2SLGBTQIA+
2SLGBTQIA+ is an acronym that collectively represents individuals identifying as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender independent, queer, and/or questioning, intersex, and asexual, among other identity markers. This expansive category serves as an umbrella term for diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Within this broad category, it's crucial to acknowledge and address the unique barriers, discrimination, and challenges faced by these communities.
A
The system of oppression that disadvantages people with disabilities and advantages people who do not currently have disabilities. Institutional structures, social norms, and individual beliefs and behaviors function collectively to maintain the status quo that excludes people with disabilities from full and fair participation.
The action of undoing a system, institution, or practice. Abolition often centers on eliminating prisons, jails, police, courts, surveillance, and borders. Abolition seeks to create a system that is rooted in dignity, care, and accountability rather than relying on punishment.
The proactive and reactive ways in which individuals and communities hold themselves and others responsible for goals, processes, and actions. This centers the principles of ownership, responsibility, transparency, and commitment.
A person who actively, intentionally, and continuously challenges oppression at all levels of our community. This includes blocking or impeding oppressive policies, programs, and practices. Accomplice fight alongside and take direction from people who directly experience oppression.
A group that is intentionally created for those who share an identity to convene for learning, support, and connections. Ex. An affinity group based on racial identity may be exclusively comprised, respectively, of People of Color, white people, people who hold multiracial identities, or people who share specific racial or ethnic identities.
African Nova Scotians are a distinct people who descend from free and enslaved Black Planters, Black Loyalists, Black Refugees, Maroons, and other Black people who inhabited the original 52 land-based Black communities in that part of Mi’kma’ki known as Nova Scotia.
An identity/experience that describes a person who identifies as having no gender or who does not experience gender as a primary identity component.
A person who builds their relationships to oppressed group through a commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.) and work in solidarity for justice, reconciliation and/or liberation. Allies understand that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, intentional, overt, and consistent responsibility for the change-making.
A form of racism that attempts to both void Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black communities and their experiences. Beneath this distinct form of racism is the covert structural and systemic racism which categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Black peoples and communities in Canada. The structure is held in place by anti-Black policies, institutions, and ideologies.
The active, intentional, and continuous work of opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life. Anti-racism seeks to both disrupt and dismantle all values, assumptions, attitudes, actions and structures which promote racism and white supremacy.
An anti-racist is a person whose values, beliefs, attitudes and actions align with disrupting and dismantling racist policies and institutions. This includes the expression of ideas that racialized peoples have inherent dignity, worth and self-determination, and supporting policies that reduce racial inequity.
Discrimination towards and/or hatred of Jewish people, Judaism and Jewish culture. Antisemitism has deep historical roots and uses exploitation, marginalization, discrimination, and violence as its tools to oppress.
An identity/experience that describes a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others, and/or lacks interest in forming romantic relationships. Aromantic people may still have intimate relationships.
An identity/experience that describes a person who does not experience sexual attraction toward individuals of any gender.
A designation that refers to a person’s biological, morphogical, hormonal and genetic composition. A person’s sex (male, female, intersex) is assigned to a child at birth and is most often based on the child's external anatomy. This is commonly abbreviated as AFAB (assigned female at birth) or AMAB (assigned male at birth).
The process in which people and groups are encouraged, coerced and/or forced to adopt the culture, values, and social behaviors of the dominant culture. This often mean shedding or hiding aspects of one’s own identity and experience.
B
Intolerant prejudice that glorifies one’s own group and denigrates members of groups outside of one’s own.
Discrimination towards, fear, stigmatization, marginalization and hatred of bisexual people or those who are perceived as bisexual.
The process of tightly wrapping one’s chest in order to minimize the appearance of having breasts. This is achieved through use of constrictive materials such as cloth strips, bandages or specially designed undergarments, called binders.
An acronym that stands forBlack, Indigenous, and People of Color. While it is important to recognize that not all people of color have the same experience, this is a term intended to demonstrate solidarity (not similarity) between communities of color. By noting Indigenous and Black communities the beginning, this term aims to bring to center stage the specific and ongoing violence, cultural erasure, and discrimination experienced by Black and Indigenous communities.
