Disrupting Colonialism for Two-Spirit Health

Mind The Disruption

Harlan Pruden is Nehiyô/First Nations Cree, Two-Spirit, and a dedicated disruptor of settler colonialism, homophobia, and transphobia with the goal of creating better tomorrows with and for Two-Spirit communities. Listen to this episode to hear how Harlan found his purpose of creating affirming spaces for Two-Spirit people, and to explore how we as public health professionals can support decolonization in public health programs, policies, research, and systems from a place of humility.

(00:00) Introduction

(02:16) Interview with Harlan Pruden

Episode Guest: Harlan Pruden (pronouns - anything said mindfully and respectfully) is nehiyô/First Nations Cree who works with and for the Two-Spirit community locally, nationally, and internationally. Harlan is a co-founder of the Two-Spirit Dry Lab and the Indigenous Knowledge Translation Lead at Chee Mamuk, an Indigenous health program at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. Harlan is also the Managing Editor of TwoSpiritJournal.com and an advisory member for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Gender and Health.

Learn more:

BCCDC COVID-19 language guide: Guidelines for inclusive language for written and digital content

Two-Spirit: Conversations with Young Two-Spirit, Trans and Queer Indigenous People in Toronto (a zine by Marie Laing)

You Are Made of Medicine: A Mental Health Peer Support Manual for Indigiqueer, Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+, and Gender Non-Conforming Indigenous youth (Native Youth Sexual Health Network)

An Introduction to the Health of Two-Spirit People: Historical, contemporary and emergent issues (National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health)

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Episode Credits: This episode is produced by Rebecca Cheff, Carolina Jimenez, and our host Bernice Yanful (NCCDH). Special thanks to our episode guest Harlan Pruden. Coordination of communications, webpage development and dissemination are led by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Thanks to Claire Betker and the rest of the NCCDH team for their support. Technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Artwork by comet art + design.

Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the NCCDH. Visit https://nccdh.ca/learn/podcast/ to learn more about the podcast and our work.

The NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University. This podcast is made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada through funding for the NCCDH. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Established in 2005, the NCCDH is one of the six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health that work together to promote the use of scientific research and other knowledge to strengthen public health practices, programs and policies in Canada. For more information, visit the NCCPH website.