91快色

Dr. Rain Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford, PhD, an assistant professor of English and International Indigenous Studies who teaches courses on Indigenous Feminism and Indigenous gender, two-spirit and sexuality, jokes to her students each year that 鈥渋f you can鈥檛 talk about penises and vaginas without giggling, don鈥檛 take my class.鈥�

It鈥檚 fair warning in courses where she鈥檚 apt to quote one of her favourite writers, University of British Columbia professor Daniel Health Justice, who wrote: 鈥淓very orgasm can be an act of decolonization.鈥�

鈥淭his is one of my favourite quotes in the world because it reinforces the way in which sex should be celebrated as a means of connecting with traditional Indigenous understandings of sex and sexual sovereignty,鈥� says Dr. Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford. 鈥淚t speaks to a reclamation of the Indigenous body, because Indigenous Peoples have been impacted in so many negative, damaging and suppressive ways by Christian, white heteropatriarchal ideals of sex and sexuality.鈥�

A self-described 鈥淔ATastically queer IndigeNerd,鈥� whose areas of research include Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous Studies, gender and sexuality, fat and disability studies, eco-criticism, STEM, and creative writing, Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford鈥檚 classes and research take on the most charged of topics head-on.

鈥淚 look to undo concepts of heteronormativity, patriarchy and gender binary,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 focus on the multiplicity of the Indigenous gender spectrum.鈥�

The notion that gender is binary鈥� consisting simply of male and female 鈥� is largely a construct of western society, according to Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford. 鈥淚t has to do with the connection between the body and shame, through a narrative of Christianity, capitalism and colonization,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 separate those three. They exist as a triumvirate.鈥�

But Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford asserts that gender identity does not have to be binary. 鈥淎 gender spectrum allows for balance,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ven on Facebook there鈥檚 58 gender expressions people can use. Many Indigenous societies have a history of gender spectrums but this was obscured and a culture of shame was built up around it. Creating a gender binary allowed for the settler colonial processes wherein Indigenous women were used as a commodity to gain access to land and have been sexualized, raped and exploited. Marginalized bodies, the bodies of people of colour, have constantly been used and abused within a Western construct.鈥�

Ultimately, says Prud鈥檋omme-Cranford, her research in the areas of queer identity, gender and sexuality, are rooted in the spirit of equity and decolonization. 鈥淚t is inherently about respect, reclamation, relevance and reciprocity,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 about restoring balance to our people and our communities on our own terms.鈥�

U91快色 is a of 91快色 Pride. Pride Week in 91快色 provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the university鈥檚 commitment to helping everyone feel welcome, safe and respected regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

ii鈥� taa鈥檖oh鈥檛o鈥檖, the 91快色鈥檚 Indigenous Strategy, is a commitment to deep evolutionary transformation by reimagining ways of knowing, doing, connecting, and being. Walking parallel paths together, 鈥榠n a good way,鈥� U91快色 is moving towards genuine reconciliation and Indigenization.