Reserved and private, Jon is rocked with a glitter bomb of queer affection when he collides with former crush, Kurt.
Jon's an introvert. Kurt's an extrovert. Jon's never had a boyfriend. Kurt's hooked up a hundred times. Jon's devoutly Christian. Ku...
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Lovely readers, this story is set in Edmonton, Alberta, which is situated on Indigenous land in Treaty 6 territory; land occupied, travelled, and cared for by Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial to the present day.
Edmonton - ᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ, amiskwacîwâskahikan - is a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and travelling route of the Nêhiyawak (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux; whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to enrich our shared heritage. We are all Treaty People bound to one another by the spirit and intent of Treaty.
I also want to acknowledge that the Kickingbird children don't go by their Cree names. Kickingbird is an inadequate English translation of their surname in Cree, and Jordin and Dusty are entirely Anglo names. Their grandmother allowed their names in her native tongue to be hidden for ease of passage through the systems and geography of our country, like many other Indigenous people and ethnic minorites.
In Canada, Indigenous children make up 7% of our under-14 year old population, but they make up more than 50% of children in the Canadian foster care system. This is because of a long, ugly history of policies that disadvantage Indigenous parents and bands. Google the 'Sixties Scoop' and understand that these practices continued in every decade since that time.
As of January 1, 2020, a new act came into effect in Canada that affirms the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to exercise jurisdiction over their child and family services. I hope and pray over the next decade that we will see a turn-around in these numbers, and more children like Dusty and Jordin will be able to be raised by their family and culture of origin.
Thank you so much for reading and opening your heart to all these characters <333 Rae.
