Research grows into graphic novel following 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous hockey player

Albert McLeod, together with Elaine Mordoch, Sonya Ballantyne, and illustrator Alice RL, have created Between the Pipes, a YA graphic novel about a 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous hockey player named Chase, who is struggling to come to terms with his identity, and how the Elders in Chase’s community and their cultural teachings play a vital role in supporting him.

Winnipeg-based writer, activist, and consultant McLeod was inspired to create this story at a suicide prevention convention at the University of Manitoba during which there was no specific content about Two-Spirit people or their issues.

“I brought this oversight to the attention of Elaine [Mordoch, story contributor], and we agreed to develop a Two-Spirit–specific suicide prevention resource for youth.”

McLeod and Mordoch, who is an associate professor and research affiliate at the College of Nursing, University of Manitoba, had previously conducted research for the Winnipeg Suicide Prevention Network.

“We felt it was important to use the knowledge gained from these studies to educate and help people understand issues related to youth coming to terms with their sexual and cultural identity. We wanted to show that there are ways to resolve these issues and to provide hope to youth, especially in terms of athletic toxic masculinity,” Mordoch says.

Turning research into a form that would attract the target audience took a bit of thinking. 

“The graphic novel is popular with the age group that we wanted to reach. It also provides visual representations of Indigenous identity and ceremony,” McLeod says.

Mordoch adds that, while it hadn’t been the original goal of the project, “As we learned about [graphic novels] from younger people in our circles and identified our audience as young teens, this format intrigued us, and we saw it as a powerful, compelling way to deliver the story. We believe that the vivid graphic art and the accompanying text will attract youth to the story and help them to believe in the message.”

That vibrant art was created by Alice RL, a non-binary Ojibwe artist, professional illustrator, and art teacher based in Winnipeg. 

Between the Pipes is their first full-length graphic novel. They drew inspiration from their own life, including their dad and one of their friends, as well as from the reference material provided to them by the writing team.

RL believes that representation matters. “I always think there need to be many more stories written by Queer people,” they say. 

“I can show that as an Indigenous Queer person, being a part of creating these stories is possible.”

The whole creative team believes that Between the Pipes is an important story to tell. “North American professional sports like hockey, baseball, and football are presented as an exclusive domain of heterosexual/biological males, regardless of whether the players are 2SLGBTQI+,” McLeod says.

“This approach feeds social myths about male privilege and patriarchy that exclude and diminish the contributions of women and 2SLGBTQI+ people. This graphic novel is meant to disrupt this narrative and make sports and other traditional masculine roles more inclusive to 2SLGBTQI+ people.”

And Mordoch says of their book, “It provides hope for youth that there are supportive people, that there is help, and that Two-Spirit youth are valuable members of the community.”