Anthony Johnson is on a mission to shatter the limited access and understanding of LGBT+ and Indigenous Peoples — and his involvement in the popular reality competition show, The Amazing Race Canada, provided him with a unique opportunity to raise awareness.
With approximately two million people watching each episode internationally, Johnson knew this stage was significant. “Given the homophobia and upbringing that I faced, the challenging circumstance that many Indigenous Peoples live in, which I grew up in, I said to my partner, ‘Competing in this is an opportunity we can’t miss,’” said Johnson, during a recent company-wide virtual event for Scotiabank employees as part of Pride month.
“I think up until this point it's primarily been an individual learning from somebody that they happen to know, a brother, a co-worker, maybe a neighbour who is queer who shares with them aspects of their life,” he said.
Johnson and his husband, Dr. James Makokis, used their global platform with precise intention. Over weeks of televised travel across Canada, the pair strategically selected their show attire to expose specific issues such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, they showcased the cultural and ceremonial importance of water, and highlighted their commitment to trans and Two-Spirit people. This came in the form of donning ribbon skirts, water life shirts and even with markings on their foreheads.
Photo: Anthony Johnson
“I went into the bathroom, and I wrote ‘MMIW’ (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) on my headband and I put it on my head. They could edit around my skirt, but if it's on my forehead, it’s going to be in every shot,” said Johnson. “And when we walked out with that message, you could see the looks on people's faces like, ooh, wow, this has a deep meaning.”
Their impactful journey culminated in a victory on Season 7 of the show. Now, Johnson and his husband travel extensively, sharing their insights with organizations of all sizes, empowering them to improve operations and outreach to diverse customers. “Primarily what my job entails right now is a lot of listening. We listen to what's happening, we ask questions and then we share that information through various speaking engagements and with consulting,” said Johnson.
During the Scotiabank fireside chat, Johnson, who identifies as Two-Spirit, admitted that defining it can be challenging, as it’s a relatively new term that was created in the 1990s at the height of the AIDS crisis, when the community was still fighting for equality as LGBT+ people, and it was through what he describes as “a really heavily charged emotion” that the term Two-Spirit was born.
“There were Indigenous elders who got together in Manitoba and they were like, ‘this is a little bit strange because the equality that these folks are all fighting for, we already have it in Turtle Island (North America), we already have that sense of equality, justice and fairness where everyone belongs at the table’,” he said.
While this political movement was taking place, the Indigenous community came up with the English term. “Two-Spirit is a blanket term which serves as a placeholder for Indigenous Peoples to remember gender and sexual diversity,” says Johnson.
He explained that the gender binary is a belief that there are only two different genders that can exist, man and woman, with very specific roles. The term Two-Spirit dismantles this binary option and acknowledges integrated communities. “Queerness and Two-Spiritedness says, ‘no, I can be anything else,” Johnson said. "The term Two-Spirit makes people feel seen, acknowledges culture, acknowledges history, and it serves as a rallying cry to get people to take action,” he said.
Johnson emphasized the importance of openness, expansion, and questioning societal norms as a preliminary step to becoming allies. “That's the one thing that everyone can adopt right now, an attitude of expansion and an attitude of questioning why society is the way it is, and really looking within yourself about what that means for you.”
When it's a value, when it's a core belief that we are all equal, then it's about really embedding it in every life decision that you make and the way that you operate your life.”
He admitted that even he had to learn how to be an ally. “Trans issues were new to me when I was in college, and I had to go through all of the different stereotypes and negative feelings that were taught to me as a child that I didn't even know were taught to me,” said Johnson.
As he learned to understand where his viewpoints were formed, he was able to see the real possibilities of inclusion, and the possibilities of accepting people as they are.
The next step to allyship, after adopting an attitude of growth and becoming more educated on the topic, is about taking action. “Look at your organization's policies, look at groups that you're a part of to see if there's a diverse body of leadership reflected in that,” said Johnson.
If you're working with a diverse group of people, only then can you turn to the ultimate form of allyship which includes political action, legislation and diverting resources to important causes and policies, said Johnson.
“When it's a value, when it's a core belief that we are all equal, then it's about really embedding it in every life decision that you make and the way that you operate your life.”
