Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit Community Consultation

The City of Victoria wants to hear from Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit communities about what would make city services, programs, and spaces feel more accessible, affirming, and welcoming.

Come offer your ideas about what is going great, what needs to change, and help envision the way forward.

Event Details and Participation Information

Territory Acknowledgement

• We acknowledge that this event is taking place on the homelands of the Songhees and Esquimalt People
• We further acknowledge that anti-colonial discourse, traditional ways of knowing, and many perspectives are imperative to doing meaningful gender justice work

What to Expect

• Nourishing food
• Social connection
• Chance to learn more about the City’s initiative to create an inclusion plan
• Share thoughts, ideas and experiences about what about would improve experiences and community connection for trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people in the City of Victoria

Agenda

5:30 p.m. Dinner and community Connection Followed by:

• Welcome by Glenn P. from the Victoria Native Friendship Centre
• Overview from the facilitators about the flow of the evening, expectations and options for participation as well as care measures

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Small Table Break-Out Stations

• Two stations with facilitated group dialogue
• One Open Space station for graphic and written contributions as well as one-on-one discussions
• You are free to move between tables and to take breaks as needed. There will be time allotted for trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people to have conversations in a dedicated space (see below for details on expectations for cis participants)

7:30 to 7:45 p.m. Closing Comments

• Recap of the next steps in the planning process and other upcoming opportunities to engage

7:45-8:00 p.m. Wrap Up

• Space to connect with sharing of closing thoughts with other participants, or directly with the facilitators or counsellors as the event concludes

Additional Session Information

Starter Ideas to Begin the Dialogue

• The facilitators will use the following themes to help initiate and guide the discussion throughout the night, to ensure that topics directly relate to actions the City can take:

Remote Participation

• If you’d like to participate remotely, please RSVP to by 5:00pm on Monday, May 13th
• Kingsley will send a link to a shared cloud-based document by 3:00pm on May 14th, and remote participants can contribute directly into the notes being scribed at each table.

Support During the Session

• There will be two counsellors, Metta Vandervliet and Marcey Louie (counsellor bios at bottom of page), at the Open Space table to support new people who are arriving on how they can participate
• The counsellor can offer 1-on-1 emotional support in a private space to anyone who is feeling activated by the content of the conversation

Cis Allies Attending

• Cisgender allies who are specifically supporting a trans, non-binary, or Two-Spirit person’s participation in the event are welcome
• Cis allies are asked to treat their attendance at the event as an opportunity to listen, learn and help centre and elevate the voice and experience of their loved ones, which means not directing the discussion towards their experiences as allies or cis people
• Separate space for discussion without the presence of cis allies or staff will also be provided at the event

Honoraria and Accommodations

• ***MAY 10th UPDATE*** Victoria City Council approved an expenditure from funding already allocated for engagement activities related to strategic plan objectives, to provide honoraria of $25 per participant at each TNB2S session and at the Indigenous and Two Spirit session.
• Round-trip bus tickets available
• Food options are all gluten-free and nut free, with meat and vegan (v) options:
  • Chicken Curry
  • Chickpea Coconut Curry (v)
  • Basmati Rice Pilaf (v)
  • Cucumber, Radish, & Carrot Salad (v)
  • Tamarind Chutney (v)

Children and Youth Participation

• We value youth and children’s voices and perspectives ⎯ they are welcome in the space
• The City will also offer childminding services at the event. More information can be found here:
  victoria.ca/EN/main/city/childminding-at-council-meetings.html
• If you bring a child or youth to the event and you do not want to leave them with the child minding service, we ask that you play a lead role in helping them self-regulate and participate respectfully in the space
• All participants (children and adults alike) will be asked to contribute and listen in ways that enable the participation of others around them

Accessibility

• There are two fully private, single stall washrooms in the hallway immediately outside the event venue. (One “accessible” washroom – photos are here. For image descriptions or more info, contact Kingsley)
• The nearest accessible parking spaces to the event venue are located within the Fisgard Street/Centennial Square Parkade
• Ramp access to the venue is available from the Pandora Avenue entrance to City Hall and ungraded, flat entry is available from the Centennial Square entrance
• An elevator to access the second floor is immediately to the right of the Pandora Avenue entrance
• A City staff person will be in the lobby to assist those arriving in locating amenities and accessing the venue
• If not using the elevator, there is a flight of approximately 40 stairs leading to the venue
• We encourage all participants to avoid the use of scented products
• We will update on food allergens as soon as possible
• There are windows in the room for natural light, and some hanging fluorescent lights
• Noise mitigation will include divider walls and providing as much space as possible between stations at the event. Facilitators will endeavour to manage competing auditory demands and volume throughout the evening
• There are two fully private, single stall washrooms in the hallway immediately outside the event venue.
• Please contact Kingsley (contact info below) for additional accessibility information or if you have other accessibility needs we can help to accommodate.

Contact Us

• If you have any questions or concerns about the event, please feel free to contact:

Poster

Click this image to download a .pdf of this poster to share or print.

Counsellor Bios

Marcey Louie (Nuu-chah-nulth) is a clinical counsellor for Indigenous students at the University of Victoria and a visitor on the territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. Marcey uses an Indigenous, strength-based person/community centred approach looking holistically at self and striving for balance in all aspects (emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual) to support individuals to process issues of intergenerational trauma, impacts of ongoing colonization, and identity along with connections to community and culture.

Metta VanderVliet is a Registered Clinical Counsellor working at the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre to help survivors process and recover from trauma. A longterm practitioner of mindfulness meditation, they approach healing from a somatic, relational perspective. As a genderqueer individual Metta understands first-hand that when our very existence disrupts societal norms, it impacts our experiences in complex ways that range from exhilarating to traumatizing.