Welcome to this special edition of SSAIC’s Monthly Newsletter!
It’s been an exciting month for us, as we received funding from Justice Canada for a special project launching for Victims and Survivors of Crime Week 2019, happening May 27-31.
We’ve recognized at SSAIC that we need to do better in our service provision for LGBTQ2S members in our community — after all, we are here to serve EVERYONE in Saskatoon, and we want to remove as many barriers as possible when it comes to accessing our services.
For many people within the LGBTQ2S community there are unique barriers such as:
- Binary language (men vs. women) may exclude non-binary people from feeling they can access services
- A general lack of LGBTQ2-specific supports and resources; limited or non-existent treatment programs
- Fear of service termination or discrimination around providing their legal name/sex vs. their correct name and gender
- Anxiety around engaging with a new service provider; fear of discrimination, being misgendered, or being turned away
So, over the next few months, we’ll be revamping our public education materials and website to ensure LGBTQ2S inclusive language is the standard and checking that our internal policies follow best practices for LGBTQ2S inclusive service provision.
Pride Festival in Saskatoon is just around the corner — learning about the particular ways in which sexual violence affects these vulnerable community members has never been more timely, and learning about this topic makes you a stronger, more informed ally.
In the meantime, through our funding from Justice Canada, we’ve partnered with OUTSaskatoon to create two new brochures:
- The Intersection of Gender Identity & Violence in the LGBTQ2S Community
- The Intersection of Sexual Orientation & Violence in the LGBTQ2S Community
These will be available for download on a special LGBTQ2S page on our website, as well as our general resources page as of June 5, 2019.
To help other non-profits and service providers improve their LGBTQ2S inclusivity practices, SSAIC will be co-hosting a Lunch and Learn with OUTSaskatoon on Thursday, May 30 in the YWCA Studio. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. Attendees will learn appropriate terminology, rates of sexual violence throughout the LGBTQ2S community, how to support queer survivors of sexual violence, and best practices in creating programming, outreach, and general services. Attendees will also receive resources from SSAIC and OUTSaskatoon that will aid them in increasing their knowledge and in creating inclusive environments for queer survivors. Visit the event page for more information or to register.
Only a few seats remain. Bring all of the questions you’ve been afraid to ask — this is a safe space!
