Sexual Stigma & Resilience Across Generations: Bringing Together Métis Elders and Youth to Uncover & Recover Cultural Teachings
About the Project
Open and celebrated sexuality and sexual diversity were once cultural norms across many Métis communities. Métis teachings reference traditional sexual and gender scripts as involving open attitudes toward sexual and gender diversity, viewing sex as a celebration of pleasure for all genders, and respecting sex as a gift from Creator---all highly progressive norms by today's Western standards.
Through colonial imposition of Euro-Christian patriarchy and intergenerational sexualized trauma beginning with residential schooling, cultural values based on the principles of diversity, positive sexuality, and equality have been undermined. Today, Métis, particularly youth, are disproportionately impacted by higher rates of sexual vulnerabilities, including sexually transmitted infections, sexualized violence, and stigma related to sexuality and gender identity.
Sexuality-related stigma poses an ongoing threat to the wellbeing of Métis youth: Through stigma and social shame, individuals self-isolate, engage in avoidance coping strategies, and often refrain from asking others for help when they need it most.
Extending from an ongoing research partnership with Shining Mountains Living Community Services, the community has requested an innovative research study that begins to unpack and examine sexuality-related stigma in the community, particularly as it impacts community youth.
The central aim of this study is to explore youth experiences around sexuality- and gender-related stigma, as well as to capture culture-based teachings from Elders related to coping and resilience for positive sexuality and gender identity. This study will bring together youth and Elders in the community to meet the following objectives:
1. Knowledge Creation: Supporting cultural resurgence efforts in the creation of Métis cultural and community-based anti-stigma models and understandings around positive sexuality and gender for community youth, grounded in the knowledge and lived experience of community Elders and youth.
2. Enhanced Community Research Capacity: Capacity building through the promotion of community and academic engagement in culturally safe research, the enhancement of research skills amongst youth and other stakeholders, and the creation and utilization of culturally relevant land-based and arts-based research methodologies.
The research process will involve participatory, community-driven research practices, beginning with the creation of a Youth and Elders Council in our partnering community, who will design and oversee the research with the support of the academic research team. The research methodology involves qualitative narrative and arts-based methods that are culturally relevant and consistent with Métis oral and expressive traditions, including: sharing circles, storytelling, land-based teachings, qualitative interviews, and arts-based data collection methods.
The research team is composed of community health workers and advocates, and academics with expertise in Indigenous resurgence, sexuality and culturally safe research methods, with extensive community experience. We are well-positioned to engage in this important research!
This knowledge will help to build a culturally-grounded theory of anti-stigma and resilience. The culminating product will be a co-designed and co-constructed national online and interactive exhibit, and a discussion guide that will amplify and centre the voices of Métis youth experiencing stigma, as well as anti-stigma teachings from Elders. It will also involve a translation initiative into the Michif language, and will be disseminated to key policy and program stakeholders to decrease stigma in the community, as well as to our national research networks