WR
Twitter: @groundupwr
InsideWaterloo
Facebook: @insidewaterloo
Instagram: @insidewaterloo
Twitter: @insidewaterloo
Facebook: @juiciyoga
Instagram: @juiciyoga
Twitter: @juiciyoga
KW Unity Mosque
Land Back Camp: O:se Kenhionhata:tie
Facebook: @osekenhionhatatie
Instagram: @ose.kenhionhatatie
OK2BEME & KW Counselling
Twitter: @OK2BEMEca
Pat the Dog Theatre Creation
Facebook: @PatTheDog.Playwright
Instagram: @patthedogpdc
Twitter: @PatTheDogPDC
Rad Riot Books
Instagram: @radriotbooks
Twitter: @radriotbooks
Rainbow Reels
Facebook: @rainbowreels
Instagram: @rainbow_reels
Twitter: @RainbowReels
SASC (Sexual Assault Support Centre)
Facebook: @sascwr
Instagram: @sascwr
Twitter: @SASCWR
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
Kez Vicario-Robinson and Aashay Dalvi Part I: Rainbow Reels and Queer Journeys
In part one of this two-part episode, we meet Kez Vicario-Robinson (they/them), a gender-queer non-binary artistic performer and comedian, and Aashay Dalvi (they/them, she/her, he/him), a queer comedian and owner and chief curator of Rad Riot Books. We learn about how they met through Rainbow Reels and more about KW’s Queer and Trans Film Festival. Kez and Aashay also speak about their journeys of self-identity and coming out and discuss some objects tied to their stories.
Aashay Dalvi (they/them, she/her, he/him)
Aashay is the Queer owner and chief curator of Rad Riot Books. They work with and support the Waterloo Division of Ground-Up organization as well, which included helping to organize the Waterloo anti-racism rally. They're also actively involved with Rainbow Reels here in Kitchener, Waterloo.
Kez Vicario-Robinson (they/them)
Kez is a gender queer, non-binary artistic performer, they have been performing as a stand of comedian for the last four years in festivals and venues in Toronto, Waterloo and surrounding areas. They're also an improve artist, a creator, a producer, actor, writer and queer history fanatic. Outside of performing has works with the SHORE center of Waterloo Region, Rainbow Reels and the KWcounseling services.
Part I: Rainbow Reels and Queer Journeys
Pictured here are two objects that Kez discusses in their episode. A beaded bracelet that reads "QUEER," which was purchased at a market hosted by Rainbow Reels, and a beaded earing that reads "DYKE" and was previously owned by Kez's mother.
These belongings have been important to Kez's queer journey, both in their connection to their parents as well as their growing understanding of their own gender and sexuality.
Books Recommended by Kez and Aashay:
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom
Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme by Ivan Coyote (Editor) Zena Sharman (Editor)
Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression by Iris Gottlieb
Unbelonging by Gayatri Sethi
Book Recommendations from Rad Riot Books:
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang (WPL)
Burning my Roti: Breaking Barriers as a Queer Indian Woman by Sharan Dhaliwal
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom
Indentitti by Mithu M. Sanyal
None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza
Support Kez and Aashay:
Canadian Improv Games
Facebook: @CanadianImprovGames
Instagram: @canadianimprovgames
Twitter: @CanadianImprov
Ground-Up WR
Twitter: @groundupwr
OK2BEME & KW Counselling
Twitter: @OK2BEMEca
Rad Riot Books
Facebook: @radriotbooks
Instagram: @radriotbooks
Twitter: @radriotbooks
Rainbow Reels
Facebook: @rainbowreels
Instagram: @rainbow_reels
Twitter: @RainbowReels
SHORE Centre (Sexual Health, Options, Resources, Education)
Facebook: @shorecentre
Instagram: @shorecentrewr
Twitter: @SHOREcentreWR
Kez Vicario-Robinson and Aashay Dalvi Part II: Performance and Community Work
In part two of this two-part episode, Kez and Aashay speak more about the other work they do in KW. Kez reflects on their performance work in comedy, acting, and improv, as well as their involvement with the SHORE Centre and KW Counselling. Aashay also reflects on their start in comedy and their advocacy work with Rad Riot Books and Ground-Up WR.
