Dr. Percy Lezard, (Mnimcelx - They, Them) | Wilfrid Laurier University

Office of Indigenous Initiatives Indigenous Identity Verification Process can be found here:

Accountability Statement (Decolonial + Ethical Stance)

According to my sqilx^w ways, personal introductions come before any other words. This is not simply protocol—it is an enactment of relational accountability, situating who I am, where I come from, and the responsibilities that guide my work.

Wai, iskwis (my name is) Percy Lezard. I am xatma sqilx^w, held and claimed by my relations: the Lezards from Sn’pinkton, the Krugers from Arrow Lakes, and the Baptistes from Chopka. In an era where the Academic Industrial Complex continues to reward race shifting, indigeneity-by-aspiration, and the continual reproduction of pretendianism, I name myself, my nation, and my kin with intention. This is an ethical stance against the erasures, appropriations, and false claims that harm Indigenous peoples and distort our knowledge systems.

I am the adult-child of Residential School Survivors and Day School Survivors, Valerie Lezard and Moses Baptiste. My maternal grandparents—twiʔ pl̓wíc̓i̓a Elizabeth Lezard (Manual) and twiʔ naʔl stiʔulaʔxʷ Ernest Lezard—survived the colonial attempts to sever sqilx^w relationality. My paternal grandparents—twiʔ Katherine Baptiste (Alec) and naʔl twiʔ George Baptiste—also survived Residential Schools.

My family are members of Sn’pinkton (under our custom nation membership) and registered Status First Nations members under the Indian Act to the Penticton Indian Band. Sqilx^w people and homelands claim me as a member of our nation in Unceded British Columbia. My accountability is first to them—my ancestors, my living relatives, my community—and then to the wider worlds in which I work.

As a scholar, educator, and community member, my responsibilities include refusing extractive research practices, resisting the reproduction of colonial authority, and ensuring that my work honours the knowledges, sovereignties, and futurities of sqilx^w peoples. My presence in academic spaces is not neutral; it is shaped by survivance, kinship, and an obligation to interrupt the structures that attempt to rewrite who we are.

I continue to live as an invited guest on the lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples for the past twenty-five+ years and am responsible to upholding the Dish with One Spoon treaty in my nation-to-nation relations with the caretakers of these territories.

I received my collaborative Ph.D. from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education /University of Toronto (OISE/UT). I received a collaborative Masters from University of Toronto.

I am very grateful to be here in the Laurier Brantford Community where I am being supported to thrive and excel as a critical Indigenous Scholar, prior to joining this scholarly community in 2021, I held an appointment with the Faculty of Social Work at University of Manitoba.

My research orientation is always towards community. It is my responsibility as an Indigenous researcher and Indigenous thinker to disrupt mainstream models of knowledge exraction. I work to re-center Indigenous ways of knowing and being and harness the existing strengths and leadership from Indigenous community members. As a result, I prioritize community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) over single-author papers, and always strive to involve myself in research that has tangible impacts. I have worked as a principle researcher and contributor on many CBPAR projects with social agencies that provide health and service support to Indigenous and 2LGBTQQIA+ communities.
The scope of my current research agenda includes First Nations, Metis, Inuit, Black Indigenous, Afro Indigenous 2 Spirit, Trans, sex-worker, youth, Deaf/Hard of hearing and houseless communities. Research in these areas is increasingly salient, as resources within healthcare must be tailored to fit the unique needs of these communities by service providers.

