Sunday, June 05, 2022

a Venn diagram in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee

 

Orange circle labelled "Very fashionable" has the name "Laverne Cox" inside of it. Blue circle labelled "Very high ranking official in unrepentant colonizing empire" has the name "Caesar Augustus" inside of it. The circles are positioned to overlap slightly, and in the overlap is the name "QE II" for Queen Elizabeth II. Image by Rob Goetze @robgoetze. June 2022




In the midst of many people celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - 70 years of being in power as queen -- and celebrations that include Queen singing songs to the Queen -- this is what is floating around inside my head.

Why are we celebrating the long reigning leader of one of the world's greatest colonial powers that wreaked havoc on so many of God's children worldwide through enslavement, exploitation, extraction, actual genocide and cultural genocide?

It seems colonization is hard to kill and hard to repent of, but easy to hide and forget....

Wednesday, June 01, 2022

[imi - guides built for and with LGBTQ+ teens to help you explore your identity and support your mental health]

Here's a great new resource for queer teens, endorsed by the It Gets Better project:


Screenshot of IMI homepage. Larger text says "Welcome to imi. Guides built for and with LGBTQ+ teens to help you explore your identity and support your mental health. Four large tiles offer the choices of accessing topics of stress, queerness, stigma and gender.

imi is a free, digital, science-backed mental health web tool for queer teens to learn coping skills, hear stories from real LGBTQ+ teens, and explore resources that affirm queer identities and boost mental health.

https://imi.guide/


Happy Pride Month to All! 

And especially to the youth -- you are loved and you matter!

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

[my dearest friends project]

 

Heading: The My Dearest Friends Project. Black background with white chalk drawing of many people with many different disabilities.

Created by DisArt and Oaklee Thiele, the My Dearest Friends Project is an international, disability-led art collaboration archiving disabled stories. The collected stories are featured as part of various exhibits, and the writers are compensated for their contribution. The site includes video and audio resources, and features the amazing drawings of Oaklee Thiele (see image above as an example).

Sections include:

  • Submit a story
  • Demand access, 
  • Exhibits
  • Disability History
  • Youth Resources
  • and more...

I would like to say that the drawings that appear throughout this site are a real treasure, as is watching some of the videos in which Oaklee is creating drawings. The video I watched was descriptive - meaning, along with the closed captioning that captured the words the narrators and speakers spoke, another voice described what was happening on screen. This is something that is not often done, but useful to be more inclusive for those who are visually impaired.

https://mydearestfriendsproject.org/

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

[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.

Image of spinning barbershop pole on black background. Traditional blue, red and white colours on pole have been replaced with light blue, light pink, white, light pink and light blue sequence (the trans colours)

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.
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.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

PHOOey

PIE 

You may have read my previous post about PIE: about being public, intentional and explicit -- three key components to being a faith community that affirms LGBTQ2S+ people. (if you haven't read it, do so first: https://exclusionandembrace.blogspot.com/2017/01/pie-public-intentional-explicit.html)

I'd like to first suggest that we add an "S" to PIE to make PIES (cuz, you know, lots of pies are better than just one pie): S for Self-Examining >

PIES

A community that examines itself discovers those areas in which more change is needed, those aspects in which they could improve how they love and embrace others.

Here's a brief example of a church being self-examining: 

     A church is located in an older building. There is one main women's and one main men's washroom, both outdated and badly designed. The church has begun holding some learning sessions where they asked some of their queer members to share, and also invited speakers from the queer community to come in. After one of these sessions, where they heard that some transgender people feel uncomfortable in public washrooms, some of the members involved in managing the facility got together. "What can we do to make this better?" they asked. They looked around and realized that there was a storage room located behind the washrooms, which could be converted into a single user washroom. Conveniently, the plumbing connections were nearby. "What if we use the whole space, and make it an accessible washroom while we are it?" someone added. The "accessible" stalls in the existing washrooms were unfortunately based on outdated standards for what is considered accessible and in reality, are very awkward.  So they proceeded with their plans and, once the washroom was complete, made sure to post on the church website that the building now has a "accessible, inclusive gender-neutral washroom".

