Cree conference offers training for front-line workers to help 2-spirited youth

A Cree two-spirited advocate from northern Quebec wants front-line workers in First Nation communities to better understand the Indigenous LGBTQ2 youth living there.

Mathias (Maloose) Jolly is an author and one of the organizers of the Eeyou-Eenou Invitational 2-Spirit Conference running March 21-23 in Montreal.

This year, the conference is expanding to offer training for social workers, mental-health workers, student counsellors and court workers in First Nations communities — something that Jolly says is a real need.

"Two-spirited participants [tell us] social workers and local counsellors do not understand them in the communities," said Jolly, adding that the lack of understanding means two-spirited youth don't ask for help when they are struggling.

The term "two-spirit" is used by some Indigenous people to describe someone who has both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

A 2012 report by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) into suicide prevention said suicide rates among Indigenous two-spirited people in Canada aren't known, but are higher than among heterosexual Indigenous people.

The training will be given by Gina Metallic, a two-spirited Mi'gmaq woman from Listuguj in the Gaspé and a specialist in child protection and therapy in Indigenous communities. She has also worked to educate RCMP officers about the two-spirited community.

"It's very important because a lot of two-spirited youth still suffer from internalised homophobia." said Jolly, who is also a spokesperson for 2Spirited Circle at Native Montreal.

Jolly, who grew up in the Cree community of Mistissini, says levels of homophobia are higher in Indigenous communities than they are in the general population.

"Many two-spirited people, even those who are out, think that they are sinners," said Jolly. "That's the image that's been portrayed in the Cree communities and many other Indigenous communities as well."

Internalized homophobia

Jolly says he really wants the conference to address the issue of internalized homophobia head-on and help Indigenous LGBTQ2 youth feel better about themselves.

The conference will also deal with questions surrounding Christianity and homosexuality, through a message of acceptance from Rev. Jean-Daniel Williams of the Anglican Church.

For Jolly, it's an important message for young two-spirited Indigenous people to hear.

The first Eeyou-Eenou two-spirit conference was held last year in Montreal and included messages of support from some of the leaders of the Cree Nation, including Grand Chief Abel Bosum and the heads of the Cree Health Board and Cree School Board.

It was the first time Cree leaders had publicly supported the two-spirited members of their communities.

Jolly says since those messages of support, he's had more parents reaching out to him, looking for ways to support their two-spirited children, and more youth seeking support.

This year, the conference is also accepting participants from other First Nations communities across Quebec.