Scroll down to watch this episode!
Part II: Performance and Community Work
Support and Follow:
ACCKWA
Facebook: @ACCKWA
Twitter: @AIDSCKW
Brandon Ash-Mohammed
Instagram: @brandonamcomedy
Brendan D’Souza
Instagram: @dasouzie
Gender Variant Working Group
Facebook: @WWGenderVariance
IndigeNative
Instagram: @indigenative
Support and Follow:
Land Back Camp: O:se Kenhionhata:tie
Facebook: @osekenhionhatatie
Instagram: @ose.kenhionhatatie
Media Indigena
Facebook: @mediaindigena
Twitter: @mediaINDIGENA
Medicine for the Resistance Podcast
Facebook: @resistanceisbeautiful
Metis in Space Podcast
Twitter: @Metis_In_Space
Support and Follow:
Plan B Co-Op KW
Facebook: @planbcooperativekw
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
Unreserved Podcast
Facebook: @cbcunreserved
Twitter: @CBCUnreserved
Dewe'igan Bearfoot: Two-Spirit Identity and Finding Community
In this episode we meet Dewe’igan Bearfoot (she/her, they/them), a bisexual two-spirit transfemme Anishnaabe woman, and reflect on her journey to identifying as bisexual, trans, and two-spirit. Dewe’igan discusses the importance of finding her Indigenous community, Land Back, art, Dungeons and Dragons, and graphic novels to her own process of self-discovery.
Dewe'igan Bearfoot (she/her, they/them)
Dewe’igan is a two-spirit transfemme Anishinaabe woman hailing from Spry Lake, Ontario. She came out as bisexual at the age of 16 and then came out as trans between the ages of 19 and 20. Since then she has become an advocate for mental health awareness, 2S and LGBTQA+ rights and Land Back.
Two-Spirit Identity and Finding Community
Book Recommendations from Dewe'igan:
The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
Life of Melody by Mari Costa
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Book Recommendations from Rad Riot Books:
Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame, Anne Ishii (Translator)
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
Support and Follow:
Facebook: @WWGenderVariance
Indigenous Student Association UW
Indigenous Student Services Student Support Coordinator WLU
Indigenous Centre Conestoga College
Land Back Camp: O:se Kenhionhata:tie
Facebook: @osekenhionhatatie
Instagram: @ose.kenhionhatatie
Support and Follow:
Rainbow Reels
Facebook: @rainbowreels
Instagram: @rainbow_reels
Twitter: @RainbowReels
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
Selam Debs: Intersectionality and Advocacy
In this episode, we meet Selam Debs (she/her), an entrepreneur, mother, social justice and self-love advocate. Selam speaks on her intersecting identities as Ethiopian and Queer, her advocacy and community work in KW, motherhood, and her entrepreneurial journey. She also shares tips on practicing self-love and compassion.
Selam Debs (she/her)
Selam is a Black Ethiopian Queer woman, an antiracism educator, an anti-oppression coach, a social justice advocate, a student in dismantling Anti-Black racism, an accomplice in dismantling anti-Indigenous racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and an advocate in 2SLGBTQ+ & disability rights through an intersectional lens. She is the founder of Juici Yoga, a yoga and meditation instructor, a restorative yoga teacher trainer, a holistic life coach, a reiki master, and a Lululemon Ambassador. Selam is first and foremost, a mother. She is also a singer and a songwriter, a poet and a practitioner of self-acceptance, self-love, and radical compassion. Selam’s Antiracism work is rooted in the understanding that we must acknowledge and identify the insidiousness of white supremacy before we can dismantle colonial belief systems. The process of undoing, unlearning, and re-educating is necessary for white communities to embark on, to support the healing journey for our racialized communities. Selam is also a board member of Project UP, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, and Women's Entrepreneur Centre of Laurier University.
