Dene teacher shares tools she developed to empower 2-spirit youth in the classroom

Tanzy Janvier struggled to embrace her two-spirit identity as a child going to Catholic school.

Now a Grade 8 teacher in Saskatoon, she's helping other teachers support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in the classroom so that they don't struggle as she once did.

Janvier, who is Dene and originally from La Loche, Sask., founded an organization called Indigenous Teachers for Two-Spirit Youth where she shares knowledge and experiences with fellow educators and tools that they may use in the classroom to help their students, from elementary to high school.

She presented a workshop called Empowering Two-Spirit Youth: Decolonizing Education with Indigenous Teachers for Two-Spirit Youth at the Think Indigenous conference last week in Regina.

"School is the very first place where students start to explore the identity amongst their peers and if they don't have those safety nets to be able to do that, once they're done school and in adulthood they don't know who they are and how that impacts them so much," said Janvier.

Janvier said teachers are trying to find ways on how best to support diverse students. She said some teachers already feel overwhelmed with how to teach Indigenous content and 2SLGBTQ+ content, so when you combine the two, that can be even more overwhelming. 

"We're some of the most marginalized groups and have some of the most unfortunate statistics when it comes to attendance and suicide rates," said Janvier.

"It's really important that we focus on them so that they know that they're safe and feel included."

In October 2023, Saskatchewan passed Bill 137, also known as the "Parents' Bill of Rights" which requires parental consent for students under 16 to use preferred names and pronouns at school, and invokes the notwithstanding clause to override certain sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Janvier said there was no consultation with Indigenous communities on the bill, and it has caused more harm to two-spirit youth.

CBC Indigenous asked the Ministry of Education if it consulted Indigenous people in the creation of the bill. In a written statement, the ministry said it heard from concerned parents and guardians across the province regarding sexual health education, including many parents and guardians of school-aged children.

Janiver said things like Bill 137 prevent two-spirit youth from having a chance to be able to safely explore who they are and that puts them at risk when they do leave the safety of the school and their community.

"We have to think about the next seven generations ahead of us, so the legacy that I am hoping for is that when a two-spirit or Indigenous queer youth enters a school, they know exactly who they are and it is reflected to them as well," said Janvier.

Madelaine Enns, who is Métis and lives in Saskatoon, leads the workshops with Janvier. She said she is just coming to understand herself as a two-spirit person.

Enns said sometimes schools aren't the safest spaces, even for 2SLBGTQ+ teachers.

"If I'm feeling uncomfortable going into schools and not feeling like I can be myself, I can only imagine what it's like for students," said Enns.

Enns said she loves that their organization doesn't just support two-spirit youth, it also supports two-spirit teachers as well.