     Now, such a washroom serves a wide range of people: transgender folx who feel unsafe in gendered washrooms, people in wheelchairs, a parent with a child, a person accompanied by an attendant or caregiver. And it happened because they were learning, thinking and examining their church community and facility.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

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

 "My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back." Louis Riel, Metis Leader 1885. Black background with white text.


"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.

[periodic table of Canadian Black history]

Black background. Overall layout is similar to periodic table of elements (Initial, name and number). However, instead of elements, each tile has the name of a Black Canadian, their initial, and the year they were born - plus year of death if applicable. Colouring of tiles is based on their profession, with a legend below the table.

Here's a great learning tool - the Periodic Table of Canadian Black History. 
Each tile highlights a Black Canadian in history. The colours of the tiles indicate the profession -- Activists, Artists, Athletes, Entrepreneurs, etc. Hover over a tile to see a popup with picture and short bio. Click on the tile and a separate window opens with more extensive information about that person.


Orange tile "T Tessa McWatt (1.1.1959-)", Purple tile "C Carrie Best (03.04.1903 - 07.24...)", Yellow tile "A Andre Alexis (01.15.1957)" on dark background

Cette ressource est aussi disponible en Français.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

[takiwatanga]


Screenshot of tweet by @WFarahslt. 18 Jan 2022. Tweet says: "Takiwatanga" is the Maori word for autism and it means "In their own time and space".



When I saw this tweet the other day, I thought to myself, this is an amazing word! How cool that the Maori had a word for people who are autistic. 

Turns out, that the word was created in 2017. While that did surprise me, it doesn't make it any less legitimate. Language is a living thing and in this case, Keri Opai, a civil servant, worked with the Maori disability community to create about 200 words and phrases specifically for mental health, addiction and disability.

About the word for autism, Keri Opai says
"The word I have coined in te reo Māori for autism is ‘Takiwātanga’. It is a derivation of my phrase for autism: “tōku/tōna anō takiwā” – “my/his/her own time and space”."

 

Read more about how this word came to be in Keri Opai's story (video and text): https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz/a-time-and-space-for-takiwatanga/

Read the short BBC article on this project: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-40493398

Check out the very cool language glossary, featuring te Reo Maori <> English translations, word collections, plus phrases and proverbs: https://www.tereohapai.nz/

Tuesday, February 01, 2022

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. 

Friday, January 28, 2022

[transforming - book]


book cover. Drawing of a tree with abstract leaf zone in bold colours of red, yellow, orange, blue, on a pale blue background.. Title is "Transforming: The Bible & the Lives of Transgender Christians.

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

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

[tackling trauma - an online introduction with tools]



Tackling Trauma: 
An Introductory Training Manual for Direct Practice with New Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylees

This is a free, online tool which is intended to give those who are working with new immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers a basic understanding of trauma as it tends to be experienced by this group of people. The topics covered, each in a page or two, are:

Immigration: An Introduction

Why Does Migration Occur?

Who Are Lawful Permanent Residents? 

Phases of Adjustment 

Refugees and Asylum Seekers 

Trauma: An Introduction 

The Injury Mental Model 

Triple Trauma Paradigm 

Vicarious Trauma 

Consequences of Trauma

Thursday, December 16, 2021

[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



Monday, December 06, 2021

[lgbtq newcomers to canada: strengthening support and understanding - videos]

Are you in contact with newcomers to Canada? Whether as a volunteer, at your place of worship, or during your daily routine, you likely are in contact, and some of the newcomers (whether you know it or not) will be LGBTQ.

screenshot of three video pages. Text as in titles of video in main body of post. Images show  long haired white female presenting person with multicoloured finger nails, speaking; short haired white female presenting person in green shirt with modern necklace; Black male presenting person with short hair and trimmed beard wearing a blue shirt.