Those who identify as African descendants and are part of the African diaspora. The collection of African-descent communities spread throughout the Americas, the Caribbean, the African Continent, Europe and globally. In Canada Black Canadian or African Canadian are terms often used. They are a subset of racialized persons.
C
An identity/experience that describes an person whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth.
A system of oppression that disadvantages people based on social class or perceived social class. Policies and practices are designed to not only benefit more class-privileged people at the expense of the less class-privileged people. Stigma is used to distinguish less class privilege-people as being immoral, incapable, lees productive and less deserving.
The ways in which people think and act that perpetuate oppression or prevent others from working to eliminate oppression.
Example: Non-disabled people who object to strategies for making buildings accessible because of the expense.
The invasion, dispossession, dislocation and domination of a territory and it’s original inhabitants. The invasion may or may not involve military occupation but still uses various forms of violence to secure the subjugation of land and peoples. This violence is often legalized, normalized and invisibilized. The ongoing dispossession and legacy of colonialism is institutionalized inequality.
The process that 2SLGBTQIA+ peoples go through as they work to accept their sexual orientation orgender identityand share that identity openly with the people around them. This process is complex, contextual and often, life-long.
A way of thinking that asserts that ending discrimination merely requires treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. By overlooking the cumulative and enduring ways in which race unequally shapes experiences, this actually reinforces and sustains an unequal status quo.
The standard in which white skin is seen as being normal and ideal. This form of oppression allocates privilege and favor to those with lighter skin colors and disadvantage to darker skin colors. Colorism exists both within and across racial and ethnic groups.
The intellectual ability for people and groups to identify, analyse, act in ways that address inequality and injustice.
The inappropriate process of adopting cultural elements—including symbols, art, language, beliefs, practices etc.—for one’s own personal gain (financial gain, social status, etc.). This it most likely to occur when people lack the understanding, acknowledgement, or respect for its place/value in the original culture. This is rooted in the assumption that it is the dominant culture’s right to take and own another group’s cultural elements.
The ability to learn about and understand another culture’s language, customs, beliefs, and patterns. Depending on the context, this approach may or may not be appropriate. While well-intended, this approach may lead to stereotyping and people assuming an “expert” role.
An ongoing process of self-exploration and self-critique combined with a willingness to learn from others with humility. It centers cultivating relationships with others where their beliefs/customs are honoured, differences are acknowledged, and people are accepted and valued for who they are.
The ability to adapt and thrive in groups of diverse people. This includes understanding different perspectives, building relationships, collaborating and communicating effectively with people with different identities and experiences.
A sense of understanding, purpose and custom that is developed by a group of people to ensure survival. These groups are distinguished by a set of unspoken rules that shape values, beliefs, habits, patterns of thinking, behaviors and styles of communication.
D
The active, intentional and continuous resistance against colonial powers. Decolonization seeks to explicitly return land and autonomy to the original inhabitants of a place. This is a political, economic, social and deeply personal process of deconstructing colonial oppression.
The voluntary or forcible movement of peoples from their homelands into new geographic region(s).
The unequal treatment of members of various groups based on real or perceived difference (ie. race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion and other categories).
This may:
- Have the effect of imposing burdens, obligations, or disadvantages on an individuals or groups that are not imposed on others and/or;
- Have the effect of withholding or limiting access to opportunities, benefits, advantages available to other individuals or groups.
The multitude of ways in which people differ. It encompasses all the different identities, experiences and characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive concept and recognizes everyone and every group should be valued, cared for and celebrated.
E
The system of oppression that promotes the subordination and mistreatment of young people and elders based on age through the restriction and denial of opportunities to exercise social, economic, and political power. This includes restricted access to goods, services, and privileges of society, along with loss of voice and limited access to participation in society. Young people and elders are marginalized and excluded by practices that give middle-aged adults the power to act on and for them, often without their agreement or consent.
The learned ability to recognize and deeply connect with another person’s stories and/or experience. Through active listening, the person is able to establish a common understanding and emotions that expand beyond feeling sympathetic or pity.