Recent and Ongoing Projects

Indigenous Content Committee (ICC), BRANCH Project (2024 - 2027).
Co-Principle Applicant, "Resurgence Queering & Reclamation of Ceremony (2024-2025).
Principle Knowledge User, "Exploring Facilitators, Barriers and Opportunities to HIV Pre-Exposure prophylaxis access and use among Urban Indigenous Peoples in the Greater Toronto Area (2024-2025).
Co Applicant, Transgender Health centering 2QTBIPOC Trans affirming care, Women & Gender Equality (2020-2022).
Lead Author, 2 Spirit Council works with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to impliment MMIWG2SLGBTTQQOA+ National Action Plan: Final Report. (2019-2021).
Culturally safe harm reduction for Indigenous Mental Health workers, OFIFC (2020-2021).
2SLGBTQQIA+ community based research mentoring project, Two Spirit Project, CBRC, (2019-Present)
Peer Researcher, Research on Tobacco Reduction in Aboriginal Communities (RETRAC), Center For Research on Inner City Health, (2015-2017).

Lee, E. C., Rwigema, M-J., Cook, F.M., & Lezard, P. (2025). Chapter 10: Social Work and Sexual and Gender Diversity. In N. D. Ives, Introduction to Social Work in Canada. New York: Oxford University Press. (*forthcoming)

Day, M., Lezard, P., Kaur, M., Worrell, T., Barnes, D., Rey, J., Moorehead, A., Roberts, Z., Haua, I., Bakic, T., Farrell, A., Bishop, M., O’Sullivan, S., Carlson, B., Ropeyarn, Y., Smith, D.J., Kāmira Sams, T., Tynan, L., Marek, C., … Keovorabouth, S. T. (2025). Goanna Walking: A Rubric to Measure Transformation in Critical Indigenous Studies Students. Journal of Global Indigeneity, 9(1) https://doi.org/10.54760/001c.143978

Gwun, D., Snow, B., Krakowsky, Y., Lorello, G., Potter, E., Walker, R.L., Lezard, P., DuMont, J., Sivaguranthan, M., Barker, L., Millman, A., Urbach, D., & Armstrong, K. (2024). The Landscape of Gender-Affirming Surgeries and Policy Instruments in Canada: An Environmental Scan. BMC Health Serv Res 24, 916.

Hayes, L., Corbett, S., Heyano, J., Lezard, P., & Lang, E. (February 28, 2024). Improving Access to Services for Two-Spirit People and Native LGBTQIA+ Victims of Human Trafficking. [Webinar]. YouTube. Office for Victims of Crime’s Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUmoBJeYY_I&list=PLC3lgV71flc12srIUaKG617AR8c9qZU3n&index=1&t=425s

Lezard, P., (ed) & Kaur, M. (ed), (2025). "Relationships, Responsibility, Reverence, Reciprocity: An Introduction to Indigenous Studies Reader," Canadian Scholars & Women's Press. (forthcoming)

Lezard, P., Davis, C., (June 20, 2023). Inspiring Conversations: Embracing Gender Identities. Laurier Alumni, Wilfrid Laurier University. [Webinar]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/scG754e-ANs

Lezard, P. (June 7, 2023). "niʕáy̓p kʷu aláʔ - We Have Always Been Here" [Webinar]. YouTube. National Indigenous Women's Resource Center. https://youtu.be/duf8_Bvu-Rg

Lezard, P., Day, M., & O’Sullivan, S. (2023). "Indigiqueer futures: A conversation between Indigenous non-binary academics". In Global networks of Indigeneity. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. Retrieved Dec 6, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526156983.00017

Lezard, P. (November 18, 2022). Gender-Based Violence Against Two-Spirit/ Indigiqueer People. [Webinar]. YouTube. Learning Network & Knowledge Hub. https://youtu.be/kQHUqjtIi_k 

Lezard, P. (October 27, 2022). Sorting Out Our Bundles: The Way Forward is Back To Basics. [Keynote Address]. Summit 2022: Pushing Possibilities. Community-Based Research Center (CBRC). Vancouver, BC. YouTube. https://youtu.be/2C0d-diT0w0

Lavallee, L., Lezard, P., & DiNova, J. (September 30, 2022). Misogyny-Kwil-Miskwaa: A Conversation about misogyny within the Indigenous Community. [Webinar]. Toronto Metropolitan University. YouTube. https://youtu.be/eNrwmZCwEEQ

cárdenas, m., Lezard, P., & Faye, H. (May 2022). Imagining Trans, Non-Binary, & Two Spirit Futures. [Webinar]. Simpson Center. YouTube. https://youtu.be/RgZufSh2UFA