Intersectionality and Advocacy
Books recommended by Selam:
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot by Mikki Kendall
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
And any works by:
Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Toni Morrison
Books recommended by Rad Riot Books:
Recitatif by Toni Morrison
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis
Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods by Otegha Uwagba
Support and Follow:
Selam Debs
Facebook: @selamdebsyoga
Instagram: @selamdebs
Twitter: @selamdebs
Juici Yoga
Facebook: @juiciyoga
Instagram: @juiciyoga
Twitter: @juiciyoga
Project UP
Instagram: @weareprojectup
SASC (Sexual Assault Support Centre)
Facebook: @sascwr
Instagram: @sascwr
Twitter: @SASCWR
Support and Follow:
African Caribbean Black (ACB) Network Waterloo Region
Facebook: @acbnetworkwr
Instagram: @ofacb
Twitter: @OfAcb
SHORE Centre (Sexual Health, Options, Resources, Education) Facebook: @shorecentre
Instagram: @shorecentrewr
Twitter: @SHOREcentreWR
Kamil Ahmed Part I: Coming Out and Building Within
In part one of this two-part episode, we meet Kamil Ahmed (he/him), a Queer Pakistani Muslim and an immigrant settler in KW. Kamil reflects on his queer journey and coming out experience during the pandemic and the intersection between his cultural, religious, and queer identities. He shares an object tied to his beginnings in community work and community building. Kamil also discusses the lack of relatable queer representation and queer space.
Kamil Ahmed (he/him)
Kamil is a cis male queer, Pakistani, Muslim and immigrant settler living here in KW. He is the organizer of Community Fridge KW, which is a grassroots mutual aid initiative working to establish public repositories of fresh donated food and essential items that anyone can take from for free any time. He's also an organizer and community member with the KW Unity Mosque, a progressive spiritual space for Muslims, and non-Muslims alike. It’s a safe space to heal, learn and connect. Kamil is also an avid Farmers Market visitor who is perpetually building playlists and looks for any opportunities to host friends.
Coming Out and Building Within
Pictured here is a brown envelope purchased by Kamil in 2016 when he was in the Dominican Republic. Upon the envelope, written in pen, is the word "Propósito" in Spanish - which means "Promise" in English. This was written by Pastor Sandra, a woman who lived through many hardships in her community and dedicated her life to changing her home for the better. Inspired by Pastor Sandra's work and purpose, Kamil asked her to sign this brown envelope to that he would have something to remember her by when he returned home. Kamil discusses the importance of this envelope to his journey in this episode.
Book recommendation from Kamil
God in Pink by Hasan Namir
Book recommendations from Rad Riot Books
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
Queer Companions: Religion, Public Intimacy, and Saintly Affects in Pakistan by Omar Kasmani
Support and Follow Kamil
Community Fridge KW Facebook:
Facebook: @CommunityFridgeKW
Instagram: @communityfridgekw
Facebook: @DBTKW
Instagram: @dykebartakeoverkw
KW Unity Mosque
Kamil Ahmed Part II: Coming Back and Building Up
In part two of this two-part episode, Kamil reflects on his intersectionality in his faith and queer journeys and his community work with KW Unity Mosque and Community Fridge. He also discusses the importance of queer friendships and knowledge sharing and shares his love of playlists.
Scroll down to watch this episode!
Coming Back and Building Up
Support and Follow:
InsideWaterloo
Facebook: @insideWaterloo
Instagram: @insidewaterloo
Twitter: @insidewaterloo
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook -> @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram -> @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter -> @our_SPECTRUM
Ruth and Kyle Part I: Self-identity and HIV/AIDS Advocacy at ACCKWA
In part one of this two-part episode, we meet Ruth Cameron (she/her), the Executive Director of ACCKWA, the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area, and Kyle Arsenault (he/him), a student of social work and intern at ACCWKA. We discuss their coming-out and self-identity journeys, the academic work they’ve both done in social work and HIV/AIDS research, and the difficulties of being fully yourself in the workplace. Ruth and Kyle also begin discussing the work they do at ACCKWA, its necessity in the Region, and the stigmas against people affected by HIV/AIDS that still exist today.
