Project 450121

Two-Spirit Dry Lab (2SDL), Turtle Island's first research group that exclusively focuses on Two-Spirit people, communities, and experiences, is collaborative of Indigenous and settler researchers and community leaders engaged in research at the intersections of Indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation, and geography. The 2SDL aspires to build upon the foundation afforded by being a IGW Phase Two grantee. More specifically, we endeavor to focus and work to address the following areas with the continued CIHR support as IGW Phase Three grantee: 1. We are committed to advancement of health research broadly (beyond our lab) to meaningfully include Two-Spirit individuals and communities by collecting and analyzing data in a culturally safe and affirming way. This will in turn ensure that health researchers promote rigorous science that considers all sexes and genders, inclusive of Indigenous identities and roles. 2. We will explore and develop best and wise practices of decolonizing research by centering Indigenous and Two-Spirit ways of being and by using Mi'kmaq Elder Albert Marshall's Two-Eyed seeing approach. 3. Learning from our existing community partners/relationships, the 2SDL will expand and grow those partnerships/relationships with attention to do community engaged research with gender-inclusive (women, non-binary, trans and cisgender) networks, where the 2SDL work will be informed, directed and guided by our community partners/relationships. 4. And finally, we will continue to build and bridge the capacity of Indigenous and settler-ally scholars, learners, and community health leaders to conduct Two-Spirit-informed research, by establishing a larger team of Indigenous Two-Spirit Peer Researchers.