New report highlights Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary folks' experiences in Sask.

A new community report is addressing the lack of data on Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN) people in Saskatchewan.

'So They Know We’re Here' is a report recently published by Trans Sask. It is the province’s first-ever community report that surveys the experiences of 2STNBGN folks, according to the group.

“Saskatchewan is always in the periphery of wider trans research. We don’t usually see ourselves represented and if we do it’s put into a data set with Manitoba and Alberta,” Tiberius Fayant-McLeod, a research manager with Trans Sask., told CTV News.

“We just really wanted to see our own community and see what our people are saying about their experiences here.”

The report highlights 11 key findings through 305 survey participants, including limited access to adequate health-care and mental health services.

The report shows nearly 30 per cent of participants avoided a trip to the ER because of their gender identity. Fayant-McLeod, who identifies as non-binary and Two-Spirit, said it is common for trans and non-binary people not to seek out medical attention until it is absolutely necessary.

“Even if I don’t know for sure that my doctor is transphobic, the idea that they might be or that they might hurt me in some way is so pervasive,” they said.

“Past experiences and the sort of narrative of what happens in those medical places when you’re non-binary or trans really effects us and gives almost a mental block.”

Almost half, or 48 per cent, of respondents who want to change their legal name have not due to challenges with the process.

Nearly 50 per cent of participants avoided applying for jobs because of their gender. The report highlighted that gender-inclusive work policies could help boost 2STNBGN employment rates.

The study makes a number of recommendations to improve workplace protocol and health-care access, which includes gender diversity training for health-care professionals.

Fayant-McLeod said there is a myth that there are not a lot of 2STNBGN people that live in Saskatchewan. They believe that myth contributes to a lack of funding for research, groups and services.

“The reason that we don’t have a lot of resources for us here is because people don’t believe that we’re here,” they said.

“We are here and a lot of us aren’t going anywhere.”

Besides barriers, the report also discusses gender fluidity and identity.

Rev. Carla Blakley leads a trans parent support group at Lakeview United Church in Regina.

She believes the report will be a useful tool for helping parents understand how to better support their kids, adding the best thing families can do is listen.

“Sometimes as parents and grandparents we think what we know, the way we were colonized, and the way we were taught is what is right and they are unwilling to listen to their children,” Blakley said.

“There is something very special when you say to a child I see you, I believe you, I will love you, and to just watch them be who they are.”

The report’s findings are not all negative, Fayant-McLeod said. Many participants shared stories of acceptance and respect from the wider community.

“Even the smallest signs of respect and thoughtfulness can go such a long way,” they said.

“The kindness of a neighbour or a co-worker doing the work to get someone’s pronouns right that means so much, to so many of us and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Fayant-McLeod hopes the report and data can be used as an educational tool to inspire change.