Ruth Cameron (she/her)
Ruth Cameron is the executive director of ACCKWA and a doctoral student at Wilfrid Laurier University, and is CCRA for her work in HIV AIDS research. Ruth has been the recipient of the African Caribbean Black Scholars Challenge Award and the 2017-2018 Universities Without Walls fellowship. She is also a member of the External Implementations Steering committee, Ontario Black Youth Action Plan, and the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS. Her work focuses on topics of queer history, community 2SLGBTQIA+ safety education, and HIV AIDS with attention to racialized identity and intersectionality through out
Kyle Arsenault (he/him)
Kyle is currently a student at Sheridan College in the social service worker program with a background in criminal justice in police science. He is currently a placement student with ACCKWA as a social service worker that provides resources to the homeless population in a healing atmosphere. Kyle has also been accepted to Laurier to complete his BSW social work degree. Congratulations on your acceptance! And works with the Land Back Camp here in KW. Kyle also enjoys playing video games, watching drag shows and mixed martial arts.
Self-identity and HIV/AIDS Advocacy at ACCKWA
Support Ruth and Kyle
ACCKWA
Facebook: @AACKWA
Twitter: @AIDSCKW
Ruth Cameron and Kyle Arsenault Part II: Intersectionality and Community
In part two of this two-part episode, we continue speaking with Ruth (she/her) and Kyle (he/him) about their work with ACCKWA and what they are most proud of doing with the organization. They also discuss the intersectionality of their own identities and how that manifests when they enter various spaces. Ruth and Kyle also reflect on how they engage in self-care while doing the work they do with ACCKWA and how you can help ACCKWA and support folks affected by HIV/AIDS.
Intersectionality and Community
Book recommendations
From Kyle
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
From Rad Riot Books
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Book recommendations on HIV/AIDS in Canada
Screening Out: HIV Testing and the Canadian Immigration Experience by Laura Bisaillon
Bad Blood: The Unspeakable Truth by Vic Parsons
Between Certain Death and a Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing up with the AIDS Crisis edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
Support and Follow
African Caribbean Black (ACB) Network Waterloo Region
Facebook: @acbnetworkwr
Instagram: @ofacb
Twitter: @OfAcb
Lutherwood
Facebook: @lutherwoodhousing
Instagram: @LutherwoodCanada
Twitter: @lutherwood
Rainbow Centre Laurier
Facebook: @WLURainbowCentre
Instagram: @WLUrainbow
Twitter: @WLUrainbow
Dorsa: Labels, Identity, and Acceptance
In this episode we meet Dorsa (they/them, he/him), a highschool student in KW who immigrated to the area a few years ago. Dorsa discusses their own disinterest in using labels to describe themselves and the difficulty of being outwardly different when living in Iran. They compare their experiences of living in the various environments they’ve experienced in their life and the challenges of being outed in a traditional Persian and Muslim household.
Dorsa (they/them, he/him)
Dorsa is currently a high school student in KW that will be graduated by the time this episode goes live. They immigrated to the area from Iran a couple of years ago, and they hope to go into business after they finish high school and eventually pursue a PhD.
Labels, Identity, and Acceptance
Books recs from Rad Riot Books:
Disoriental by Négar Djavadi
Exiled for Love: The Journey of an Iranian Queer Activist by Arsham Parsi with Marc Colbourne
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
The Ministry of Guidance by Golnoosh Nour
Sister Seen, Sister Heard by Kimia Eslah
Support and follow:
Gender Variant Working Group
Facebook: @WWGenderVariance
Lutherwood
Facebook: @lutherwoodcmh
Instagram: @LutherwoodCanada
Twitter: @lutherwood
Plan B Co-Op KW
Facebook -> @planbcooperativekw
OK2BEME & KW Counselling
Twitter: @OK2BEMEca
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
Teneile Warren: Food, Advocacy and Reading
In this episode we meet Teneile Warren (they/them), a non-binary Queer Jamaican immigrant and a leader championing multiple avenues of advocacy work in the KW area. Teneile discusses food and relationships, theatre, InsideWaterloo, advocacy in Kitchener-Waterloo, and constructs of literacy.
Teneile Warren (they/them)
Teneile is a non-binary, queer-identified Jamaican Immigrant to Turtle Island. Teneile is a writer, playwright, chef, and community advocate with a background in broadcast journalism and media communications. Warren brings their lived experience to their writing and creative work on topics at the intersection of race, gender, identity and migrant bodies. Their writing has appeared in ByBlacks, HuffPost Canada, CBC Parents, and Barren Magazine. Their work centres around the advancement of racialized communities with a particular focus on African, Caribbean and Black immigrant communities. They live by and work from an anti-racist and anti-oppression framework.
