This workshop, led by our guest speaker, Dene Guillas, equips participants with a foundational understanding of 2SLGBTQQIA+ identities, language, and intersectionality, equipping participants with the knowledge to foster inclusivity within their organization. Participants will explore common barriers, challenges, and practical steps to foster inclusion and create safer spaces. The session will conclude with a Q&A, offering participants an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and deepen their learning.

Dene Guillas (he/they) is a proud Two-Spirit Métis, pansexual, transgender man, father, husband, and friend. His “later-in-life” transition to his true self, which began seven years ago, has been both a tragedy and a blessing. The same duality applies to his journey into reconnecting with his Indigenous culture—one he was once taught to suppress in order to fit into society’s narrow expectations of what it meant to be a white-passing, straight, cisgender woman. Over the past few years, Dene has worked diligently to reclaim and embrace his culture and his Two-Spirit/Indigenous LGBTQ+ community, after years of rejection and denial from his family due to stigma, shame, and fear.

With a diverse background in sports, education, child and family services, family planning, adoption, industrial trades, transgender healthcare, and more, Dene brings a wealth of lived experience to his work. He has spent over 20 years in the training and education field, over 13 in the non-profit sector, and is now dedicated to educating others about the 2SLGBTQ+ community, fostering safer and more inclusive spaces for all. Starting in 2019, he led the education team at Rainbow Resource Centre in developing content, resources, presentations, etc. that have been used to support educational growth for many organizations, schools, and communities looking to become more informed and inclusive.

This journey is one of unlearning societal labels and expectations, relearning more inclusive strategies, and redefining himself on his own terms.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE