Facilitating resilience alongside SOGICE survivors

Sometimes a facilitation session stays with you for weeks afterwards. Facilitating dialogue with this remarkable group of survivors was profound. 🌈 🦄

This new report about ending sexual orientation and gender identity conversion efforts (…which are still happening!!) is out today: http://cgshe.ca/SOGIECE/ 

Part of a much larger research process, was a 1-day Dialogue in November. Our facilitation used arts based methods and a world cafe, circle process and going slowly to build trust as much as possible. It included 31 conversion therapy survivors, LGBTQ2 community leaders, researchers, and policy advocates who gathered to share professional and lived experiences of SOGIECE (sexual orientation and gender identity conversion efforts).

Listen to survivors: “The most important thing is how can we create therapy and better models for helping victims and survivors so they can move on with their lives and heal,” said Erika Muse, an activist, writer, and SOGIECE survivor.”

The report says that conversion efforts “continue in Canada (and elsewhere) today and contine to cause harm to LGBTQ2 people; however, SOGIECE is preventable, and we all have a role to play in bringing about its eradication.”  As well we need to know, “how and why multiple multiple actions are needed to address SOGIECE, including support for SOGIECE survivors, legislation and policy, changes within institutions that perpetrate SOGIECE, and increase communications.

And I’ll add my huge respect to Travis Salway for convening the relationships and his care throughout.