First of its kind conference in Prince George generates discussions around inclusivity

“We have to give a voice to people who have that lived experience. And within this conference, we’re hearing it over and over and over: lived experience,” said the Northern BC Queer Connection Society Executive Director Laura Binette.

Binette, alongside many other speakers and presenters, spoke on the importance of how we approach care, and how systems in place may not be accessible to the LGBTQ community, as many systems were created with a hetero-normative society in mind. Because of this, Binette says it’s important to consider how we can approach people of all backgrounds and work towards more inclusive spaces.

“Care providers can sometimes harm people without knowing, and unless we provide an educational opportunity, they won’t know. They don’t see their blind spots, right? They don’t see what they’re missing, unless the people who are receiving that care can speak up,” Binette said.

“That’s why having conferences like this are so important. And I think honestly, that’s why this is such a rare occurrence, it’s that people don’t know that it’s needed, right? Generally, the LGBTQ population is smaller, so our needs are not considered, so we have to make these things happen ourselves,” Binette continued.

It’s a message echoed by several other speakers and those in the medical field, who spoke on the importance of constantly evaluating how you approach care and what you could possibly be improving on.

“If we don’t know better, we’re going to perpetuate harm. That’s what’s going to happen. That kind of ignorance that we have at a systemic level is going to further the harm that continues to be perpetrated against many people,” said Kevin Padra, a Doctoral Student in Psychology.

“Essentially for us as mental health care workers, we need to constantly be humble every time we meet a new patient or a new client. And I always try to look at how we can be more inclusive, because inclusion is not an end goal, we will never be fully inclusive. Every new person is an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to to adapt,” Padra continued.

It’s a large topic with no definitive solution, but the hope is that conferences like this can create conversation and awareness, alongside highlighting how every person involved could contribute towards creating more inclusive spaces.

“People who have lived experience, it’s really important that they have a voice in their care. And in the past couple years, that’s really been a big part of any kind of events that we organize, that people who have lived experience can actually learn alongside and speak to the care that they receive within the community,” Binette said.

“It makes me think of a Maya Angelou quote, and she basically said: ‘do the best you can until you know better, then do better.’ And I think that’s what we constantly need to do,” Padra added.

While this conference was a first of its kind event for Prince George, Binette hopes it won’t be the last. Given the strong attendance and the involvement from many different people, she says there are already plans to bring this conference back, along with other similar events.

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by Tommy Osborne

First of its kind conference in Prince George generates discussions around inclusivity

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