Food, Advocacy and Reading
Book Recommendations from Teneile:
Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C. L. R. James
Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice by Jesse Hagopian (Editor) and Denisha Jones (Ed.)
The Black Shoals by Tiffany Lethabo King
Complaint! by Sara Ahmed
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong (Editor)
The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
Fictions of Land and Flesh by Mark Rifkin
Book Recommendations from Teneile:
In the Wake: On Blackness and Being by Christina Sharpe
Linguistic Justice by April Baker-Bell
Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book essay by Hortense Spillers
A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging by Dionne Brand
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
On Property: Policing, Prisons, And the Call for Abolition by Rinaldo Walcott
Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles by Thomas Glave (Editor)
Book Recommendations from Teneile:
Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present by Robyn Maynard
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya
They Call Me George: The Untold Story of The Black Train Porters by Cecil Foster
The Yellow Peril: Dr Fu Manchu & The Rise of Chinaphobia by Christopher Frayling
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde
Support and Follow:
African Caribbean Black (ACB) Network Waterloo Region
Facebook: @acbnetworkwr
Instagram: @ofacb
Twitter: @OfAcb
Gender Variant Working Group
Facebook: @WWGenderVariance
House of Friendship
Facebook: @houseoffriendshipwr
Twitter: @hofwatreg
InsideWaterloo
Facebook: @insideWaterloo
Instagram: @insidewaterloo
Twitter: @insidewaterloo
Support and Follow:
Lutherwood
Facebook: @lutherwoodhousing
Instagram: @LutherwoodCanada
Twitter: @lutherwood
Plan B Co-Op KW
Facebook: @planbcooperativekw
Rad Riot Books
Facebook: @radriotbooks
Instagram: @radriotbooks
Twitter: @radriotbooks
Social Development Centre
Facebook: @sdcwr
Twitter: @sdcwr
Support and Follow:
Waterloo Region Community Foundation
Facebook: @WRCommFdn
Instagram: @wrcommfdn
Twitter: @WRCommFdn
Waterloo Region Yes in My Backyard
Facebook: @WRYIMBY
Twitter: @WRYIMBY
Hollee George, Musko Giizhigo Ikwe, or Red Sky Woman: Indigenous Spiritual Roles and Residential Schools
In this episode we meet Hollee George, Musko Giizhigo Ikwe, or Red Sky Woman (she/her). Hollee is a two-spirit Anishinaabe Ikwe lesbian, wife, mother, graddaughter, sister, auntie, niece, cousin, and member of the Sturgeon Clan. She discusses her journey to identifying as two spirit and a lesbian and how residential and day schools have impacted this journey. She also reflects on her roles and responsibilities as Knowledge-Keeper and Ceremony-Carrier and the community work she does in KW.
Musko Giizhigo Ikwe, Hollee George, Red Sky Woman (she/her)
Hollee George is a two-spirit Anishinaabe Ikwe, lesbian, wife, mother, granddaughter, sister, Auntie, niece and cousin. She is a member of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and the Sturgeon Clan. In her role as Knowledge Keeper and Ceremony Carrier, she centres voices of residential and day school survivors like herself and family. Hollee's academic and employment background is centred on justice, especially in social justice related to Indigenous and Queer people. Currently living working and playing on the Haldimand tract, Musko is actively involved in community organizations such as spectrums, rainbow community space, the CT survivors, connect Trans Artivist project, KW Multi-Cultural Center, and The Social Development Center of Waterloo region.
Indigenous Spiritual Roles and Residential Schools
Pictured here is an eagle feather held by Hollee George. The end of the feather is adorned with ribbons of yellow, blue, maroon, orange, and red - all of which are Hollee's spirit colours. This feather was gifted to Hollee when she did her puberty fast from the women with whom she performed the fast. Not only is this feather incredibly sacred for its connection to the Eagle, the messenger of the Creator, but for its representation of inclusion. For Hollee, this feather caries a sense of family, community, and all of the care, strength, and nurturing energy of women.
