Strengthening the Status Queer: A Leadership Symposium for and by Queer People

Register here: https://memberlink.mbteach.org/Event.axd?e=2834

Morning Keynote : Building a United Response to Regression: Strategies to Address Anti-2SLGBTQIA+ Hate

Presenter : Fae Johnstone

Bio:
Fae Johnstone, MSW, is the Executive Director of Wisdom2Action, a progressive consulting firm and social enterprise, as well as the (part-time) Executive Director of the Society of Queer Momentum - a 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy nonprofit. She is a prominent advocate for queer and trans rights and a recurring voice in Canadian news on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. She was the Grand Marshal of the Ottawa Capital Pride Parade in 2023, and recipient of the Young 2SLGBTQIA+ Entrepreneur of the Year award from Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Chamber of Commerce, also in 2023. She’s also on a chocolate bar.

Keynote description:
Amidst resurgent homophobia and transphobia, powered by a new era of misinformation and far-right populism, we need to build a united and strategic response to defend progress and advance a more free, equal and socially just future. This session will share lessons learned from Queer Momentum’s advocacy efforts, and explore strategies related to messaging, coalition building, building political power and effective campaigning.

A1: Reinforcing psychological safety, transparency, and accountability (Virtual presentation):

Presenter: Jasmine T. Williams-Jacobs

Bio :
Jasmine T. Williams-Jacobs (they/she) is the founder and director of Black Remote She, a community-driven platform for Black queer, trans, nonbinary people, and allies interested in working remotely. As a self-proclaimed equity enthusiast and radical communicator, Jasmine launched Black Remote She to connect Black 2SLGBTQIA+ and allies with inclusive work cultures and gender affirming resources. Using their passion and background in digital organizing and community engagement, Jasmine manages Black Remote She as a progressive system of job and resource sharing.

Presentation description:
Anti-Blackness, transphobia, sexism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination continue to negatively impact Black and Brown 2SLGBTQIA+ people in work cultures across the globe. In this session, Jasmine will discuss intersectionality, equity, active listening, harm reduction, and reparations in the workplace.

A2: Building Queer Space

Presenter: Aaron Pollock

Bio:
Aaron is an Associate and Architect with Number TEN Architectural group. With over a decade of experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge to cultural, community and multi-use projects in Winnipeg and beyond. He is an active member of the Winnipeg design community and a proud advocate for social change through his volunteer work with Rainbow Resource Centre and Victoria Hospital Foundation.

Presentation description:
Creating affirming and inclusive space is critical for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and beyond. The presentation will explore the difference between queering spaces vs. designing and creating purpose-built queer spaces through the lens of Rainbow Resource Centre’s, Place of Pride Campus project.

A4: Collective Pride: Supporting Activism for Leaders and Educators

Presenters:

1. Kathleen Wilson (they/she), University of Manitoba

Bio:
Kathleen is a 2 Spirit Red River Metis educator with a commitment to building more inclusive and dynamic learning environments and workplaces. Metis by her motherline; family names are Thomas, Parisian, Best, with script land in St. Andrews. Kathleen also holds settler ancestry from Spain, Ukraine, Ireland, Scotland, and England. Kathleen is a lifelong educator, with research interests rooted in Indigenizing resurgence, Queering lens work and safety within education. They currently work as an Instructor at the University of Manitoba and is working towards her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies. Personal time is spent exploring with loved ones, learning new things, community centered committee work, and puttering around the cabin.

2. Kim Cao (they/them)

Bio:
Kim is a first-generation Vietnamese non-binary high school educator with a focus on queer and intersectional epistemologies and literacy. They currently work with the Met School Exchange, focusing on big picture learning, internships, and technology. They are born and raised on Treaty 1 after their parents were politically displaced. Even with over a decade of teaching experience, they have yet to understand the threshold of consuming too much caffeine. In their spare time, they are insufferable and spend their time getting lost in the bush and trying to ‘relax’ with their fluff dog, Mojo JoJo.

Presentation description:
Disruption, resistance and activism are fundamental to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. For some, activism involves attending rallies and organizing protests, while for others it is showing up in a classroom, walking the hallways and moving through a school as 2SLGBTQIA+. This activism extends beyond the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ groups and doesn’t exist without anti-racism, anti-ableism, climate action, decolonial lenses, and support systems. We acknowledge these layered systemic harms, and highlight the call to work in solidarity towards equity as crucial in fostering hope as resistance and ensuring that activism is safely supported and maintained in educational spaces.

A5: FundaMental: A Conversation about Queer Leadership and Mental Health in Post-Secondary Education

Presenter: Chritopher Yendt

Bio:

Christopher/C. Yendt (he/they) is PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Education at UM. Their research focuses on the intersection of queer identities, mental health, leadership and the student experience. Over nearly fourteen years in elected student leadership across undergraduate and graduate studies, they’ve served in local, provincial and national governance roles. Currently serving their second term as President and CEO of the University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association (UMGSA), this involvement has spanned dozens of elections, multiple organizations, institutions and provinces. These experiences are centralized in their research as it seeks to challenge the ways in which queer leadership is understood in context with the formation of student identities. Their involvement has also extended to community, serving on the boards of Compass Community Health, Rainbow’s End CDC, CMHA-Niagara, and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. They are a four-time graduate of Brock University, an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT), a member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP), and a certified director through the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).

Presentation Description:
While discourse on the mental health challenges facing queer leaders in post-secondary education continues to develop, many aspects facing queer Mental health challenges facing queer leaders in post-secondary education continues to develop across various university and college campuses. In particular, it is the potential impacts arising from intersections of other mental health factors alongside those challenges specific to navigating a post-secondary landscape that presents new pathways to better understanding the challenging and complex environment facing queer leaders and their approaches to leading mental health and resiliency. In beginning the work to unpack these experiences and the challenges underpinning them, we open possibilities to make spaces more inclusive and safer for queer leaders while encouraging future leadership to embrace and expand approaches to healthy leadership practice.

