EDUCATION
TRAINING &Â
WORKSHOPS
We provide training and workshops for businesses and organizations on all things 2SLGBTQIA+. Need a facilitated discussion, training on terminology, inclusivity and positive space or a community based approach to your current practices?
Contact us for details.
WHEN & WHERE
ADVOCACY &
WHITE PAPERS
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Kelowna Pride has been involved in several research white papers advocating for inclusion, equity and acceptance of all gender expressions and sexual orientations. We would love to hear from you on policy decisions and how we can advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Planning an event and want someone from Kelowna Pride present? We would be happy to have a volunteer represent the Society.
Contact us for details.
PRONOUNS
In English, personal pronouns are words that are used to refer to people without using their name, such as he, she, or they. Pronouns are an important part of who we are. When someone is referred to with the wrong pronoun, it can make them feel disrespected, invalidated, dismissed, and/or alienated.
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People do not always use the pronoun that you may expect based on their name or appearance. Using someone’s correct pronouns validates their identity, helps make them feel like they belong, and signals that you can be a supportive ally.
WHEN & WHERE
TWO-SPIRIT
“Two-spirit” refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit, and is used by some Indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity. As an umbrella term it may encompass same-sex attraction and a wide variety of gender variance, including people who might be described in Western culture as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, gender queer, cross-dressers or who have multiple gender identities. Two-spirit can also include relationships that could be considered poly.
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Two-spirit people may also use terms from their Indigenous language to describe same-sex attraction or gender variance. Some Indigenous languages do not have terms to describe sexual identities such as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Many Indigenous languages are verb-focussed, and describe what people do rather than how they identify.
INTERSEX
“Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. Or a person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types—for example, a "girl" may be born with a noticeably large clitoris, or lacking a vaginal opening, or a "boy" may be born with a notably small penis, or with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like labia. Or a person may be born with mosaic genetics, so that some of their cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.
WHEN & WHERE
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