Lecture
Watch time: 35 minutes
Summary
Mallory Solomon (Lakehead University), a Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer youth leader from Constance Lake First Nation, shares their path through First Nations youth councils, advocacy, and academia. They reflect on being a young Indigenous voice in leadership spaces, the experience of being tokenized, and their vision for 2SLGBTQ+ belonging, gender-affirming care, and representation across Indigenous communities.
Why This Matters
Many Two-Spirit and 2SLGBTQ+ youth leave their home communities for big cities to find belonging, and often lose connection to culture along the way. Funding 2SLGBTQ+ initiatives within First Nations communities can help youth stay and thrive at home.
Youth are often invited to the table but rarely given real power. Mallory names the tokenization of young people in leadership spaces and calls for meaningful, not symbolic, engagement.
Gender-affirming care for First Nations members is frequently left uncovered. They advocate for full coverage, including travel and accommodations, through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.
Culturally relevant sexual health education and visible 2SLGBTQ+ representation across tribal and political organizations are needed to shift narratives and build safety.
Lived experience and storytelling are themselves forms of leadership and knowledge, especially for neurodivergent and Two-Spirit youth navigating both Indigenous and academic worlds.
Key Concepts
Two-Spirit / Indigiqueer: Terms some Indigenous people use for identities that hold both 2SLGBTQ+ and cultural or spiritual meaning. For Mallory, these are inseparable from their Anishinaabe identity and advocacy.
Walking Between Two Worlds: Moving between Indigenous community life and mainstream institutions such as academia and government, while staying grounded in culture within systems that were not built for Indigenous or Two-Spirit people.
Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB): A federal program that provides health coverage to First Nations and Inuit people. Mallory advocates for it to fully cover gender-affirming care, including surgeries, travel, and accommodations.
References
Mallory Solomon, personal website
Mallory's site, with more about their advocacy, work, and links.
Mallory Solomon on LinkedIn
Professional profile and updates.
Between 2 Spirits (podcast)
As part of the Two Spirits in Motion Youth Council, Mallory recorded a couple of episodes interviewing fellow Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer people.