[anglican diocese of edmonton > finding our way]

 The Anglican Diocese of Edmonton has just released a document "Finding Our Way", which summarizes what our new (as of Sept 2021) Bishop has heard and how he wants to move forward. 

The document outlines 5 principles and 12 specific goals, some of which are specifically related to relations and reparations with Indigenous peoples, affirmation and full public support of LGBTQ2S+ siblings, and increased accessibility not just for buildings but also programs, vocabulary and ways of working.

Check out this important document, especially if you are part of the Anglican Church of Canada:

Intro: https://edmonton.anglican.ca/pages/finding-our-way

Actual Finding Our Way (PDF)

https://edmonton.anglican.ca/df_media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjIvMDcvMDYvMTIvMjYvNDQvY2E1Mzc1ZGYtNTliMC00NGRhLWFmMDAtODU5MjA0ZGU5ZTM2L0ZpbmRpbmcgT3VyIFdheSBGSU5BTC5wZGYiXV0/Finding%20Our%20Way%20FINAL.pdf?sha=075b06476959332f

performative allyship... at church

Performative allyship is when your place of worship has an LGBTQ sticker at the door and a Pride flag on their website but it …

doesn't talk about sexuality and gender

doesn't discuss the use of gendered language

doesn't have all gender washrooms

doesn't invite openly LGBTQ speakers to speak

doesn't mention that they perform same-sex weddings

doesn't have clear LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies

And those are just six practical things that are often missed by performative allies...

Now read about the deeper things that many churches are also missing when it comes to actually being inclusive and embracing of queer folx, in my article:

why I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches

[strands for trans]

 Here is an amazing resource for transgender folx: Strands for Trans. As they put it:

A HISTORY OF REJECTION

Haircuts are historically gendered: Salons for women. Barbershops for men. This leaves the trans community feeling uncomfortable, unwelcome and unsure.

A FUTURE OF ACCEPTANCE

Strands For Trans is bringing gays, straights, women, men, anyone, together to create more trans-friendly barbershops and hair salons. Join in and let’s help this community feel welcome.

This great site includes videos of people sharing of why this matters and asks people to support the site by approaching their own barbershops or hair salons, as well as through social media. The site also invites shop owners to request a sticker and add their businesses to the map. 

And the map shows 6,000+ listings of trans-friendly salons and barber shops, mostly in the US and Canada but also in other countries. Zoom in to your city, find a marker in your neighbourhood, and click to get details!

https://www.strandsfortrans.com/

Snip of map from Strands For Trans site, showing parts of BC and Alberta. Trans-coloured markers are located at Edmonton, Lethbridge, Kelowna, Vancouver and other cities.

[the awakeners - Indigenous people with disabilities who are artists]

 

"Louis Riel's prophecy is coming to pass! The Indigenous artists are the Awakeners!

That's certainly what you'll witness in this 6-part, 1 hour documentary series in both English and French (12 Eps in total) in which Canadian acclaimed, indigenous singer and song writer, Laura Vinson embarks on a journey to meet extraordinary Indigenous people with disabilities who are artists. Laura's sudden loss of her mentally challenged sister, Noreen, combined with her own challenges with an anxiety disorder, plus the progressive loss of her hearing cause her to have a great deal of empathy and respect for those Indigenous and disabled people who are often underappreciated and underestimated." (from http://theawakeners.ca/)

Read more about this incredible project: http://theawakeners.ca/

Watch the series here: https://www.ami.ca/category/Awakeners/episodes

Note: at the point of posting, I have finished watching the first episode. I learned a lot and it also challenged some of my unconscious biases.

blacker than...

 

Ah yes, white as a sign of purity and goodness, black as a sign of evil, badness, corruption. How those words and variations of them are embedded in our language. And for those who are Christians, there are specific verses about this (Psalm 51:7 and Isaiah 1:18 being two key examples) which I've twisted in the cartoon above.

Do Black people want to be whiter than snow?

I doubt it, personally. 

