Indigenous Queerness: The Experience and Inclusion of Indigiqueer Individuals in Urban Quebec's Queer Communities

Abstract

This dissertation explores the experiences of queer Indigenous (indigiqueer) individuals living in urban settings in Québec and their inclusion in queer Québécois communities. It examines how settler colonial dynamics impact relations between queer Québécois organizations and indigiqueer individuals. The research is situated at the intersection of queer anthropology and Queer Indigenous Studies (QIS), emphasizing a perspective that focuses on power structures, colonial dynamics, heteronormativity, racism, and sexism through an intersectional lens.

Through ethnographic fieldwork including interviews with seven indigiqueer individuals and thirteen queer organizations, three themes emerge as central to Indigenous queerness: indigeneity, queerness, and “in-betweenness”. I also document a persistent feeling of erasure experienced by indigiqueer individuals within queer spaces and organizations despite inclusion efforts by queer organizations. I argue that this erasure is produced by the “Double Colonialism” context in Québec (Indigenous people’s overlapping experiences of the colonizing practices of both Québécois and Canadian states), resulting in a fragmented community service system incapable of addressing intersectional identities of indigiqueer individuals. The research identifies structural barriers that continue to hinder meaningful inclusion, while highlighting some successful decolonial practices employed by certain organizations that establish genuine collaborations with Indigenous communities.