To treat everyone fairly. An emphasis on equity seeks to distribute proportional resources, opportunities, and rights across individuals and groups, taking into deep consideration structural factors that create and perpetuate inequity. This may result in an unequal response.
Equity means that everyone is given the resources that they need to succeed. Equity often appears unfair, but it actively moves everyone closer to pilipili by “leveling the playing field.”
A social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history, and ancestral geographical base.
Examples of different ethnic groups are: Haitian, Chinese, Peruvian, African Canadian, Irish, Māori, Vietnamese, Dene, Cuban, Argentinean, Sudanese, Inuit, Egyptian and Swedish
The tendency to view your own society or culture as superior and the standard by which othersocieties and cultures should be judged.
G
An identity/experience that describes an individual who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same sex and/or gender as themselves. Commonly used to describe men who are primarily attracted to men but can also be used by people of other genders.
A range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral characteristics that constructs what it means to be a cisgender, transgender, gender non-conforming person, or a person of another genderidentity.
The process of making social, legal and/or medical changes to recognize, accept and express one’s gender identity. Social changes can include changing one’s pronouns, name, clothing and hairstyle. Legal changes can include changing one’s name, sex designation and gender markers on legal documents. Medical changes can include receiving gender-affirming hormones and/or surgeries. Although this process is sometimes referred to as transition, the term gender affirmation is recommended.
A range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. These supports help transgender people align various aspects of their lives — emotional, interpersonal, and biological — with their gender identity.
A feminizing and masculinizing hormone treatment which seeks to align biological characteristics with gender identity.
A range of surgical procedures which seek to align a person’s physical appearance and sexual characteristics with their gender identity. Types of GAS include upper and lower body augmentation, facial feminization, body sculpting and hair removal. Not everyone elects to have surgery as part of their medical transition, and similarly, some choose not to transition medically at all.
A social construction of gender in which there are only two distinct and opposite genders that a person must strictly fit into one category or the other: male/masculine/men OR female/feminine/women. These are often based on the appearance of the external genitalia and imposed by culture, religion, or other societal pressures.
A clinical term used to describe the sense of unease or distress experienced by some people whose gender identity does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. The degree and severity of gender dysphoria is highly variable among transgender and gender-diverse people, but can have a serious and harmful impact on daily life.
The ways a person communicates their gender to the world through mannerisms, clothing, speech, behavior, etc. Gender expression varies depending on culture, context and historical period.
Gender identity refers to one’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is their sense of being a woman, man, both, neither or anywhere along or outside of the gender spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be the same as, or different from, the gender typically associated with their sex assigned at birth.
An identity/experience that describes an individual who does not consistently adhere to one fixed gender and who may move among genders. This person’s gender identity is not fixed and may feel more aligned with a certain gender some of the time, another gender at other times, both genders sometimes and sometimes no gender at all.
A person’s appearance or behavior that does not conform to society’s expectations of gender. Not every person who is gender non-conforming istransgenderorgender-expansive, although the two groups often intersect.
An abbreviation (usually M or F) identifying a person’s gender on legal documents and government-issued identification forms. Gender markers can be changed from one binary gender to the other. In Canada, options for gender marker vary by Province or Territory. Depending on location, neutral gender markers may be found on birth certificates, passports, provincial IDs, driver’s licenses and health cards, represented by the letter “X.”
An umbrella term that describes a person whose gender identity falls outside the traditional gender binary of male and female. Some people may also use the term gender expansive.
A word that refers to the gender of either the people talking or someone or something that is being talked about. Pronouns are part of someone’s gender expression, and people can have multiple sets of pronouns for themselves (such as using both he/him/his and they/them/theirs). Pronouns are not “preferred” but instead are required for respectful communication.
A word which does not associate a gender with the individual who is being discussed. Examples of these may include: They/Their/Them, Ze/Zie/Hir/Hirs, Ve/Vers/Vis
A set of societal standards dictating what types of behaviors are considered acceptable, appropriate or desirable for a person based on their actual or perceived gender. These roles change with time, culture, context and interpersonal relationships.