[transforming - book]

I'm currently reading this book, the first one I've read by a trans author and the first that's about the Bible and the lives of transgender Christians. It's especially interesting in light of a recent panel that I attended on "Being Transgender in the workplace".

Love the book so far! Keep your eyes open for future posts inspired by this...

Find out more at http://austenhartke.com/book or get a copy from your local bookshop or library.

Austen's site also includes a lengthy resources page and a link to Transmission Ministry Collective:

"We’re an online community of transgender and gender-expansive Christians committed to growing our faith, supporting each other, and healing the world."

The Transmission Ministry Collective offers:

• text-based chat servers
• video-based support groups
• online Bible study
• workshops
• extensive resources

[family behaviours that increase your LGBTQ+ / Two Spirit child's health and well-being]

"Research from the Family Acceptance Project found more than 50 family accepting behaviours that help protect your lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified (LGBTQ) / Two Spirit child against health risks like depression, suicide and illegal drug use and help to increase your LGBTQ / 2S child's self-worth, health and well-being." (from poster)

"A little change makes a difference in decreasing your child's isolation and risk
and giving them hope that their family will be there for them."

This project has several great posters available for free in PDF, sized for various printing purposes. This image shows a portion of one of the posters. 

Article on this project: https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2021/11/26/saving-two-spirit-and-indigenous-lgbtq-youth

Direct link to project page and posters: https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/content/family-acceptance-project-healthy-futures-posters-american-indian-communities

[museum of black joy]

Skyways, 2019, Bartram's Garden
(c) Andrea Walls

Andrea Walls began the Museum of Black Joy in response to ever frequent days filled with bad news about violence and hatred, often directed toward people of colour and other minorities. As a poet and photographer, she began taking photos of everyday joy in the Black community and posting them on her site.

Check them out at:

https://www.museumofblackjoy.com/

You can read an article the NPR wrote about her:

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/14/1026447517/museum-of-black-joy-andrea-walls?s=09 

[affirmation guide for trans & gender-expansive identities]

Affirmation Guide for Trans & Gender-Expansive Identities, plus Trans & Gender-Expansive Identities eCourse

"Q Christian’s second Affirmation Guide features Taj Smith. This guide is designed to counter the idea that transgender and gender-expansive people cannot be Christians. This guide is also meant to support anyone who is and/or loves someone who is transgender. Taj dives into the Scriptural, theological, and relational affirmation of trans people in this foundational resource. Video content for the guide can be found below." (from webpage)

The guide is free though a donation is requested from those who are able. The page also features five videos that relate to content in the guide:

• Introduction
• Scriptural and Theological Affirmation
• Life in Community
• Resources
• Conclusion

 https://www.qchristian.org/guides/trans

the beauty of transgender people...

When I started in my current job, I didn't know of any transgender employees. Now, five years later, I know three colleagues who are transgender and out in the workplace. This is good. This is progress.

Laverne Cox, American actress, said, "It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist." 

To all transgender people who read this post, I just want to say, 

“You rock! You are wonderful and amazing! You are an inspiration!”

Wishing you much strength and wisdom as you live an authentic life, and many family members, friends, colleagues and acquaintances who love and support you! You do exist and should exist, and your beauty and your gifts make the world a better place!

Happy Transgender Awareness Week!

[colored hockey championships]

 

"Canada Post’s stamp honours the Colored Hockey Championship and the all-Black hockey teams in the Maritimes that competed for it between 1895 and the early 1930s.

It is impossible to fully appreciate this story without understanding the Canada of the day, when Blacks lived in segregated communities that often lacked proper roads, health services, water or street lamps."

Read the rest of the story at Canada Post.

happy international pronouns day!

 

To all the hes and the shes,

The aes and the faes,

The pers and the xes,

The zes and the zies,

The eys and the others,

And most of all, to all the theys

(but only cuz there’s more of them):

Happy International Pronouns Day!

