What is the purpose of this course?

This course is meant to help students…

• Gain a more detailed understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ terminology and identities.
  
• Understand the principal challenges facing 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada
  
• Understand the difference between equity and equality
  
• Practice and explore strategies for dismantling one’s own misconceptions and becoming a better ally. 
  
• Commit to demonstrating more welcoming and inclusive behaviour

101 + 102 Recap

Some of you will have taken our 101 and/or 102 courses, but if you haven’t or could use a refresher, here is a recap:

1. The 2SLGBTQ+ initialism is an abbreviated form of a longer initialism. The rainbow community is really made up of a wide variety of communities and individuals, all with different experiences and ways of being in the world.

2. Gender and sexuality are two different things. Gender is a person’s internal sense of self and sexuality is about who a person is attracted to.

3. There are more than two genders. Most of us have been socialized in systems that prioritize the gender binary: male/female. But, for thousands of years, all across the world, other genders have been recognized. Our Western society is just now remembering these and starting to understand their importance. There are, for example, non-binary people, agender people, and Two-spirit people.

4. A pronoun is a standard part of speech. Everyone has them. They are the words we use to replace a person’s name in a sentence. Your pronouns might be she/her, he/him, they/them, or one of a number of neo pronouns.

5. Intersectionality refers to taking into account all of a person’s dimensions of diversity and understanding that these unique intersections and combinations impact a person’s experiences. For example, a person might be a Black lesbian woman, or an Asian non-binary person living with a disability, and all of those different parts of their identity affect their daily experiences.

For refreshers and reminders

For refreshers or a reference guide for terminology and other 101 concepts, download a copy of SPECTRUM’s LGBTQ2+ Terms Reference Guide.

Our resources page also has an extensive list of resources on many topics for a wide range of audiences.