Instructors Karen Luyendyk & Chrissie Young
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Course Details
Do you want to know more about GENDER AND SEXUAL DIVERSITY but are afraid to ask? Maybe some of these questions and comments sound familiar:
1. 2SLGBTQIA+ , Why are there so many letters and what do they all mean?
2 I don’t understand what they’re learning about gender and sexual diversity at school.
3. How should I respond if my co-worker, family member or friend tells me they’re transgender or gay?
4. Why have pronouns become so complicated ?
5. I want to be an ally but I’m not sure how.
6. And you probably have many more questions!
Through 4 sessions, Karen Luyendyk and Chrissie Young will create a safe space for your questions and provide you with information to increase your knowledge and confidence when interacting with folks from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. We’ll have opportunities to practice with some scenarios. We’ll look at how far we’ve come, where we are today and where we still need to go. We really hope you’ll come to ask your questions and find out more!
Karen Luyendyk (she/her) is an RN with over 40 years experience in palliative care, long term care, mental health, and trans/non-binary health. As the parent of a ‘20 something’ trans woman, Karen directs all her current activities towards an affirming, inclusive society, and health system. Working alongside community members, she is a member of the PRIDE in Mississippi Mills and Mississippi Mills All My Relations planning committees; she is a parent rep on the Regional Planning Table for Trans Health and a Patient Family Advisor on The Ottawa Hospital’s Rainbow Advisory Council; she is contributing to the curriculum renewal for U Ottawa Undergraduate Medical Education; co-lead of the Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario HealthTeam’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and recently, Karen retired as a Clinical Educator for Trans and Non-binary Health from Rainbow Health Ontario.
Chrissie Young (she/her) is a Learning Professional for the Federal Public Service and National Chair of her Department’s Pride Network. In her 17 years working in the public sector, she has been involved in many projects and initiatives relating to diversity, inclusion and employment equity. This includes developing and implementing gender and sexual diversity inclusion training, providing consultation on the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and review of the Employment Equity Act - which aims to create more precise and varied categories of under-represented workers including the addition of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. Working alongside community members, she is also a member of the PRIDE in Mississippi Mills committee, whose mission is to create opportunities to celebrate, advocate, educate and connect people, respecting the full diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.