Grand Council Treaty #3 has announced the creation of an LGBTQ2S Council.
The move is seen as an integral part of the organizations national governance.
The Chiefs-in-Assembly determined that there are members of the Anishinaabe Nation that may not find themselves represented within the exisiting four councils (Women’s Council, Men’s Council, Youth Council and Elder’s Council) and the addition of a fifth was necessary.
Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh says this past summer gave them time to reflect on how society excludes many people and their stories.
Kavanaugh says “This has been a personal journey for myself as well, as a heterosexual man, who must admit that he does not know the realities faced by those whose genders or sexual orientations varies from that which society has long deemed ‘normal’. Sometimes a governance system, no matter how sacred or functional, must be changed if it excludes those that are most vulnerable. This council is of critical importance to me as I seek guidance on how to ensure that LGBTQ2S individuals are never again left feeling as though they do not have a place within the Nation that loves them.”
He’s encouraging all other Indigenous organizations, governments and nations to reflect on how their systems impact the life experiences of LGBTQ2S people.
Selection of the Council members will occur at the next Chiefs-in-Assembly meeting.
