BRIELLE BEARDY-LINKLATER
"It’s about Indigenous people going into a political atmosphere, and taking your space and reclaiming it. It’s the only way to do it."
Who is she?
"I consider myself a political activist of the radical variety."
Brielle is a young, transgender, Indigenous woman from the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and who grew up in Thompson.
She is a courageous young leader and a voice in the struggle for LGBTTQ rights.
Brielle works to reinforce the importance of the Indigenous community within her own community and in her advocacy.
She took another big step in her journey by enrolling in a political science degree program at the University of Manitoba in the fall of 2017.
Beardy-Linklater is committed to returning to Thompson in around five years’ time and use everything she’s learned in the classroom and on the streets to bring about the betterment of the Indigenous community.
Why is her work important?
Brielle made history as the first Indigenous transgender woman to sit in Canadian Parliament on International Women's Day in 2017.
Beardy-Linklater got this opportunity through representing the federal riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski in the Daughters of the Vote initiative, which attracted 338 young women from across the country to participate in the political process by filling every seat in the House of Commons.
Brielle speaks out about the need to challenge transphobia in her community and in society and played a key role in the first ever Pride celebrations in northern Manitoba. She works tirelessly to educate others on LGBTTQ rights, women's right, and Indigenous rights.
“Years of systemic oppression and facing racism and transphobia on a daily basis has made me that way,” she explains. “No one was really apologetic about that, so I’m not afraid to say what I need to say to help people thrive. This is all about lifting up other people.”