H
A range of public health approaches that emphasize education and prevention rather than pathologizing, criminalizing, and/or punishing potentially unsafe activities, both legal and illicit. The harm reduction model allows an individual to determine whether they want to stop or change a behavior and may be applied to various scenarios, including (but not limited to) recreational drug use, self-injury, intimate partner violence and sexual activity.
An organization whose goals and activities intentionally seek to incite hatred, exclusion and violence against certain groups on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. This group will center their claim to superiority to justify the devaluing of human rights.
The assumption that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is superior to all other sexual orientations. This includes the often implicitly held idea that heterosexuality is the norm and that other sexualities are “different” or “abnormal.”
Discrimination or prejudice against anyone who does not conform to binary gender norms based on the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal/ideal sexual orientation.
An identity/experience that describes a person who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to people of the other binary gender. For example, women who are primarily emotionally and physically attracted to men. Also referred to as straight.
Discrimination towards, fear, stigmatization, marginalization and hatred of lesbian and gay people, or those who are perceived as lesbian or gay.
I
Associations that are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness. These often negatively affect individuals’ assumptions, attitudes and actions of the people and situations around them.
The process and outcome of authentically bringing marginalized individuals and/or groups into spaces, activities, and decision-making processes in a way that values their presence and perspective, and shares power.
A word used to describe the state of being Indigenous, or related to Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. This of often used as a pan-political identity used within and beyond Turtle Island (known as Canada). It seeks to bring together the similarities between Indigenous Peoples. It does not encompass the unique ancestral identities, cultures and lands that various communities cherish.
In the context of Turtle Island, which spans North America encompassing Canada and the United States, Indigenous peoples and their descendants are recognized as the original inhabitants. This collective term, and less commonly Aboriginal, includes First Nations, Inuk, and Métis communities, each characterized by distinct languages, cultures, and traditions that vary across Nations, language groups, and regions.
The beliefs, attitudes, and actions that are shared within and between peoples that support or perpetuate oppression. Interpersonal oppression can be deliberate, or unintentional. Regardless, it inflicts serious harm on individuals who are targeted by and/or witness these behaviours.
Examples:
- Telling a racist joke, using a racial slur or imagery
- Avoiding, excluding or dismissing people who are perceived to be lesser than
- Accepting other people’s and institution’s oppressive behaviours (a form of collusion)
The ways in which institutional policies, processes and practices create and/or perpetuates different outcomes for different groups. The institutional policies may never mention any specific marginalized group, but their effect is to create advantages for one and oppression and disadvantage for another.
Examples:
- Organizational policies that explicitly restrict the ability for people who are transgender to change their gender markers or limit insurance for transgender-specific health and wellness needs.
- City sanitation department policies that concentrate trash transfer stations and other environmental hazards disproportionately near Indigenous and Black communities.
The ways in which a person or group that is targeted by oppression supports the supremacy of the dominating group by maintaining the set of attitudes, behaviors, social structures, and ideologies that create oppression. These can be expressed internally (via beliefs and attitude) but also have an external impact (ie. behaviours).
Examples:
- Internal: Women perpetuating the belief that wrinkles, grey hair and hot flashes determine if they are “old”
- External: A gay man changing his typical behaviours to present as overly masculine because he doesn’t want to be perceived as the “flamboyant” stereotype
The ways in which a person hold multiple, unique, and complex identities and experiences of privilege and oppression.
This complexity means that:
- We can both experience oppression and privilege simultaneously.
ie. Karen experiences oppression as a result of being a disabled but at the same time, experiences white privilege. - Many live with more than one identity or experience of oppression.
ie. Bec accesses and experiences the health clinic differently because she is a Two Spirit Indigenous person and her friend Lisa is a white, cisgender woman. - Not everyone from the same group has the same experiences of privilege and oppression.
ie. Rick, who has a visible disability treated different than his colleague who has an invisible disability. - Privilege and oppression intersect — but they don’t negate one another.
ie. Terra is a white queer women. Her experiences of homophobia don’t outweigh her experiences of white privilege, and vise versa.
An identity/experience that describes a person who is born with or develop genetic, hormonal or physical sex characteristics that are not typically regarded as 'male' or 'female'.
