20 September 2021
Blake Desjarlais Becomes Canada's First Two-Spirit MP
Legal International Activism People
Blake Desjarlais (Cree/Métis), running for the New Democratic Party, won the Edmonton Griesbach riding in the 2021 Canadian federal election. At age 27, Desjarlais became the first openly Two-Spirit person elected to Canada's Parliament and Alberta's only Indigenous MP, bringing Two-Spirit identity into the highest levels of democratic representation.
Impact & Significance
Brought Two-Spirit visibility to parliamentary politics, ensuring Indigenous LGBTQ+ perspectives had direct representation in Canadian law-making.
Reference Record
- Date
- 20 September 2021
- Era
- 2020-present
- Sources
- 1
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Questions This Event Helps Answer
Q What do Pride flags mean? Pride flags turn identity, solidarity and protest into visible symbols, helping LGBTQ+ communities claim space and recognise one another. Q What do gender-diverse historical lives show? They show that people have crossed, rejected or reworked gender categories across many centuries, cultures and institutions. Q How did asexual and Two-Spirit visibility grow? It grew through community language, Indigenous gatherings, online networks, research and public campaigns.