Book Recommendations from Hollee
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
Braiding Legal Orders: Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by John Borrows (Editor), Oonagh E. Fitzgerald (Editor), and Risa Schwartz (Editor)
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
The Indian Act by the Parliament of Canada
Follow and Support Hollee
Indigenous two-spirit woman files human rights complaint against London Health Sciences Centre
CT Survivors Connect
Facebook
GoFundMe
Twitter: @SurvivorsCt KW
Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre
Facebook: @KWMulticultural
Instagram: @kwmulticultural
Twitter: @KWMulticultural
Support and Follow Hollee
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
The Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Facebook: @sdcwr
Twitter: @sdwr
Transartivist Project
SC Dillon and Lisa O’Connell Part I: “Young, Gifted, and Gay” Revisited
In part one of this two-part episode, we meet SC Dillon (they/them, she/her), a butch gender-queer writer, and Lisa O’Connell (she/her), the artistic director of Pat the Dog Theatre Creation. The two guests talk about an interview between the two that took place in 1993 and was published as an article titled “Young, Gifted, and Gay” in the Waterloo Chronicle. SC reflects on being openly queer as a teen in the 90s and Lisa discusses the work she was doing as a freelance journalist at the time.
SC Dillon (they/them, she/her)
SC is a butch queer, gender queer and writer of Irish and English descent. They are based out of Toronto, having completed their MFA in creative writing at the University of British Columbia, and they are presently completing a collection of stories that explore the intersections of queerness, grief, shame, and transfiguration within the genres of magical realism, fairy tale and body horror, and dignity. SC loves books, brass deviance and all things forest and animal.
Lisa O'Connell (she/her)
Lisa is of Irish Mohawk and French descent. She is the artistic director of Pat the Dog Theater Creation, a catalyst and registered charity dedicated to regional theatre creation, including the platforming of marginalized and neglected voices.
Part I: “Young, Gifted, and Gay” Revisited
Book Recommendation from SC
The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader by Joan Nestle (editor)
Book Recs from Rad Riot Books
Born Both: An Intersex Life by Hida Viloria
Care of: Letters, Connections, and Cures by Ivan E. Coyote
Love and Reparation: A Theatrical Response to the Section 377 Litigation in India by Danish Sheikh
Performing Revolutionary: Art, Action, Activism by Nicole Garneau and Anne Cushwa
Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression written and illustrated by Iris Gottlieb
SC Dillon and Lisa O’Connell Part II: Sharing Stories and Finding Joy
In part two of this two-part episode, SC and Lisa talk about what they have done since their interview together in the 90s and where they are now. SC discusses their past abusive relationship and how they are healing from it. Lisa breaks down her current work with Pat the Dog Theatre Creation and the impacts of being a third-generation residential school survivor. The two also discuss how they each find joy in their lives today.
Sharing Stories and Finding Joy
Support SC and Lisa:
SC
Instagram @scdamndillon
Twitter @scdamndillon https://www.autostraddle.com/author/sarahdamndillon/
Butch Femme Podcast
Instagram: @butchfemmepodcast
Pat the Dog Theatre Creation
Facebook: @PatTheDog.Playwright
Instagram: @patthedogpdc
Twitter: @PatTheDogPDC
Support and Follow
ACCKWA
Facebook: @ACCKWA
Twitter: @AIDSCKW
Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP)
Facebook: @blackcapto
Instagram: @blackcapto
Twitter: @blackcapto
Gender Variant Working Group
Facebook: @WWGenderVariance
InsideWaterloo
Facebook: @insideWaterloo
Instagram: @insidewaterloo
Twitter: @insidewaterloo
Support and Follow
Plan B Co-Op KW
Facebook: @planbcooperativekw
Rainbow Railroad
Facebook: @rainbowrailroad
Instagram: @rainbowrailroad
Twitter: @RainbowRailroad
SASC (Sexual Assault Support Centre)
Facebook: @sascwr
Instagram: @sascwr
Twitter: @SASCWR
SHORE Centre (Sexual Health, Options, Resources, Education)
Facebook: @shorecentre
Instagram: @shorecentrewr
Twitter: @SHOREcentreWR
SPECTRUM Rainbow Community Space
Facebook: @SpectrumCommunitySpace
Instagram: @spectrumwaterlooregion
Twitter: @our_SPECTRUM
