This resource list includes two kinds of resources and a glossary.
The first resource list is mainly Nova Scotia-based organizations which provide services and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and communities. The second resource list include online educational resources where you can find more information about how to ensure that your organization is supportive and inclusive of two-spirit, trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people.
Organizations that provide support and outreach on the local or national level
- Youth Project - Organization that provides support for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and education and outreach across Nova Scotia.
https://youthproject.ns.ca/
- Valley Youth Project - Satellite organization of the Youth Project, providing support for youth in the Annapolis Valley
https://valleyyouthproject.wordpress.com/about-us/
- Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project - Volunteer-run 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy organization
Email: [email protected]
https://nsrap.ca/
- Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
Toll free in Nova Scotia: 1-877-269-7699
Local in Halifax: 902-424-4111
https://humanrights.novascotia.ca/
- Canadian Human Rights Commission
Toll free: 1-888-214-1090
https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/en
- prideHealth - The prideHealth navigator provides navigation support for 2SLGBTQIA+ adults and youth
Tel: 902-487-0470
Email: [email protected]
https://www.nshealth.ca/content/pridehealth
- Trans Lifeline - Peer support hotline run and staffed by trans people for trans people.
Toll free in Canada: (877) 330-6366
https://translifeline.org/
Online Educational Resources
- Egale - A Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ organization with many online webinars and free workshops focused on making your organization inclusive. We encourage you to peruse the many great resources on their website
- Harvard Business Review - Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace
- Out and Equal - Best practices guide for non-binary inclusion in the workplace
- Hibob - Guide for non-binary inclusion for Human Resources professionals
- Public Service Alliance of Canada - Building Trans-Inclusive Workplaces: a Guide for Managers, Unions and Workers
- Province of NS - Guidelines to Support Trans and Gender Variant Employees (for employees of the Province of Nova Scotia)
- GLAAD - Tips for Allies of Transgender People
- Pride at Work Canada - Multiple guides and other resources on building trans-inclusive workplaces, best practices for hiring, supporting employees in their transition, etc.
- The Guardian - a guide on using they/them pronouns
- NS Guidelines for Trans and Gender-nonconforming Students
- Pflag - Support resources for families of 2SLGBTQIA+ people
- The 519 - Creating Authentic Spaces: a Gender Identity and Gender Expression Toolkit. The 519 also has many other great online resources about supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, so we encourage you to explore their website.
- Pronoun practice - Online guide for learning and practicing new pronouns
- Forge - A US-based organization with many online resources for service providers and other organizations seeking to make their spaces trans-inclusive.
Glossary
Ally - Someone who actively supports a marginalized community through their actions and commitment to learning. An ally is usually someone who is not part of the community (for example, a straight ally who supports 2SLGBTQIA+ rights) but sees the importance of making positive changes that benefit the oppressed group.
Cisgender - Someone whose gender identity is the same as the gender they were assigned at birth. For example, a cisgender woman is someone who was identified as female when she was born and still identifies with this gender.
Deadname - The name that a two-spirit, trans, non-binary, or other gender diverse person was given at birth and that is different from the name they have adopted for themselves.
Gender affirming healthcare - This includes a variety of medical processes and treatments that allow a person to feel that their body is better aligned with their gender identity. Some examples of gender affirming healthcare include hormone treatment, chest surgery, electrolysis, and many others.
Gender assigned at birth - This term refers to how someone is categorized at birth according to the gender binary. For example, a baby with a penis will usually be assigned male at birth and a baby with a vulva will usually be assigned female at birth. A person’s gender identity can be different from the gender they were assigned at birth.
Gender expression - How someone expresses their gender (for example, whether they wear clothing or hair styles that are traditionally read as masculine or feminine; what pronouns they use; how they speak; the name they use).
Gender identity - How someone identifies and understands their own gender (for example, if they identify as a man, a woman, two-spirit, agender, genderqueer, more than one gender, or somewhere else within the gender spectrum). Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of self, while gender expression more often refers to how they outwardly express their gender.
Pinkwashing - A term for when organizations show only a superficial commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, for example, when companies participate in a Pride Parade but do not have inclusive policies aimed at supporting their 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and clients.
Genderqueer - Someone whose gender identity cannot be categorized as exclusively male or female. Some genderqueer people identify with both ends of the gender spectrum, while others identify as outside of gender or have a fluid understanding of their gender.
Man - someone who identifies as a man, which includes both cisgender and trans men.
Non-binary - Someone who identifies outside the gender binary of male and female. Non-binary people are often grouped under the trans umbrella, but not all non-binary people identify as trans. Non-binary people sometimes use gender neutral pronouns such as they/them, but not all non-binary people do. Remember to ask about someone’s pronouns rather than assuming.
Trans or Transgender - Someone whose gender identity is different than how they were identified at birth. Trans people may identify with the gender binary (for example, trans men and trans women) or outside the gender binary (for example, non-binary people).
Transfeminine - A term to refer to trans and gender diverse people who are on the feminine end of the spectrum, for example trans women.
Transmasculine - A term to refer to trans and gender diverse people who are on the masculine end of the spectrum, for example trans men.
Two-spirit - A term used by Indigenous communities to describe someone who identifies as having both a masculine and feminine spirit. “Two-spirit” can refer to gender identity or sexual orientation or both of these. Being two-spirit may mean that someone experiences same-gender attraction, or it can mean that the person is gender diverse (i.e. not cisgender), or it can mean both of these things. “Two-spirit” should only be used to refer to people who are Indigenous.
Queer - A term used to refer to people who are not straight and/or not cisgender. If someone refers to themselves as queer, that person may fall anywhere in the 2SLGBTQIA+ umbrella. “Queer” doesn’t necessarily tell you a lot of information about someone, such as what kind of people they’re physically or romantically attracted to (if they experience attraction) or how they identify in terms of gender. “Queer” used to be a slur, but has been reclaimed by the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as empowering.
Woman - someone who identifies as a woman, which includes both cisgender and trans women.
2SLGBTQIA+ - An acronym usedto refer to the following identities: two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and + for the many other identities that exist within the queer spectrum.