The AMSSA (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC) website has a series of web videos shot in 2015 focuses on highlighting the issues and needs of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees and provides settlement workers with greater understanding of how to strengthen the support.

The titles of the five videos are:

  • Exploring the Issues Affecting LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees
  • Exploring Gender and Sexual Identity Affecting LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees
  • The Journey of LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees in Canada
  • The Intersection of Immigration and Gender & Sexual Identity
  • Exploring Spirituality and the Role of the Home Culture for LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees


Wednesday, December 01, 2021

[museum of black joy]

Black woman wearing white, very tall because of stilts hidden in fabric, smiling and giving a wave.
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.

Friday, November 19, 2021

[affirmation guide for trans & gender-expansive identities]


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

cover of "Affirmation Guide for Trans & Gender-Expansive Identities" (white background with blue and black text); also image of sample page of guide with illegible black text and right side has blue heading "Scriptural and Theological Affirmations", more small black text, and two blue bars.

"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

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

[what it's like growing up transgender and Deaf]

Text "What it's like growing up transgender and Deaf" on a blue background with a smiley winking face, above an image of Blake Culley, a male-presenting white person, brown hair and trim beard, wearing a green v-neck T-shirt. Person is doing sign language and the closed captioning below says, "This is my name sign".

As part of Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19), I'd like to let you know about this video of Blake sharing their story of growing up Deaf and transgender. 

This is an important piece because most people's lives are not one-sided ... and because disabled people are often overlooked when discussing other dimensions such as race or sexuality.




You can learn more about Blake at:

Monday, November 15, 2021

the real Meta

 

Image shows two figures wearing white robes and sitting in chairs on top of clouds, with sun peaking through. God, with their back to the viewer, and wearing a crown, says, "Those Facebook people are so pretentious - don't they know I'm the Meta?" The other person, brown skinned and bearded, replies, "I could smite them for you, pops, but that's so not me..."

Interestingly, God is also "with us", "incarnate", "embedded"...

Posted in response to a large social media company rebranding itself as "Meta" with a logo looking like two collapsed kidneys...

Saturday, November 13, 2021

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!

Thursday, November 04, 2021

[colored hockey championships]

 

Stamp showing drawing of seven Black men in older era hockey gear, some holding hockey sticks, and another five Black men in suits. The suited man in the middle is holding a tray covered with a maroon cloth, with silver goblets, a pitcher and a tray on it. Large text says "Colored Hockey Championships". Smaller text lists teams: Jubilees, Stanleys, Eurekas, Sea-Sides, Victorias, Rangers, Royals, Moss Backs. Text at lower left says "CANADA"; lower right as a "P" inside a maple leaf indicating the denomination of the stamp is "Permanent"

"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.

Friday, October 22, 2021

[gender decoder for job ads]


Words are words... and we tend to associate some of them with men and others with women. 

Image showing two lists of words. On left, the heading says Masculine coded words in this ad. The list has: "competing, active, challenge, individuals, leader, leading, analysis, and driven". The right side is headed "Feminine-coded words in this ad." The list has: "commitments (2 times), understand (3 times), together, responsive, supportive, enthusiastic, cheerleader"


If you are writing a job description or a job ad, you can test out the associations for the words using the new (and free) Gender Decoder for Job Ads:

Note: this is not about whether an ad uses "he/him/his" and "she//her/her" instead of "they/them". It's about words that are typically in English associated with masculinity or femininity.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

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:

Image shows two figures wearing white robes and sitting in chairs on top of clouds, with sun peaking through. God, with their back to the viewer, and wearing a crown, says, "You know, there are only two things I regret having created: bedbugs and gendered pronouns..." The other person, brown skinned and bearded, replies, "Yeah, but the beauty of gender diversity - now that's one of the most amazing things ever!"

Monday, October 11, 2021

[shame and prejudice - a story of resilience (book and exhibition)]


Medium red textured background. Gold letters for the title, a squiggly thing below, and two beavers with wings above.

