People and Culture

Definitions of Equity‑Deserving Groups

The definitions below are those used by Dalhousie University in relation to self-identification through recruitment and in the university census. We recognize that language is used differently in different contexts and changes over time.

Indigenous Persons

The original inhabitants of Turtle Island, which includes North, Central America, and the Caribbean, along with their descendants. This broadly includes Inuk (Inuit), First Nations, and Métis, each with distinct languages, cultures, and traditions that vary by Nation, language group, and region.

The university is committed to building deep and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous Peoples across Canada. This commitment is especially true of our relationship with the Mi’kmaw, Wolastoqey, and Peskotomuhkati nations on whose territories the university resides.

Mi’kmaq

Mi’kmaq are the predominant Indigenous peoples and the original inhabitants of the Atlantic Provinces and beyond including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and parts of New Brunswick, and Quebec. Visit the Dalhousie Indigenous Strategy for more information.

Persons of Black/African Descent

Persons of African descent and/or those who identity as part of the African diaspora, the collection of African-descent communities spread throughout North and South America. In the United States the term African American is used, in Canada Black-Canadian or African-Canadian is often used.

African Nova Scotians

African Nova Scotians are a distinct people who descend from free and enslaved Black planters, Black loyalists, Black refugees, Maroons and other Black people who inhabited the original 52 land-based Black communities in that part of Mi’kma’ki known as Nova Scotia. Please see the African Nova Scotian Strategy for more information.

Racialized Persons

Racialized persons are people (other than Indigenous persons) who are non-white, regardless of their place of birth or citizenship. (Sometimes referred to as “racially visible” or “visible minority”).

Examples:

Persons of African ancestry (Black)
African Nova Scotian
East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean)
South Asian (e.g., Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan)
South-East Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Malaysian, Filipino/a)
Non-white West Asian or Arab (e.g., Iranian, Afghani, Lebanese, Egyptian, Iraqi, Armenian, Israeli.)
Non-white Latin, South, Central American or Caribbean
Multiracial

Persons with Disabilities

People who have a chronic, long-term or recurring physical, sensory, mental, learning or intellectual impairment, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders that person’s full and effective participation in society. This includes, but is not limited to, people whose functional limitations due to their impairment have been accommodated in their workplace (ex: by the use of technical aids, changes to equipment or other working arrangements).

Examples of groups of persons with a disability:

Coordination/dexterity (e.g. cerebral palsy)
Blind/visual impairment
Speech Impairment
Non-visible physical impairment (e.g. hemophilia)
Developmental/mental impairment (e.g. Down’s Syndrome)
Mobility impairment (e.g. need to use a wheelchair)
Learning disability (e.g. dyslexia)
Deaf/hearing impairment
Psychiatric impairment (e.g. severe depression)

Women

Persons identifying as women.

2SLGBTQIA+

An acronym for Two-Spirit (2S), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual with the “+” representing the diversity of ways people choose to self-identify their gender identity and sexual orientation. The placement of Two-Spirit (2S) first is to recognize that Indigenous Peoples are the first peoples of this land, and their understanding of gender and sexuality precedes colonization.

2S (also Two-Spirit or Two-Spirited): term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing sexual, gender, cultural, and/or spiritual identity. This umbrella term was created in the English language to reflect complex Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. This term may refer to cross, multiple, and/or non-binary gender roles; non-heterosexual identities; and a range of cultural identities, roles, and practices embodied by Two-Spirit peoples.
L/ Lesbian: commonly used in reference to women whose sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction are to other women.
G/ Gay: commonly used in reference to men whose sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction are to other men; may also be used to indicate a person of any gender whose sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction are to others of the same gender.
B/ Bisexual: commonly used in reference to those who have sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to more than one sex or gender.
T/ Transgender (also ‘trans’): umbrella term used in reference to a wide range of people whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth, a broad term relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their assigned sex at birth.
Q/ Queer: used in reference to those who identify as anything not fitting cultural norms around gender identity, expression, and/ or sexuality.
I/ Intersex: a person who is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or chromosome pattern that does not seem to fit typical definitions of male or female. Differences may be related to genitalia, secondary sex characteristics, chromosomal make-up, hormonal receptivity, and may or may not be visible at birth.
A/ Asexual: commonly used in reference to those who do not experience sexual desire for people of any gender. Some asexual people desire romantic relationships, while others do not. Asexuality can be considered a spectrum, with some asexual people experiencing desire for varying types of intimacy.

Sources of 2SLGBTQIA+ terminology:

2SLGBTQI+ terminology – Glossary and common acronyms [Government of Canada]

The Education Centre [Trans Care BC]