Lezard, P., & Shawanda, A. (December 20, 2021). Decolonizing Methodologies Series: At the Intersection of Decolonization and Gender Equity. [Webinar]. Dalla Lana School of Public Health. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ApguszGD6N8

Eklund, T., Waters, B., Nair, S., Dryden, O.H., Lezard., P., & Sangha, S. (August 26, 2021). Virtual ProPride: Beyond Inclusion Towards Belonging. [Webinar]. Pride at Work Canada. YouTube. https://youtu.be/t-7F4i7nfok

Lezard, P. (May 5, 2021). MMIW2SLGBTQQIA+. [Webinar]. Saskatchewan Polytechnic Indigenous Studies. YouTube. https://youtu.be/tMjr1KRGM20

Lavalle, L., Carlson, B., O’Sullivan, S., Kidman, J., McAllister, T., Moeke-Pickering, T., Naepi, S., & Lezard, P. (April 7, 2021). Indigenous Resurgence. [Webinar] Indigenous Resurgence, Faculty of Community Services. Toronto Metropolitan University. YouTube. https://youtu.be/tfKqvyFbXV0

Lezard, P., Prefontaine, N., Cederwall, D-M., Sparrow, C., Maracle, S., Beck. A., & McLeod. A (April 2021). 2SLGBTTQIA+ Sub-Working Group. MMIWG2SLGBTTQIA+ National Action: Final Report. OFIFC: Toronto
https://scholars.wlu.ca/indg_faculty/1/https://https://mmiwg2splus-nationalactionplan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2SLGBTQQIA-Report-Final.pdf

Dr. Lezard is currently serving on as a member of the Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, on the Board of Directors for a National Board, Fierté Canada Pride, as Indigenous Content Committe for BRANCH Project and on the steering committee for TPATH 2021 Conference. They were a member on the 2 Spirit Sub-working group advocating for 2SLGBTQQIA+ folks who experience Gender Based Violence (GBV) and as an intervention was part of CMHC's Indigenous Advisory Council to ensure that housing as a social determinant of health reduces GBV.

Media

CTVNews (September 3, 2023). Response to the One Year anniversary of James Smith Cree Nation. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/b50G7ugi4Bw?si=S1kE9Idm4mnetV8W
CTVNews (July 11, 2023). First Assembly of First Nations Meeting after Grand Chief Archibald Ousting. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/vD03vETiRiA
CTVNews (July 1, 2023). Call to Cancel Canada Day. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Y-kynRyBl6A
CityNews (January 23, 2023). Response to the Federal Governments announcement of 2.8 billion for Indigenous Day School Survivors. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/mKNPwdvS4v0
CityNews (October 20, 2022). Response to Supreme Court of Canada's ruling to not hear from Indigenous Survivors who went to St. Anne's Residential School [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/6iDLlfuOHq4
CityNews (August 20, 2022). 2SLGBTTQIA+ response to Canada's forever discharge the Catholic Entities from their promise to Indian Residential School Survivors [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/holcRtueLZ0
CityNews (August 2, 2022). 2SLGBTQQIA+ closing remarks to Papal Visit & Apology [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/lcuu8aNRKRk
CityNews (July 25, 2022). 2SLGBTTQQIA+ Response to Pope Francis' visit to Canada [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/aVkSVcw-MvE
CityNews (June 21, 2022). Talking About the 2s in 2SLGBTTQIA+. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7L_tA5gIEKE
2 Spirit Sub Work Group Gathering (April 20, 2022). 2spirit Gathering Day 1 - Dr. Percy Lezard [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hxLXFeNLLS8
Wilfrid Laurier University (February 17, 2022). Celebrating Laurier Achievements - 2SLGBTQQIA+ Final Report. [Video]. https://youtu.be/D3iLu1bOFMs
Wilfrid Laurier University (November 23, 2021) Get to know Laurier's Percy Lezard [Video]. https://youtu.be/OFOxSc1TyHQ

