TWO-SPIRIT TRANS+
INDIGENOUS PANEL
Friday, March 28th, 2025
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM PT (UTC -7)
Conference Room A/B, Sngequ House (Sŋéqə ʔéʔləŋ) & Online
University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
Lək̓ʷəŋən territory
All conference registrations include access to the panel. As space allows, the event is open to the public by cash donation at the door.
Elder Charlotte Nolin
“Stands Strong Eagle Woman”
Charlotte is a 74-year-old Métis woman, who survived the Indian Day Schools and the infamous 60’s Scoop. She has overcome early addiction to heroin and violence at the hands of those who paid for her services. She attempted to transition at the age of 17 but quickly found out how homophobic and transphobic Canada was. She returned to the closet and survived a suicide attempt at the age of 21. Charlotte began working in construction and became a foreman by her third year.
At 40 years of age Charlotte began a rewarding journey in social work which included the satisfying repatriation of a 5-year-old girl from BC to her relatives in The Pas Manitoba. Charlotte decided to retire in 2020 after suffering two heart attacks in a three-week period.
Today, after completing her transition in 2017, Charlotte enjoys life as her true self. Charlotte leads her 2Spirit community in Sundance along with her sister Barbara. She is also an Elder in residence at the University of Manitoba and does work for Natural Resources Canada.
Chris Reed
Chris Reed also known as Continental Breakfast is a non-binary multidisciplinary artist, event curator and Director of media production company, Queer Based Media. They are Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree and are a settler on the stolen lands of the Txʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Reed is self-taught within the mediums of film, photography, drag performance art, design, and production. Their artistic practice looks at untold queer stories and histories along with complicating intersections of identity through moments of relatability and creating spaces of refuge.
Lydia Toorenburgh
Lydia Toorenburgh (they/them) is a Two-Spirit Bungi-Métis and mixed settler person living with permission as a visitor on lək̓ʷəŋən territory, colonially known as Victoria, BC. As a registered citizen of both Métis Nation BC and Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, Lydia has volunteered in Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer leadership and advocacy at the regional, provincial, and national level. Lydia is an artist, activist, and academic who has been involved in Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy and education for most of their life. Lydia is pursuing their PhD in Anthropology with a certificate in Indigenous Nationhood. Their research areas include Indigenous and Métis studies, audio-visual anthropology, and participatory and community-engaged research. They are particularly interested in 2SLGBTQIA+ Métis joy, love, and belonging. Lydia has been a member of the Chair in Transgender Studies steering committee since 2023 and is grateful to have received funding from the program in both their masters and PhD degrees.
Yahlnaaw
Jah! Xaaydaga ‘las! Yahlnaaw han.nuu dii kiiGa ga. HlGaagilda Xaayda Gwaii sda.uu hll iigiing. LƏK̓ʷƏŊƏN sda.uu hll naa.uu dii gan. Way.yad.uu ‘Treaty 1’ guu.uu hll naa.uu dii ga. “Hello! Wonderful people! My name is Yahlnaaw and I am from Skidegate, Haida Gwaii. I have the privilege of currently feeling a sense of home between Treaty 1 (Winnipeg, MB) and LƏK̓ʷƏŊƏN (Victoria, BC) lands”. I am Indigenous, queer, and transgender which often feels like being pulled into many intersecting worlds. I hold my identities, lived experiences, and relationships closely because I believe these forces shape and (re)direct my living and learning journey.
I am currently the Founder and Lead Consultant at Taajuu Consulting – an Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, and anti-oppression consulting company alongside holding the position of Indigenous Rights and Anti-Racism officer for the Equity and Human Rights office at the University of Victoria.