"Kent Monkman’s Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience takes you on a journey through the past 150 years of Canada. It is a journey that reclaims and reinserts Indigenous voices into the collective memory of our country, challenging and shattering colonial ideas of our history."

(from website)

Through his art, Kent Monkman has been critiquing the colonial world of the museums which have been so silent about Canada's history of colonization, which have presented the colonizers' view of history, which have whitewashed the horrible things that were done.


Expand your mind by taking part in this excellent curatorial tour of the exhibition:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACqPVUXzk8


Read the book online, in Cree, English and French: https://online.fliphtml5.com/xkla/ttia/#p=1. Note: I'd suggest watching the above video first, as it gives a clearer explanation if you are new to this.

Wednesday, October 06, 2021

Tuesday, October 05, 2021

[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."

thick circle drawn in sunny yellow, with the top segment missing and the ends looking like waves

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:


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


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

Friday, September 17, 2021

[Indigenous art in the public eye]


Indigenous woman wearing red flowing dress, standing on rocks, with a lake and trees in background
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/.

photo of 10 Indigenous women, standing close together on the street, wearing a range of clothes from business casual to traditional Indigenous
Nadya Kwandibens, Concrete Indians – 10 Indigenous Lawyers, 2012.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

a practical guide to the new world of pronouns


Here's a great learning opportunity that I've created for you -- a practical guide to the new world of pronouns. 

This 36 minute video covers key topics like:

  • Correct Pronouns Matter
  • People Who Might Use Other Pronouns
  • Pronouns for the New World We Live In
  • Getting Practical About Sharing Pronouns
  • Messing up with Grace

Link to watch directly at YouTube.com: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdtVLgU6OxA&t=6s

Tuesday, September 07, 2021

[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/

Monday, August 09, 2021

[evolution's rainbow]

Cover of "Evolution's Rainbow" book by Joan Roughgarden. Includes image of orange fish with purple square on side of body.
Latest reading project -- though, considering there's 450 pages of small print, I selectively read some sections and skimmed others, rather than reading the whole thing.

Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People



For a quick peek at what kinds of things this book talks about, check out this visual summary by @alokvmenon on Instagram:


Friday, July 02, 2021

bon repos


Trigger warning: Indian Residential Schools
_______________




We stole your children.

We buried them in whiteness.

We buried them in the fields.

News is getting out.

We fly the colonizers' flag at half-mast, 
a false apology at best.



Poem and photo by rob goetze

Friday, June 25, 2021

[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)



image by rob g. to illustrate the poem. Smaller blue circle with blue blob indicating person who "drew a circle to keep me out". Larger pink circle is drawn around the blue circle, and also contains a pink blob with a pink heart - the "we" who drew a circle to include him.

See other posts about moral circles

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

march for peace

Winnipeg in the early 80's was a radical kind of place, and that's where I lived for the high school and two years of post secondary education. 

It was the time of pro-disarmament marches, as seen in this poster which I found while cleaning out the garage this weekend:


I also found the following, which I'd made in 1982 and wore (note the holes for attaching strings - I wore these like a "sandwich billboard") when I went on the Walk for Peace

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

[celebrating Indigenous picture books]


I want to let you know about this amazing resource put out by International Board on Books for Young People (Canada) (IBBY) in 2018 - a catalogue of the 100 best of Indigenous picture books! 

Plus, issued in June 2021, an additional catalogue of the best new 25 books!


From board books to picture books for older readers, this collection is a selection of 100 of the best books by Indigenous authors, many illustrated by Indigenous artists, published in Canada and currently in print. The titles reflect the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, languages, perspectives, and experiences from sea to sea to sea. Attention was given to including picture books that promote and support Indigenous languages. All titles reflect authentic First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices and offer insight into their distinct histories and current realities of these communities. (from IBBY website newsletter)

Page 42 of the "From sea to sea to sea" catalogue, featuring covers  of "Northern Lights The Soccer Trails" and "Honoring the Buffalo: A Plains Cree Legend", with book descriptions.