Conference

2023 Panelist, "Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy in Indigenous Knowledges," NAISA 2023 Tkaronto - Native American & Indigenous Studies Assocation's Fourteenth Annual Conference: University of Toronto - Toronto, ON
2023 Panelist, "Pleasure in Erotic Chaos: Two Spirit, Trans, and Queer Intergenerational Relations,"NAISA 2023 Tkaronto - Native American & Indigenous Studies Assocation's Fourteenth Annual Conference: University of Toronto - Toronto, ON
2023 Winter Moderator, niʕáy̓p kʷu aláʔ - we have always been here: a moderated panel of Indigenous 2QTBIPOC speakers - Kelowna, BC.
2022 Fall Keynote, Summit 2022 Pushing Possibilities - Vancouver, BC
2022 Speaker – Community Call-To-Action, 2 Spirit Symposium – CBRC – Vancouver, BC
2022 Fall Panelist, “Decolonizing Board Governance” National Conference: Enchanté Network and Fierté Canada Pride
2020 Fall R Panelist, “Inclusion and access: Indigenous 2 Spirit, Trans, Non-binary Relatives reclaiming Our place in the circle.” 90th Anniversary of School of Social Work International Symposium on Social Justice and Social Care – University of British Columba – Vancouver, BC
2019 Fall R Panelist, “Tending to the Fire, Stoking the Flames as Responsibility: A 2 Spirit Indigenous Ontology of Healing and Decolonial Social Work Practice” Holding Social Work Accountable: Resistance, Challenge and Change – Social Work Stream, SAANZ Conference 2019, University of Auckland – Auckland NZ
2019 Fall R Panelist, “2 Spirit Smoke Signals: Addressing gaps of current smoking cessation plans of care & access to traditional uses of tobacco.” 5th International Indigenous Voices in Social Work Conference: Healing, Reconciliation & Transformation: Approaches to Promoting Indigenous Well-Being – Hualien, Taiwan
2019 Spring R Community Facilitator, Symposium 8 “ Elders teach and youth reach”: Indigenous conversations on sexual health, Aboriginal Health Elders Advisory Council at Vancouver Coast Health, STI & HIV 2019 World Congress – Vancouver, BC
2018 Spring R Panelist, "Why Do You Get to Call Yourself Crazy & I Can't?" White Madness as Disability Identity & the De-legitimatizing of 2QTPOC Sanism, WPC, Ryerson University – Toronto, ON
2015 Fall R Keynote, Sovereignties and Colonialisms: Resisting Racism, Extraction and Dispossession, York University – Toronto, ON
2015 Winter R Presenter, Creating a Culture of Healing: A 2Spirit Syilx Woman’s Journey of Dis(man)tling the Master’s house of Learning, Indigenous Women’s Symposium, Trent University – Peterborough,ON
2013 Winter R Presenter, 9th Annual Indigenous and American Studies Storyteller’s Conference, University at Buffalo The State University of New York – Buffalo, NY
2013 Fall R Panelist, Opportunities and challenges for peer based Interventions in the HIV prevention, engagement & treatment cascade, Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON

