First-year business student Violet Swan was assigned to create an event that helped others and promote it for her communications class. But what started out as a small idea, snowballed into the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies‘ (SIIT) first-ever LGBTQ Awareness Week.
“I kind of really wanted a lot of people to have more information on the LGBTQ community and what it means to be in the community,” Swan explained.
“Explain the different types of pronouns, sexual identities and orientations as well,” she added.
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Swan’s group project collaborated with the student’s association, hosting daily events that mixed education, presentations and celebrations.
“It’s really exciting to see the institution coming together including different departments, staff and students. It’s been a really positive experience,” SIIT business Prof. Laura Negraeff said.
On Friday, the event celebrated two-spirit people, who were revered in indigenous culture before colonization.
“We had a term two-spirit where the Creator gifted upon somebody the spirit of a male and a female within one body,” awareness week organizer Hunter McLean explained.
“They were seen like elders, they had teaching with the Creator that their community needed to learn,” he added.
Swan and McLean are already planning on making next year’s event bigger and better. In the meantime, they hope to get a permanent LGBTQ safe space at the campus.