IBBY Introduction to the Catalogue

The Original "From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books" Catalogue (PDF)

The 2021 "From Sea to Sea to Sea (2021 edition)" Catalogue (PDF)

IBBY Canada Special Edition Newsletter: From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books

Monday, May 10, 2021

in memoriam: my dad, Richard Goetze


my dad, richard goetze, preaching at Presence in London Ontario, ca  2009. Photo by rob goetze (me)
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.

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

[LGBTQ2S artists from the north featured at Qaumajuq]

Photo of interior of sea can. Side walls have black and white mural of ice floes, caribou and polar bear. End wall has very large eyeball, with the iris and pupil area being a video screen showing a psychedelic pattern.
"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."

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.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

[Qaumajuq - "it is bright, it is lit"]

Qaumajuq "is an innovative new museum, home of the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. This first-of-its-kind centre connects to the Winnipeg Art Gallery on all levels, creating a 185,000-square-foot cultural campus in the heart of downtown Winnipeg."


The new Qaumajuq (on the left) connects to the existing Winnipeg Art Gallery building (in the right). Image and new gallery design by Michael Maltzan Architecture.

The two Virtual Opening events include a tour of Qaumajuq and its art, interviews with curators, performances and more:
Relive the two-part virtual celebration of Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at the WAG.

On a personal note, I grew up in Winnipeg and loved going to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The building has a solid timeless feel to it, without the showiness of more recent museums being built around the world. I particularly remember visiting the exhibit of works by Jacques Lipchitz which included some of his Mother and Child sculptures. Gorgeous stuff!

Now, having just watched the virtual opening of Qaumajuq, going there again in person to revisit the old and discover the new is definitely on my bucket list!
For pictures of the interior and exterior of the space, scroll down to the "From Old Space to New" section on the Inuit Art Foundation website.

Thursday, January 07, 2021

tastawiyiniwak

Edmonton has recreated its electoral ward boundaries, and at the same time, named the new wards based on names gifted by the Committee of Indigenous Matriarchs. 

I’d like to highlight one new ward in particular:

tastawiyiniwak - ᑕᐢᑕᐃᐧᔨᓂᐊᐧᐠ

You may have heard of the term “Two Spirit”, used to refer to Indigenous people who do not fit a Western gender binary and who had specific roles and responsibilities in their nations. The term is a cross-nation umbrella term for use only by Indigenous peoples, coined in contrast to Western labels and because many original Indigenous words have been lost due to the impact of colonization. 

Tastawiyiniwak – pronounced TASS-TAW-WIN-EE-WOK – is the Cree-specific word for those who are Two Spirit. It means “the in-between people”, and “was only used when referring to all of the iskwêhkânak ekwah nâpêhkânak. Each was free to move between gender roles”. 

To clarify, iskwêhkânak is the Cree word for “fake woman” (but without the negative connotations) and nâpêhkânak is the Cree word for “fake man”. Depending on the Cree nations, there were up to five additional words for gender beyond the “traditional Western” words male and female. Tastawiyiniwak is a word that refers to all Cree people whose gender roles are other than male or female. 


Image showing map of Edmonton with Ward 3: Tastawiyiniwak highlighted. Text says "Tastawiyiniwak means the In-between People. This name was chosen for Ward 3 to honour those who have transitioned as well as the LGBTQ2S+ community."


So why was this name gifted to that particular new ward?

Terri Suntjens, Director of Indigenous Initiatives at MacEwan University, explains:

“We have grandmothers within our spiritual realm, within our ceremonies, that sit in different directions. We have the east, the west, the south, the north, the southeast. They each have different responsibilities. They look after different people and have different … responsibilities. And so, the grandmother that sits in the north direction, when the pipe is gifted and held up to the north, is the grandmother that takes care of our LGBTQ2S+ community” (shared at Edmonton Council meeting, Sept. 21, 2020)



For more information:

Introduction to Two Spirit People

Edmonton's Ward Naming