Stories of Two-Spirit Indigenous LGBTQ+ Indian Residential and Day School Survivors

About the Project

Canada’s Indian Residential Schools (IRS) caused irreparable harm to First Nations families across many generations. 2Spirit (Indigenous LGBTQ) people were among those impacted, however their stories have rarely been heard, documented, or shared in the general discourse about this era. Following the closure of the last IRS in Ft. Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, in 1996, there is a generation of 2Spirit former students who are available to engage in this project. The 2Spirit Council of Fierté Canada Pride lead the engagement of 2Spirit survivors and assisted and supported them to tell their stories.

The goal of this project was to recruit eight 2Spirit Indian Residential School Survivors (Story Tellers) to participate in a speaker series project in order to preserve and share their stories. Our Project Coordinator worked with Story Tellers through a series of storytelling workshops, and supporte them in documenting and sharing their story through the project.

Project Team

Jennifer LaFontaine

Project Coordinator
she/her

Jennifer LaFontiane (she/her) is Métis from Duck Lake Saskatchewan and lives in Toronto, Ontario.
www.communitystorystrategies.ca

Albert McLeod

2Spirit Ambassador
he/him
www.albertmcleod.com

Ashley Moreau

Visual Artist
they/them
ashleymoreau84@gmail.com
Instagram: @Night_Hawk807

Ashley Moreau is a Two Spirited Metis Artist from Treaty 3, now living in Thunder Bay Ontario.

Advisory Committee

Brenda Mason

Advisory Committee
she/her

Brenda M Mason/Imprint Hanging Standing Woman (she/her) is Oji-Cree from Sandy Lake and is of the Red Sucker-Fish Dodem (Clan). She is a grandmother and lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario.