One of the things that is challenging about making a short introductory history presentation is that history happens at so many different levels. When we talk about big equity changes, I think we have a tendency to look at national and international movements as the standard, and we sometimes miss things at a lower societal level. To cover some aspects of regional history, and remind folks to think about different aspects of historical changes, I decided to include this question and interesting fact.

Even if you know very little about Canadian history, I think this quote is so famous that most Canadians could fill in the missing word--even if you know absolutely nothing about the context or why it matters… Understanding this moment requires a little bit of nuance.

Long before the arrival of Europeans, hundreds of thousands of people across this continent lived in communities with their own customs and norms. Many indigenous communities did not have a strict distinction between “male” and “female,” as is commonly observed in Western cultures. In fact, many indigenous languages do not even have gendered pronouns--it just wasn’t important enough to be codified in the language!

Sometimes in my work, I encounter people who struggle to understand why so many 2S/LGBTQIA+ Canadians are opposed to police participation in Pride-related events. And that’s when I put on my historian hat, and I tell them about the Bathhouse Raids.

Of particular concern, as of this writing in summer 2024, is that three Canadian provinces have formally proposed or officially enacted measures to limit the autonomy of students in public schools, by requiring parental notification or consent to change name or use or pronouns in school.