Panels

2023 Panelist, "Fighting Facism, Racism and Carceral Injustice: Abolition as Practice," Scholar Strike Canada - Toronto, ON
2022 Winter Moderator, "2SLGBTQQIA+ Families" Indigiqueer & Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University - Brantford, ON
2022 Winter Moderator, “2SLGBTQQIA+ Black and Indigenous Kinship” Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2022 Winter Moderator, "2SLGBTQQIA+ Identity" Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2021 Fall Moderator, "2SLGBTQQIA+ during Covid" Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2021 Fall Moderator, "Indigenize Trans Day of Remembrance" Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2022 Fall Moderator, "2SLGBTQQIA+ on MMIWG" Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2021 Fall Moderator, "2SLGBTQQIA+ Orange Shirt" Indigiqueer and Gender Diverse Speakers Series, Indigenous Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford, ON
2021 Winter Panelist, Women & Gender Equity Learning Event: "Gender Diversity & Inclusivity: What We Need to Know." City of Ottawa - Ottawa, ON
2021 Winter Panelist, “What is your best strategy for Indigenous resurgence in academia and why?” X University - Toronto, ON
2021 Winter Panelist, addressing Transgender Day of Visibility and the question how do you ensure inclusion in your academic spaces? X University – Toronto, ON
2021 Winter Panelist, “What is the most pressing issue in your academic field or community?" X University - Toronto, ON
2021 Winter Panelist, “What does being an Indigenous Intellectual mean to you?” X University - Toronto, ON
2019 Summer Panelist, “The Lived Realities of 2SLGBTTQIA” Fierté Canada Pride conference – Regina, SK

Scholarly Talks

2025 Panelist, "CERC HECW Speaker Series: Fetishized Futures: Reclaiming Erotic Capital and Cultural Identity in the Colonial Gaze - Toronto, ON.
2025 Panelist, "Indigenous Gender Identities,"PRIDE Speaker Series, Delaware Sexuality and Gender Collective - Delaware
2023 Keynote, "niʕáy̓p kʷu aláʔ - We Have Always Been Here" National Indigenous Women's Resources Center - Arizona, USA.
2023 Keynote, "Queering Our Learnings," Consent is Golden, Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy - Brantford, ON
2022 Fall Keynote, "Gender-Based Violence Against Two-Spirit People," Learning Network & Knowledge Hub, Western University
2022 Spring Presenter, “Trusted Messenger Training” Two Spirit Program, Community Based Research Center (CBRC) - Vancouver, BC
2022 Spring Presenter, “Black, Indigenous & People of Color Gathering” LGBT Youtline – Toronto, ON
2022 Spring Presenter, “Indigenous Methods and/or Two Spirit Gender-based analysis” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Boston, MA
2022 Winter Presenter, "Navigating Identity Based Work" Trans, Two Spirit, Non-Binary & Gender Diverse Gathering, LGBT Youthline - Toronto, ON
2022 Winter Presenter, "Intersecting, Indigeneity, and Settler Colonialism, Martin Luther University College - Waterloo, ON
2022 Winter, “Indigenous holistic wellness“ School of Disability Studies, X-University – Toronto, ON
2022 Fall Panelist, "Two Spirit Virtual Gathering" Community Based Research Center (CBRC) - Vancouver, BC
2022 Fall Panelist, "Decolonizing Methodologies and Gender Webinar." Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto - Toronto, ON
2019 Fall Presenter, “Inclusion & Access: 2 Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary Relatives reclaiming our place in the circle. Indigenous Scholars Speakers Series, University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
2019 Fall Presenter, “The lived realities of 2LGBT” Fireside Chats, University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
2019 Fall Presenter, “2 Spirit, Trans & Non-Binary Brave Spaces for Indigenous Youth!” Rec n’ Read, Kinesiology, University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
2019 Fall Presenter, “2 Spirit: how to welcome young learners into the circle, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
2019 Fall Presenter, “Current Social Movements: 2 Spirit Resurgence & Futurities” UML Indigenous Cultural Competency Training (ICT), Turtle Lodge – University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
2019 Fall Presenter, “Historic Trauma & Microaggressions” Teach-In for Reconciliation, Department Of Native Studies, University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB

Dr. Percy Lezard, (Mnimcelx - They, Them)

Biography / Academic Background

Research Interests / Ongoing Projects

Awards and Achievements

Student Opportunities / Supervising

Selected Publications

Courses Taught

Service and Membership

Conferences, Panels & Scholarly Talks

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