Ep. 56: Unpacking Queerness and Indigenous Identity Beyond the Binaries with Dr. Autumn BlackDeer

Our June IndigiQueer series kicks off with Dr. Candace Manitopyes and Dr. Autumn BlackDeer as they explore Indigenous queerness, decolonization, grief, identity, academia, and liberation beyond colonial binaries.They unpack how colonial systems shaped modern understandings of gender, sexuality, and what it means to reclaim Indigenous ways of being rooted in sovereignty.Dr. Autumn shares openly about grief after losing her mother, learning to write again, navigating academia as a queer Indigenous scholar, and refusing to compartmentalize herself in professional spaces. Dr. Candace and Dr. Autumn also discuss the impact of Christian colonial frameworks, the violence of binaries, Indigenous understandings of queerness before colonization, and why liberation must always be collective.-Relentless QuestionsWhat colonial narratives about identity, gender, power, or belonging have I inherited, and what happens when I begin asking the next question?In what ways have I compartmentalized parts of myself to survive systems that were never built for relational, collective humanity?Relentless ActionsSpend time reconnecting to relationship with land, community, ancestry, language, ceremony, creativity, or the parts of yourself that colonial systems taught you to silence.Pull at one thread. Choose one belief, assumption, or “normal” social expectation and ask where it came from, who benefits from it, and who is harmed by it.Relentless ResourcesLearn more about Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality by researching Two-Spirit histories, teachings, and community-led resources from Indigenous nations and knowledge keepers.Explore relational and decolonial healing practices such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), grief work, land-based learning, and Indigenous scholarship focused on sovereignty, abolition, and collective liberation.Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW WebsiteMusic Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat