'We’re not one dimensional': First gay Saskatchewanderer showcases LGBTQ2S perspective in Sask.

Zane Buchanan is using his platform to do something no Saskatchewanderer before him has done: showcase LGBTQ2S pride in Saskatchewan.

After nine years of the program, Buchanan is the first openly gay person to hold the job.

“I’m the first marginalized Saskatchewanderer in a sense,” Buchanan said. “I wanted my time as Saskatchewanderer to have a lot of coverage of LGBTQ two-spirit and Indigenous affairs.”

Buchanan said he used his application video to explain that if chosen, he would strive to showcase the experiences of Saskatchewan’s Indigenous and LGBTQ2S communities.

He is in the midst of shooting interviews for a project that will showcase the queer perspective in Saskatchewan. His goal is to feature the diverse voices of Saskatchewan’s LGBTQ2S community.

Buchanan used a copy of Saskatchewan’s Census to guide his approach. From there, he changed gears from the traditional mandate of the Saskatchewanderer, which is to showcase the province through one’s own perspective.

“I’d like to explore this demographic and that demographic,” Buchanan said. “I’m admittedly quite ignorant about trans culture. I didn’t even know what two-spirit meant.”

The project will feature people who identify as lesbian, transsexual, bisexual, two-spirit and non-binary.

He said he wants to dive into all the pockets of culture that exist in the province, and haven’t been explored by others who have taken on the role.

Buchanan has just started exploring a relationship with the queer community in Saskatchewan in the last year. He moved to Toronto in 2010, before coming out as gay. This is his first time living in his home province as his authentic self.

“Queer culture has shifted so much since I left Saskatchewan,” Buchanan said. “I didn’t know everything is so multidimensional now. I just got back from a two-spirit powwow which had such a huge turnout, and those were all people I didn’t know existed.”

Buchanan says he’s overwhelmed by the support from the community here.

Kevin Seesequasis is a councillor at Beardy's & Okemasis' Cree Nation, and identifies as two-spirit.

Seesequasis described two-spirit is a pan-term used to describe Indigenous people who identify as queer in any sense, but specifically refers to those who possess both male and female spirits.

He said two-spirit people are traditionally held in high regard.

“We have an ability to walk in all worlds and see from all perspectives,” he said. “We’ve been able to enable our youth especially, to be their authentic selves.”

Beardy's & Okemasis' Cree Nation held the first two-spirit powwow on First Nations land on Sunday. Seesequasis described the the two-spirit culture in his community as “out and proud.”

The Saskatchewanderer is a joint initiative operated by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism Saskatchewan.

The final product of the Saskatchewanderer’s Pride Month feature will be released near the end of the month.

“The queer community here is stronger because they need each other,” Buchanan said. “They all know each other and support each other, and there such an intimacy that exists here.”