National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30th is now recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Part of honouring this day is to expand our own learnings about Indigenous experiences in Canada, which includes acknowledging the impact of colonization on the Indigenous People of Canada. The hard reality is that for more than 150 years, children from Indigenous cultures were taken from their families, removed from their homes, and forced to live at mandatory boarding schools under inhumane conditions. Many experienced physical and sexual abuse, and severe punishment if they spoke their own language. This dark chapter has resulted in immeasurable generational trauma, which we must work to acknowledge and repair in order for healing and reconciliation to ever be achieved.
For those of us who are non-Indigenous, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity to learn and recognize the ongoing work required to better understand Indigenous experiences in Canada and within our LGBTQ2S+ communities. Toronto Pflag is taking this moment to acknowledge the grief and the collective harm enacted on Indigenous peoples; however, as non-Indigenous people we do not have authority to speak on Indigenous issues and identities. With that said, as we include the 2S (Two-spirit) initialism within our LGBTQ2S+ materials, we hope to take this September 30th to broaden learning to better understand Indigenous experiences in Canada, including what it means to be Two-spirit, while recognizing that Two-Spirit identities vary between different Indigenous groups.
Read more about Toronto Pflag's statement and our list of resources to help educate readers on the subject.