To make your day even happier, here's a new cartoon by me:

[face equality]

With another 007 film about to come out, featuring more villains with disfigured faces, it's timely to mention Face Equality International, an organization whose goal is:

Creating a world where everyone is treated fairly whatever their face looks like.

"Face Equality International is an alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), charities and support groups which are working at national, regional or international levels to promote the campaign for ‘face equality’."

"The campaign for ‘face equality’ was launched in May 2008 by the UK charity/NGO, Changing Faces, with the aim of creating a world in which people who have disfigurements to their face from any cause are accepted and valued as equal citizens, free of prejudice, low expectations and stigma. The campaign has attracted worldwide attention and has strong parallels with those against racism and sexism."

Even though I'm involved in a lot of diversity and inclusion initiatives and projects, it had never crossed my mind to consider how people whose faces are disfigured (for any number of reasons) are typically portrayed as villains and "bad guys" in the movies and TV shows. I certainly notice how most shows feature white people as the primary characters, perhaps with a Black person as a secondary character -- the friend, or the neighbour, etc.

Read more:

https://faceequalityinternational.org/

Including great resources for schools and teachers: https://faceequalityinternational.org/resources/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/faceequalityint

Metro article on new 007 movie and how it promotes fears of facial scars:

https://metro.co.uk/2021/09/30/why-i-worry-bonds-new-villain-will-promote-fears-of-facial-scars-15310850/

[Indigenous art in the public eye]

Lori Blondeau, Asiniy Iskwew, 2016

"How do you make the work of First Nations, Inuit and Métis women artists in Canada more visible? Some people write research papers. Some people build collections. Some people advocate for funding.

Mohawk curator and scholar Lee-Ann Martin has participated in all of these modes of support in the past. But this summer, she is taking a very different approach—namely, putting the art of 50 Indigenous women artists on 167 billboards from coast to coast to coast." Leah Sandals, 

https://canadianart.ca/news/mawa-resilience-lee-ann-martin/

While this project took place three years ago, the Resilience Project is still offering two great resources:

"Resilience: 50 Indigenous Art Cards and Teaching Guide is a boxed set that contains 50 full-colour, 8" x 10" reproductions of contemporary Indigenous art and a bilingual (English/French) teaching guide, full of ideas on how to use the art cards to animate discussions and inspire activities in all subjects, from kindergarten to grade 12. It is based on the exhibition curated by Lee-Ann Martin, with teaching guide developed by Yvette Cenerini, Lita Fontaine, Dawn Knight and Albert McLeod." 

You can download the guide for free or purchase the complete box set at http://resilienceproject.ca/en/.

Nadya Kwandibens, Concrete Indians – 10 Indigenous Lawyers, 2012.

[feeling through - film]

This is a pretty cool short film, featuring an unhoused youth and a DeafBlind man. 

"After a late-night chance encounter with a DeafBlind man on a New York City street, writer/director Doug Roland wrote the award winning short film, Feeling Through. Doug knew from the start he wanted to cast a DeafBlind actor to star, so he partnered with Helen Keller Services to realize that mission."

(from the website).

While casting a DeafBlind actor to play a DeafBlind character might seem like the logical thing to do, too often this does not happen and able-bodied people are cast to play disabled people.

 Watch this short film and read more about it at: https://www.feelingthrough.com/

Watch directly on YouTube

[he drew a circle...]

He drew a circle that shut me out -

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle and took him in.

Edwin Markham1852-1940, "Outwitted"

(emphasis added)

See other posts about moral circles

in memoriam: my dad, Richard Goetze

In memory of Richard Goetze

December 16, 1938 - April 26, 2020

Like me, many people have been positively influenced by Richard's ministry as a pastor over the years, and have missed his good teaching and preaching.

Here's one more opportunity to learn and grow:

No, it's not a never heard before sermon, found tucked away in the back of a filing cabinet. It was a conversation...