Discrimination towards and/or hatred of Muslim people, Islam and Islamic culture. This also extends more broadly to Arab people and cultures who are perceived to be Muslim. Islamomisia has deep historical roots and uses exploitation, marginalization, discrimination, and violence as its tools to oppress.
L
An identity/experience that describes a woman who is primarily emotionally and physically attracted to other women.
The creation of relationships, societies, communities, organizations, and collective spaces characterized by equity, reciprocity and wellbeing. This centers the implementation of systems for the allocation of goods, services, benefits, and rewards that support the full participation of each human and the promotion of their full humanness.
M
A social process by which individuals or groups are (intentionally or unintentionally):
1. Distanced from access to power and resources
2. Constructed as being of lesser (in value and deservingness) to “mainstream” society
Groups of people that are excluded from mainstream social, economic, cultural, or political life. To what extent groups are marginalized is context specific and reliant on the political, cultural, and social climate.
Examples of marginalized groups include, but are not limited to, groups excluded due to race, religion, political or cultural group, age, gender, or financial status.
The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental assaults, insults, and invalidations which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages, targeting persons based solely upon their membership to a marginalized group.
The Mi’kmaq are the original inhabitants of this region, and their rich heritage and presence significantly contribute to the cultural fabric of the area. The Mi’kmaq are part of a larger network of Indigenous nations, and their connection to the Wabanaki Confederacy highlights the shared histories and relationships that shape the region. There are eight Mi’kmaw communities on mainland Nova Scotia and five on Cape Breton, each with its distinct history, traditions, and contributions to the collective identity of the Wabanaki Confederacy. This acknowledgment emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous communities in the region.
To refer to a person by a pronoun or other gendered term (ie. Ms./Mr.) that incorrectly indicates that person’s gender identity.
N
An identity/experience that describes a person who do not subscribe to the gender binary. They might exist between or beyond the man-woman binary. Some use the term exclusively, while others may use it interchangeably with terms like genderqueer, genderfluid, gender nonconforming, gender diverse, or gender expansive. It can also be combined with other descriptors (ie. nonbinary woman or transmasc nonbinary). It is sometimes abbreviated as NB or enby.
O
The systematic subjugation of one group by a more powerful group for the social, economic, and political benefit of the more powerful group. This is supported by networks of laws, rules, policies, and procedures, along with the attitudes, values, and actions of individuals. The outcome for those groups targeted by oppression is prolonged, cruel and unjust treatment and control.
P
An identity/experience that describes a person whose gender identity is comprised of many genders or falls outside the typical social parameters that define gender.
An identity/experience that describes a person whose emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction is inclusive to of all people across a spectrum of gender.
An historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of oppression in which those assigned male, or those exhibiting characteristics that have been associated with being male, hold ultimate authority and privilege. This includes being the primary beneficiaries of political leadership, moral authority, and control of property and requires the subordination, exploitation and marginalization of women.
Often the preferred collective term for referring to non-white racial groups. It is an inclusive and unifying frame that seeks to disrupt white supremacy culture by decentering whiteness and more accurately depict the size, scope and power of racialized peopled in contrast to the word “minority”. It’s very important to remember that lumping all of these groups together into one category can be a form of erasure. If you’re discussing a particular group, groups, or person, refer to the group by specific identity.
Individuals with disabilities encompass those whose daily activities may be restricted by a long-term condition or health-related issue. The aim is to collect information on the type and severity of disabilities, exploring diverse topics to provide valuable insights into the social and economic well-being of this group.
For regulatory reporting, individuals with disabilities face chronic, long-term, or recurring physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, or learning challenges. When coupled with barriers, these challenges hinder their full and effective participation in society. This group includes individuals whose functional limitations, due to their challenges, have been accommodated in their current job or workplace using technical aids, adjustments to equipment, or other necessary modifications.
The ability to direct, influence and/or impose on the beliefs, behaviours and experiences of others. Power give both people and institutions the ability to:
- Name or define what something is or should be
- Makes decisions that affect the lives of others
- Set/change the rule, standard, or policy
- Influence others to make choices in favor of your cause, issue, or concern
A pre-judgment and/or negative attitude that one individual or group has towards another. Such negative attitudes are typically based on unsupported generalizations (ie. biases, stereotypes) that deny their right to be recognized and treated as dignified and deserving human beings.
