Elevating the voices of 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous Communities
This panel will hear from 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous young leaders about their work in campaigning for equality and greater representation, both within their communities and beyond.
Speakers
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Matcha Phorn-inFounder and Executive Director, Sangsan Anakot Yawachon FoundationMatcha Phorn-in
Counsellor
Founder and Executive Director, Sangsan Anakot Yawachon Foundation
Sangsan Anakot Yawachon FoundationMatcha is an ethnic minority and/or indigenous lesbian feminist women human rights defender. Matcha Phorn-in has been passionately and committed to work advancing human rights, gender and SOGIESCjustice. She has worked for almost 20 years to empower young people and people from the most marginalised communities, especially LGBTIQAN+, women and children from an indigenous communities that many of them still holding stateless, undocumented refugees. Matcha Phorn-in founded and serves as the Executive Director of Sangsan Anakot Yaowachon Foundation, an organisation that works with young people from indigenous communities living in disaster-prone Thai villages, at the Thailand and Myanmar border and Matcha is also involving and served as a board member of APWLD - Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, a leading network of more than 250 members of feminist organisations and individual activists in Asia and the Pacific. At the global levels, Matcha is involving and served as a co-presidency of International Family Equality Day - IFED, an marriage equality and right to family for LGBTIQAN+ global movement.
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Kaniehtiio HornActress, Writer and DirectorKaniehtiio Horn
Counsellor
Actress, Writer and Director
Kaniehtiio Horn is a gifted actress, writer and director whose creative versatility and talent have created a cult following. She grew up on the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve west of Montreal where still resides today as a young mother and community advocate. Horn is best known for her beloved performance as Tanis in the critically acclaimed Canadian comedy series, LETTERKENNY. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the “best sitcoms of all time.” Her scene-stealing work recently earned her the 2022 Canadian Screen Award for “Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Comedy Series.” She later made her mark offscreen by lending her expertise as a consulting producer for the series’ spinoff, SHORESY – streaming on Hulu and Crave. She stars alongside Anna Kendrick in the Lionsgate thriller, ALICE, DARLING. The film recently premiered too much acclaim at the 2022 TIFF, with Horn herself receiving critical praise for her compelling role and onscreen presence. Most recently, Horn was in the sophomore seasons of the Peacock comedy RUTHERFORD FALLS (from Sierra Teller Ornelas, Mike Schur and Ed Helms) and in the gritty FX original series RESERVATION DOGS, (the brainchild of Sterlin Harjo and Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi). Her notable on-screen credits include Fox 21/Nat Geo’s BARKSKINS, Amazon’s THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, Netflix / Gaumont’s HEMLOCK GROVE and the action/thriller feature MOHAWK. Horn wrote, directed, and starred in the short film, THE SHACK, which collected awards on the short film circuit. Upcoming, she will star in and direct SEEDS, a feature film she wrote and developed in association with Telefilm Canada and The Indigenous Screen Office.
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Kahsennenhawe Sky-DeerFormer Grand Chief, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:keKahsennenhawe Sky-Deer
Former Grand Chief, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke
Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:keKahsennenhawe Sky-Deer (Wolf Clan) is the elected Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. She was first elected to Council in 2009 and is serving her community in her fifth straight three-year term of office. She was elected as the first ever female Grand Chief in July 2021 making history for Kahnawà:ke.
Grand Chief Sky-Deer’s current areas of focus in her role as Grand Chief are: External Government Relations (Kahnawà:ke/Canada Relations), Nation Building, Border Crossing and Indigenous Relations and Governance (MCK and Community)
Grand Chief Sky-Deer graduated from Vanier College in 1999 before moving to Florida to play women’s professional football. She later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2008. She returned to her community of Kahnawà:ke that year and has been living and working in Kahnawà:ke ever since.
Grand Chief Sky-Deer is very passionate about issues pertaining to the protection of inherent rights, the revitalization of the Mohawk Language and the survival of the Cultural Identity of her People. She spoke to the Standing Committee in the hearings for Bill S-3 and warned about the threat this posed to all First Nations people. Grand Chief Sky-Deer is also very interested in creating partnerships and ventures that will help the community develop in economic sustainability, job creation and diverse housing projects.
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Mathew Siliga AmituanaiFounder, The Thrive InitiativeMathew Siliga Amituanai
Founder, The Thrive Initiative
Mathew is the founder of the Thrive Initiative which focuses primarily on providing comprehensive sexual health education and testing for LGBTQI+ out of multiple sites that are not hospitals or clinics. Within five years, Mathew directly impacted just under 4,500 members of the community. Mathew is also the co-founder of the Alofa Pride Initiative at a local grassroots organisation called Brown girl Woke which has led to the push for the action of decriminalising homosexuality in Samoa and the creation of a safe space for non-heteronormative young people. Here, education could be given on sexual health services without stigma and discrimination. Mathew advocates for both a multi-disciplinary and multilateral approach to the work that is done.
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Scott WabanoIndigiQueer Creative Director and Stylist, Fashion Sustainability Advocate, CEO and President of WABANOScott Wabano
Counsellor
IndigiQueer Creative Director and Stylist, Fashion Sustainability Advocate, CEO and President of WABANO
Often incorporating traditional storytelling with modern and digital concepts within fashion to advocate for the lives of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ peoples. Scott Wabano is an award-winning Fashion Stylist and designer, Creative Director and Content Creator. A 2Spirit Cree from the Mushkegowuk & Eeyou Istchee territories on the James Bay coast, Scott grew up with a strong admiration for traditional and mainstream fashion and a passion for bringing authentic Indigenous representation to the industry. With features in Vogue, Forbes, ELLE, FASHION, The National Post & more, Scott has become an advocate for sustainable and Indigenous fashion while also advocating for the rights of Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ youth on Turtle Island. Scott owns the genderless brand ‘Wabano’, an Indigenous, sustainable fashion brand used to educate society about the impacts of colonization on Indigenous communities. Scott is also one of the co-founders of the non-profit organization Two Spirits of Eeyou Istchee and was recently featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List for Toronto. Scott uses their voice and presence to advocate for Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ youth and remind them of the power of their identity, the power of their existence, and the power we all carry as individuals.