Afternoon Panel Discussion: Psychologically Safe Workplaces

Presenters:

1.Chi-Chun Lin

Bio:
Chi-Chun Lin is an assistant professor in the Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. He holds a Doctorate of Psychology in Marital and Family Therapy (COAMFTE-accredited) and three master’s degrees in counselling psychology, marital and family therapy, and mental health (Johns Hopkins University). He is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor, a Registered Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia, Canada, and a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor in the Canadian Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. His academic and clinical interests mainly focus on mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and suicidality) and sexual health issues (e.g., sexual debut, STIs, and sexual relationships) among marginalized groups (e.g., 2SLGBTQ+, immigrants, and people living with HIV). To date (June 2024), he has published 14 peer-reviewed journal articles and one book chapter, and he primarily applies qualitative approaches to research.

2. Matthew Landry, Teacher, Louis Riel School Division

Bio:
I am a proud Metis and bisexual educator in my 7th year of teaching. I have had the pleasure of working in grades 2-8 in both English and French Immersion. I am passionate about sharing my experiences as a bisexual, in hopes of contributing to the voices of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as we work towards representation, understanding and empowerment.

3. Beck Watt

Bio:
Beck Watt (they/he) is musician and music educator in Winnipeg. They have been working as the band and music teacher at St John’s High School in the Winnipeg School Division since 2018 and have been an actively performing flutist across Winnipeg for the past 15 years. Beck is a recent graduate of Queen’s University with a Master of Education. Their thesis explored transgender and/or gender non-conforming (TGNC) instrumental musician’s experiences negotiating the gender binary in Western instrumental music-making spaces. In addition to their work as a musician and music educator, Beck is passionate about educating on gender inclusive practices within education and advocating for the TGNC teacher experience.

B1: Cultural Competence of Mental Health Service Providers Working with 2SLGBTQ+ Clients

Presenter: Chi-Chun Lin

Bio:
Chi-Chun Lin is an assistant professor in the Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. He holds a Doctorate of Psychology in Marital and Family Therapy (COAMFTE-accredited) and three master’s degrees in counselling psychology, marital and family therapy, and mental health (Johns Hopkins University). He is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor, a Registered Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia, Canada, and a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor in the Canadian Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. His academic and clinical interests mainly focus on mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and suicidality) and sexual health issues (e.g., sexual debut, STIs, and sexual relationships) among marginalized groups (e.g., 2SLGBTQ+, immigrants, and people living with HIV). To date (June 2024), he has published 14 peer-reviewed journal articles and one book chapter, and he primarily applies qualitative approaches to research.

Presentation description:
2SLGBTQ+ people experience various mental health challenges and relationship
challenges. The presentation aims to increase the cultural competence of mental health service providers working with 2SLGBTQ+ people.

B2: The L Word of Open Education (It’s Licenses): Advancing Open Education for the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community

Presenter: Ebony Novakowski

Bio:
Ebony Novakowski is the Copyright Officer at RRC Polytech, an active member of the Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and a recent co-recipient of the RRC Bravo Award for Diversity and Inclusion Excellence for work with the RRC Polytech Gender and Sexual Diversity Working Group.
Ebony has worked with the Manitoba Library Association (MLA) chairing the Library Technician Division of the Association and is currently one of two MLA representatives on the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) she holds a seat on the CFLA Copyright Committee which advocates at the Federal level for balance in Copyright Law in Canada that supports Libraries and Educators nationwide.
When not working Ebony is fond of making questionable pottery, growing and killing house plants, and boldly donning a neon Lesbian flag suit to confront any misguided soul attempting to ban Queer literature —truly a force to be reckoned with!

Presentation description:
Exploring the relationship between Open Education, Copyright, and the empowerment of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. This session will build awareness of intellectual property rights issues and practices that impact the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and delve into the responsibilities of educators in creating Queer educational resources within frameworks that promote diverse and inclusive Open Education practices.

B3: Combatting cisheteronormativity through queer literacy: Resources for teaching 2SLGBTQIA+ content in elementary school

Presenter: Jake Bergen

Bio:
Dr. Jake Bergen (they/them) is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. They facilitate mixed-methods research at the intersections of anti-racism, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, social justice, and mental health in post-secondary teaching and learning, with a focus on teacher education.

Presentation description:
This workshop will share resources for teaching 2SLGBTQIA+ content at the elementary level. Topics will include cisheteronormativity in schools, the legal basis for supporting students in Manitoba, strategies that students recommend, and examples of how to use a queer literacy framework when teaching young students using children’s literature.

B4: Blending Boundaries: Genderless Fashion as a Tool for Queer Empowerment (Virtual presentation)

Presenter: Ciara Strickland

Bio:
Ciara Strickland is a United States Navy veteran turned influential content creator and influencer strategist. She is the visionary founder of The New Mixx™ , a dynamic platform that champions genderless fashion and promotes inclusivity across all facets of lifestyle and fashion. With a sharp focus on breaking down gender norms and empowering underrepresented voices, Ciara leverages her disciplined military background to deliver content that is not only aesthetically compelling but also deeply impactful. Her work extends beyond fashion into areas of lifestyle, mental health, and advocacy, making her a respected voice in the queer community and a leading figure in digital content strategy. Ciara's expertise is further amplified through her strategic use of social media platforms, where she engages a diverse audience with her innovative approaches to fashion and identity.

Presentation description:
Explore the transformative power of genderless fashion as a tool for leadership
and visibility within queer communities. This session will delve into how fashion
can challenge normative narratives and foster a more inclusive, expressive
leadership style.