This is How We Heal: Building Capacity Through Community-Led Arts-Based Approaches to Gender-Based Violence for 2SLGBTQIA+ People

2SLGBTQIA+ people are disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence (GBV) including higher risk of experiencing violence and greater barriers in accessing support. 2SLGBTQIA+ people’s needs and experiences related to GBV are not well understood by service providers, policy-makers or researchers. For individuals impacted by intersecting systems of oppression (e.g. those who are trans, Two-Spirit, Indigenous, disabled, and/or youth), these challenges are compounded. There is currently a significant gap in GBV services and support strategies that are specifically tailored to the unique needs of these communities. This project addresses this gap by working directly with 2SLGBTQIA+ community members as co-researchers to co-create arts-based, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant approaches to healing. By documenting, piloting, and sharing models that are created by and for survivors, this project will equip communities to advocate for new approaches to GBV response, create policy change, and support community-led responses to GBV. It will also generate tools and frameworks service providers can adopt to tailor their practices toward cultural relevance, safety, and responsiveness to 2SLGBTQIA+ survivors’ needs.