Fieramente: The North Island’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Choir

1) Are the forms used in your practice inclusive of various sexual orientations and gender identities (e.g. opportunities to fill in different pronouns etc.)?
Yes, people can register and participate in choir using whichever name and pronouns they choose. The registration form asks for preferred name and pronouns. In rehearsals, we all wear name tags with a first name and our pronouns on them to help avoid misgendering folks.

2) Do you collect and use preferred names (rather than legal names) for all communications? Absolutely. We never ask for legal names.

3) Do you and your colleagues have experience providing services that support clients with navigating gender dysphoria*? Yes. Instead of using conventional choir terms like soprano, alto, tenor and bass, which often come with gendered connotations, we refer to high, midrange and lower parts. Folks are welcome to sing whatever part they choose - and to switch sections between songs, if they wish. We have direct experience with supporting folks who are new, or returning, to singing after starting HRT and have supported folks who are experiencing a change in their vocal range while they are enrolled in choir. There is no dress code. There is lots of gender diversity in the choir. Washrooms are non-gendered.

4) Please tell us how equipped you feel to support a client in determining if/when their mental health symptoms are related to their gender-related experiences or other factors? This is not applicable to us, as a choir, but we know the enormous mental health and brain benefits that come with singing in a group and being part of an inclusive community. Some of our regular singers also work in mental health so would be good sources of information and referrals, if need be, though they aren't coming to choir as their professional selves nor is this a service we provide as a choir. .

5) Do you/your colleagues understand the difference between gender dysphoria and mental health conditions/symptoms that are unrelated to gender dysphoria or distress? Yes, but this question is not applicable to us as a choir

6) Do you and your colleagues have experience working with people who identify as living with a disability or chronic illness? Please tell us more about your experience and any training you have received. Yes, our choir strives to be accessible and we have lots of experience with providing needed accommodations. We ask people if they have any access needs on the registration form and make necessary adaptations if barriers arise within the term. We also understand that people with chronic illnesses or disabilities may or may not be able to attend rehearsal in person every week. We offer practice tracks on our website and no one is penalized in any way if they miss a rehearsal.

7) Are you and your colleagues comfortable asking relevant questions about gender identity and sexual orientation? We are a 2SLGBTQIA+ choir, made up of members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and our allies. As a choir, we don't ask people about their gender identity or sexual orientation but 2SLGBTQIA+ folks can be safely assured that they will be in the majority in this choir and we centre the lives and experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. We see ally as a verb. Our welcoming materials and website outline some of the ways we do this.

8) Do you offer Indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ specific resources, for example Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers? No. We are a choir, not service providers, We rehearse on the traditional and stolen lands of the K'ómoks peoples (Courtenay).

9) Do you and your colleagues ask clients about pronouns and use them appropriately? Answered above. We ask for pronouns on the registration form and on the name tags we use each week. If folks change their name or pronouns mid-session, they are welcome to make a new name tag.

10) Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for Two-Spirit, queer, or trans Indigenous individuals accessing your services?11) Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for 2SLGBTQIA+individuals accessing your services?

12) Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for trans individuals accessing your services? One of the main reasons we created Fieramente was to reduce barriers to singing together in heteronormative space. We are building an intergenerational 2SLGBTQIA+ community, just as much as we are focussed on singing as a choir. All voices are welcome. We rehearse in a building in which we are the only occupants during rehearsals so there aren't other people milling about or potentially making the environment less safe.

13) Are there clear anti-discrimination policies that include gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in your organization or practice?
We are covered, as a service commonly available to the public, under the BC Human Rights Code which offers protections from discrimination and harassment in all these areas. .

14) Are all individuals involved in service provision actively engaged in decolonizing their practices and/or organization? If yes, please type below what actions you and/or your organization are taking.

15) Are all individuals involved in service provision actively engaged in anti-racist practices, policies, and systems in their care model? As a choir, we are not service providers in the same way as are other services in this database. We are a community choir with more of a recreational and social / community building focus. As such, we do not subscribe to any specific models of care. We are conscious of colonization and other forms of injustice done to marginalized communities. We take strides to ensure our choir materials are free from bias or appropriation and that choir is a welcoming space. One of our goals is to diversify by reaching out to our local Indigenous communities to learn more about shared needs and to recruit more singers to the choir.