But before that, some background, some remembering about my dad:

Richard wanted to know more about grace and mercy, about the love of God for us. He wasn’t into petty rules and gatekeeping and the many other things that keep people out of the church. He hoped everyone would end up with our heavenly father; he wanted to open wide the gates of heaven. He was not content to believe that a God of love would let millions of beloved children end up in eternal torment.

That was my dad. Hoping and believing that God is so much bigger than we are and better than our theology. Believing in a God who would find wonderful amazing ways to bring all their beautiful children home in the end, so that when we all find ourselves in heaven there will be far more people than we expect to see there.

This was my dad. This was Richard, believing in grace and love and mercy for everyone. Believing that God’s arms are open wider than the church imagines, wider than you and I can imagine.

[LGBTQ2S artists from the north featured at Qaumajuq]

"A commitment to showcase diversity is at the heart of the Winnipeg Art Gallery's new addition, Qaumajuq, the world's largest public collection of Inuit art — and that includes highlighting a range of works by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirit creators from the north."

From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/qaumajuq-lgbtq2-artists-winnipeg-art-gallery-inuit-art-inua-1.5963732, written by Bryce Hoye.

Along with works of art by queer artists, two of the four Inuk co-curators of the inaugural exhibit are queer. You can read more and see pictures here.

What I'd like to focus on here, is some key quotes:

"I think it's a moment in time where we're ready for a push for the broader communities and every small town and everywhere to have more space and understanding for diversity and gender expression and peoples' sexual attractions." (Asinnijaq)

"The effects of colonialism and capitalism — of homophobic, anti-trans sentiments — still run deep in many communities, northern or not. It's important that we raise up these community members who are unafraid to be themselves, and I also understand that it's a privilege to be able to come out and live openly as queer." (Kablusiak)

"It's really important because I am thinking of all the young LGBTQ Inuit living all across the north, and throughout southern Canada and all around the world, and I want them to see this." (Heather Igloliorte). 

This is about representation -- seeing others like you in the world around you.

This is about returning to traditional values -- where everyone belonged and had a role in the community.

Read more about the INUA exhibit here.

Read more about Qaumaju, the amazing new gallery, here.

Read more articles and see many photos of artwork, at the Inuit Art Quarterly website.

The Inuit Art Foundation, in conjunction with the Smithsonian, held a webinar on Conversations: Queer Inuit Art, which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/_SlEIkTCJ8M.

introduction to two spirit people

In the fall of 2018, my colleague and I met with Jeff Chalifoux, then one of the co-chairs of the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society. Our conversation led to two "Two Spirit Ceremony and Workshop" days being held at my place of work. 

I attended both sessions and they were amazing and enlightening. Over the months that followed, I read many, many articles about Two Spirit people, mostly by Indigenous academics, of whom many were themselves Two Spirit. I also attended another Two Spirit ceremony at MacEwan University in March 2020, led by Elder Leonard Saddleback.

One of the outcomes of this learning focus is that I wrote a crisp, two page article titled "Introduction to Two Spirit People", which I'd like to share with you. I'd also like to thank Jeff for giving the final draft a helpful once-over!

Read: Introduction to Two Spirit People

I welcome your thoughts and feedback using the Comments section below.

[illustrations and photos of people from minoritized groups]

Minoritized groups are often under-represented in images, whether advertising, magazine articles, or generic images used in reports and brochures.

BlackIllustrations.com is one site that offers illustrations of Black people in different contexts, including office, medical, STEM, education and more. Some sets are free; others have a cost.

https://www.BlackIllustrations.com

(Above: some education-related images from BlackIllustrations.com)

nappy.co is a site that has excellent photos of Black and Brown people, free, for commercial and personal use. 

Collections include Tiny Humans, "Breathe, Stretch, Shake, All Hands, Black in Green Spaces, Food for the Soul, Women at Work, The Perfect Holiday, All Black Lives Matter, I's Married Now, and Good Hair.

https://nappy.co

The Gender Spectrum Collection

Vice Gender Photos Collection
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

"The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent members of these communities as people not necessarily defined by their gender identities—people with careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives."

https://genderphotos.vice.com/