A form of unearned and unequal power given by formal and informal institutions to ALL members of a dominant group. This may take the form of a right, immunity, benefit or advantage given to an individual or group beyond what is available to others.
Examples of privilege include: white privilege, straight/heterosexual privilege, cisgender privilege, Christian privilege etc.
Q
An umbrella term describing people who think of their sexual orientation or gender identity as outside of societal norms. Some people view the term queer as more fluid and inclusive than traditional categories for sexual orientation and gender identity. Although queer was historically used as a slur, it has been reclaimed by many as a term of empowerment. Nonetheless, some still find the term offensive.
R
A social construct that was designed to define and justify the categorization of people based on their perceived difference to whiteness and white people. Some of these racial categories have changed over time.
A person’s awareness and experience of being a member of a racial and/or ethnic group. The identity that a person chooses to describe themselves may be based on factors such as: heritage, physical appearance, cultural affiliation, place of origin, and/or early socialization.
Any actionundertaken forreasons of safety, security or public protectionthat relies onstereotypesabout race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, or place of origin rather than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment. Age and/or gender can influence the experience of profiling.
Racialization is the very complex and contradictory process through which groups defined and categorized as being of a particular “race” and on that basis subjected to differential and/or unequal treatment. This process is often rendered invisible or normative to those categorized as white. As a result, white people may not see themselves as part of a race but still maintain the authority to name and racialize “others.”
Racialized persons, excluding Indigenous Peoples, are those historically and contemporarily defined as non-European in race and/or non-white. This definition is based on factors such as appearance, ancestry, culture, ideology, and/or place of origin. They reside in predominantly white cultures, irrespective of their place of birth or citizenship.
The system of oppression that seeks to define, categorize, disenfranchise, and dehumanize disadvantages racialized peoples and advantages people who are white and/or people who support white supremacy culture. Central to racism is one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through institutional policies and practices, and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.
A critical, complex, and continuous process of working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and communities by:
- Honouring treat relationships
- Acknowledging and respecting Indigenous rights and title
- Participating in the return and stewardship of the land
- Learning about/from historical and ongoing violence through truth-telling
- Disrupting anti-Indigenous racism in our person, professional and political lives
- Respecting Indigenous people’s autonomy, culture, and vision for the future
- Supporting the reclamation of identity, culture, language, and nationhood
- Building healing relationships to ourselves, the land, animals, and each other
- Decolonizing and indigenize our ways of knowing, being and doing
A system of oppression that subordinates religious groups and spiritualities based on non-Christian beliefs, affiliations or traditions. In the Canadian context, this includes Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Indigenous spiritualities, and those who are atheists, agnostics, or freethinkers.
Initiatives that seek to address the harms caused by these historical and ongoing oppressive violence against marginalized groups. They can take the form of compensation, rehabilitation and/or a commitment to change the underlying causes of abuse. Reparations publicly affirm that victims are rights-holders entitled to redress.
A theory and practice of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict via emphasizing individual and collective accountability. It places decisions in the hands of those who have been most affected by a wrongdoing, and gives equal concern to the victim, the offender, and the surrounding community. Restorative responses are meant to repair harm, heal broken relationships, and address the underlying reasons for the offense.
S
A form of colonization (not an event) in which colonizing powers create permanent or long-term settlement on land owned and/or occupied by other peoples, often by force. This typically includes oppressive governance, dismantling Indigenous cultures, and enforcing superiority (such as white supremacy).
A system of oppression based on values, assumptions, attitude and actions thatcenter on the fundamental nature of different genders (particularly the gender binary) and the roles they should playin society.These roles are based on the belief that there are inherent differences between cisgender men/boys and people of other genders that warrant differential treatment, opportunities, privileges for each group.
Sexual orientation refers to how a person characterizes their emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to others. Some people experience sexual orientation as an unchanging, lifelong experience, and others experience it in a more fluid way that changes over time or across situations.
The process of consciously and unconsciously learning norms, beliefs, and practices from individuals, media, and institutions about who we are and how we behave. These inform and reinforce our ideas of who does/does not have power, privilege and/or belong as it relates to social identities.
