The letters in the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym represent the following identities: Two-spirited (2S), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus all other sexual and gender minorities.
2SLGBTQIA+ people face higher rates of poverty, stigma, and marginalization, which puts this community at greater risk for sexual and gender-based violence. The 2SLGBTQIA+ community also faces high rates of hate-motivated violence, which can often take the form of sexual assault. Moreover, the ways in which society both hypersexualizes 2SLGBTQIA+ people and stigmatizes their relationships can lead to intimate partner violence that stems from internalized homophobia and shame.
In a 2020 survey, Statistics Canada found that sexual and gender minorities in Canada are almost three times more likely than heterosexual and cisgender Canadians to report that they had been physically or sexually assaulted in the past 12 months.
For 2SLGBTQIA+ folks impacted by sexual violence, their identities – and the discrimination they face surrounding those identities – often make them hesitant to seek help from police, hospitals, shelters, or sexual assault centres. Like other marginalized groups, this community faces unique needs when it comes to supporting and caring for those impacted by sexual violence.
Community Connections:
Northern Healthy Connections Society (NHCS)
33 Pleasant Street, Truro, NS
Phone (Office): 902-895-0931
Phone (Mobile): 902-965-3965
Northern Healthy Connections Society (NHCS) is a community-based, non-profit organization in Truro, Nova Scotia. NHCS began as a resource centre for people living with HIV/AIDS in Northern Nova Scotia. It provides a multitude of Harm Reduction services such as a Needle Distribution and Disposal fixed site and Mobile Outreach, community programs like the Photovoice Project, and a vast library of resources related to substance use, safer sex, diversity and 2SLGBTQIA+ support, overdose prevention, and local treatment programs. In addition, NHCS offers a parent support group Thursday night at their office. Contact them to find out more.
PFLAG Truro
Phone: 902-956-4131
Email: trurons@pflagcanada.ca
Our local chapter of PFLAG is affiliated with the Northern Healthy Connections Society (NHCS). PFLAG Truro offers support, info and encouragement for family, friends, and all others under the 2SLGBTQIA+ umbrella.
Youth Project
2281 Brunswick Street, Halifax, NS
Phone: 902-429-5429
The Youth Project is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing support and services to youth, 25 and under, around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. They have a provincial mandate so although we are located in HRM, they travel around the province to meet with youth in other communities. They provide a variety of programs and services including support groups, referrals, supportive counselling, a resource library, educational workshops, social activities. The Valley Youth Project is the branch in the Annapolis Valley.
External Resources:
Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender-nonconforming Students [PDF] — This document by Nova Scotia Student Services is intended to support schools and school boards in fulfilling our shared obligation to promote the dignity, respect, and equity of transgender and gender-nonconforming students.
Let’s Get Real: A Question and Answer Guide for Dating Trans Folks [PDF] — This guide provides information about respectful language and communication (including about using preferred pronouns), common questions about dating trans folks, proper etiquette in sexual relationships, and how to support a trans person during transition.
PFLAG Canada — PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Canada is a national charitable organization, founded by parents who wished to help themselves and their family members understand and accept their LGBTQ2S children. We support these families through today, and give them hope for a better tomorrow. The Truro Chapter of PFLAG can be found on Facebook.
“LGBTQueering the Narrative of Sexual Violence” [YouTube video] — In this TEDx Talk, Dr. Paige Leigh Baker-Braxton spearheads the development, implementation, and evaluation of the first LGBTQ-specific sexual assault response program in the nation: in.power*.
Resources for LGBTQ2S and non-binary survivors of violence — This website provides a variety of information, resources, and handouts for LGBTQ2S and non-binary survivors of violence.
“Queer/Trans Perspectives on Surviving Violence & Abuse” [YouTube video] — This panel of LGBTQ activists share an in-depth, heart-felt analysis of uniqueness of queer and trans survivorship.
“‘The Day Ahead’ Looks at LGBTQ Domestic Violence” [YouTube video] — An in-depth look at how the complicated issue of domestic violence can be even more difficult in the LGBTQ community.
“Gay Man Works Through Trauma of Sexual Assault: ‘I Am A Lot Happier Now That I’ve Done This Work.’” [YouTube video] — Nicholas’s earliest sexual experiences were the opposite of what they should have been: violent and traumatic. While this could’ve understandably derailed anyone’s path in life, Nicholas found strength and recovery through therapy and came away with valuable lessons – the importance of boundaries and the need to assert yourself, no matter who you’re dealing with.
“Trans Women Open Up About Their #MeToo Sexual Assault Experiences” [YouTube video] — For all of the Hollywood #MeToo movement’s merits and virtues, there’s one major blind spot: How sexual assault and violence against trans women has been omitted from the conversation.
