Evidence of meeting #140 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was queer.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Rachel, we've been pursuing an elusive definition of two-spirit. What definition do you use?
Executive Director, OUTSaskatoon
It's a term created in Winnipeg in 1992, I believe, by and for indigenous people because they weren't necessarily comfortable using the words gay and lesbian. They wanted language that reflected their own experiences. It's a cultural term that for some means gay. If we were to look at it, it could mean gay or lesbian.
As well, many two-spirit people use it to describe their experiences being trans or gender non-binary. It's in the way that our two-spirit elder describes...and less a term about having male and female in one's body, but more about not adhering to gender or sexual binaries, and also about living. She describes two-spirit as an experience of living in two worlds: living in a white world and in an indigenous world.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Whenever we talk health, I think foundationally we understand the critical importance of the social determinants of health. I would imagine that those factors become even more pronounced when we're talking about a group that may be marginalized in society. I come from Vancouver where there's been a housing crisis across the board for everybody for quite some time. It's an entrenched crisis. I'm wondering what you can tell us about the ability of LGBTQ2 people to access safe and secure housing and how that may play into their general health prospects and state.
Executive Director, OUTSaskatoon
Yes, absolutely.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code changed to include gender and gender identity and expression not that long ago. It was precisely because of landlords refusing to rent to trans people in Saskatchewan. That was where it started to escalate more and more to the Human Rights Commission. That's very telling.
I mentioned the words “intentional landlord”. We work with a landlord who intentionally provides safe housing for our community, making sure that his forms are not gendered and that his staff have diversity training so they're going to respect pronouns they know. They know how to support them.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Is it still tougher for members of the LGBTQ2 community to access housing than it would be for, say, the binary community?
Executive Director, Community-Based Research Centre
In a city like Vancouver, money is how you access housing. And we know, if you look at some of the income rates of queer people versus non-queer people, we are economically disadvantaged. So I think if you're using that as a variable, then yes, we would be disadvantaged in locating housing.
And then if we're talking about specific programs, whether or not it's seniors or youth in more institutionalized housing, then of course there are all kinds of competency issues and the ability to be out and open in those places.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bill Casey
Okay. The time is up. That's it, folks.
On behalf of the committee, thank you so much. You're so knowledgeable about your issues and such good communicators. You've done a good job. A lot of us have a lot to learn, and you've helped us a lot. This has been one of the most interesting experiences as far as this committee goes, and we've had some dandies. It's been really helpful to us. You shared your most intimate issues and feelings. We are very grateful. On behalf of the committee, thank you very, very much.
We're going to suspend for two minutes, and then we have a little in camera business.
[Proceedings continue in camera]