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For Sunday Queskekapow (they/them), a Two-Spirit Swampy Cree person from northern Manitoba, representation matters.
I’m originally from Ohpáskowayáhk, also known as OCN/The Pas, and I spent a lot of my teenage years feeling confused and secluded. I just didn’t see a lot of people who were like me and so I didn’t really know who I was.
Sunday Queskekapow (they/them), a Two-Spirit Swampy Cree person from northern Manitoba.
I had to be displaced from my community to receive care that everyone should have the right to. And because of all these obstacles, I made a vow to ensure 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in northern and rural areas have equal access to gender-affirming care.
Queskekapow says they realized they needed a post-secondary education to do the work they wanted to do and were drawn to the Indigenous Studies program at UM.
Outside of school, Queskekapow’s work focuses on aiding 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Manitoba, with a more recent focus on northern and rural Manitoba communities. As someone from northern Manitoba, they bring a perspective to the table that is often overlooked.
“I’ve sat in meetings where everyone is talking about very important issues, but I’ll notice that no one has mentioned how we’re going to help people in northern and remote communities,” says Queskekeapow. “And I’ve realized how important it is to have people like me, with my similar lived experience, in these spaces and in these rooms.”
Queskekapow says their goal is to go into policy work.
As they continue to work toward their goals, Queskekapow is grateful for the community they’ve found in Winnipeg, and the connections they’ve made with Two-Spirit Elders – including Elders Charlotte Nolin, Barbara Bruce, Albert McLeod and Gayle Pruden.
“Just hearing all their stories of what they’ve done and what they’ve gone through helps me to realize that I can keep going,” says Queskekapow. “They’re making sure that things don’t have to be as hard for us as they were for them and now it’s our turn to do the same for the next generation.”
For Queskekapow, having Two-Spirit and Trans representation in their life has made a huge impact and helped them to see a future for themself they never could have imagined.
2S Elder Charlotte Nolin (left) with 2S Knowledge Holder Barbara Bruce.
I never thought I’d be where I am right now. I’ll be sitting in the Manitoba Legislative building and thinking to myself ‘how many northern, Two-Spirit Trans individuals have sat here?’
And Queskekapow says they hope the work they do will help 2SLGBTQIA+ youth see that they can grow up to be happy adults.
“I was them once. And that part of me is still in here, guiding me and driving me to do the work that I do,” says Queskekapow. “Having representation and reassurance in my teenage years would have made things a lot easier for me.”
And that’s also why Queskekapow says celebrating Pride is so crucial for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
“It’s to show youth that they have the community, the support and the representation. To show them that people are always fighting for them,” says Queskekapow. “Pride is so much more than a celebration. It means freedom for all and it’s about showing 2SLGBTQIA+ youth that they can grow up to become happy adults and eventually, happy Elders too.”