The theory and practice of redistributing power so that all may equitably access and experiencewealth, health, wellbeing, privileges, and opportunity.
The negative stereotypes and/or lower social status of a person or group based on perceived characteristics that separate that person or group from other members of a society.
A widely held, unfair and untrue beliefs about what someone or something is like.
An interlocking and reciprocal relationship between the individual, institutional and structural levels which function as a system of oppression. These various levels of racism operate together and function together as a whole system.
These levels are:
- Internalized (within an individual)
- Interpersonal (within interactions between people)
- Institutional (within institutions and systems of power)
- Ideological (among institutions and across society)
T
The practice of doing something to prevent criticism or give the appearance that someone or something promotes equity and inclusion. This is a form of a microaggression.
Examples:
- Inviting marginalized peoples (particularly those who are visibly different) to a group only for the purposes of demonstrating diversity
- Recruiting marginalized peoples to leadership positions but not redistributing power and respecting their decision-making
- Appointing marginalized peoples to lead equity initiatives without compensation, resources and power
- Using marginalized peoples to be a spokesperson and shield for when confronted about inequity
A theory and practice for responding to violence, harm, and abuse. It seeks to respond to violence without creating more violence and/or engaging in harm reduction to lessen the violence. Transformative justice co-creates interventions that:
1) do not rely on the state (ex. police, prisons, the legal system, foster care system, etc.)
2) do not reinforce or perpetuate violence (ex. punishment or vigilantism)
3) actively cultivates the things we know prevent violence such as community, healing, accountability, resilience, and safety for all
An identity/experience that describes a person whose gender identity does not align withtheassigned sex at birth. It is also used as an umbrella term to describe groups of people who transcend conventional expectations of gender identity or expression.
“Trans” is often considered more inclusive than transgender because it includes transgender, transsexual, transmasc, transfem, and those who simply use the word trans.
Discrimination towards, fear, marginalization and hatred of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people or those perceived as being trans. This discrimination is rooted in within systems and is a form of oppression.
An approach to utilizing policies and practices which center understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.This approach seeks topromote a culture of safety, support, choice, collaboration, trust, empowerment, and healing for all those within a space.
An umbrella term which reflects complex understandings of gender roles, spirituality, sexuality and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. There are many definitions and understandings of Two Spirit, and each is nation specific. Broadly, it describes the identities and experiences of an Indigenous person whose mind, body and spirit embodies multiple and fluid gendered energies. This interconnects gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation.
W
A social and political construction of race that emerged in the 17thcentury which uses policy, processes and practices to implement and enforce a culture of white supremacy. This not based on skin color alone. Rather, it is rooted in a network of rights, values, beliefs, perspectives, and experiences that advantages people who are complicit and/or complacent in white supremacy.
A state of intolerance/discomfort caused by racial stress [for white people], triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.
1. Refers to the unearned, unfair and unquestioned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on people solely because they are white.
2. Structural white Privilege: A system that makes current racial advantages and disadvantages seem normal, using incentive and punishments to maintain white domination.
The accumulated and interrelated advantages and disadvantages of white privilege are reflected in racial/ethnic inequities in life-expectancy and other health outcomes, income and wealth, and other outcomes, in part through different access to opportunities and resources.
The idea that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions that create a culture of whiteness are superior to People of the Global Majority. While most people associate white supremacy with extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, white supremacy is ever present in our institutional and cultural assumptions that assign value, morality, goodness, and humanity to people reflecting whiteness while casting people and communities of color as worthless, immoral, bad, and inhuman and undeserving.
X
Discrimination towards, fear, marginalization and hatred of immigrants or those perceived as being immigrants, foreign and/or non-citizens. This discrimination is rooted in within systems of White supremacy and is a form of oppression.
Social justice terms
The following terminology is commonly used in conversations regarding social justice, diversity, equity and allyship. It is meant to be a starting point for engaging in open and honest conversation by offering a shared language of understanding.
Please note, this list is not exhaustive, and the meaning of these words may change and evolve based on context. If there is a term that you feel should be included here, please email us and let us know.