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For the empathetic and empowered Starr working with queer youth is a comfortable fit as her own sexual and racial realities have put her in plenty of tough situations.

“I’m good at mentoring people who feel they are on the outside because I feel like I’m on the outside.

“I have a lot of compassion for people because I have received a lot of attacks and criticism for who I am,” said Starr, adding how she was even “kicked” around by other indigenous people because of the fairness of her skin.

“Some people are supportive of mixed race, but some people genuinely hate us. The same with my sexuality. So it has always been like living on the outside. It’s different now, though, because it is more popularized through media culture, but 20 to 25 years ago it was ‘don’t kiss your girlfriend in public if you want to keep your teeth,’ s— like that.

“It’s so much different now to be queer and out. There are gender-neutral pronouns … When I was young and had girlfriends it was really a different world. I learned to be protective and defensive, and those are habits I’m trying to shake. But when I’m with kids that have their guard up I know what they are going through,” said Starr, who grew up in Calgary and is just wrapping recording two episodes for CBC Radio’s Tapestry.

Anchor program for 2017’s QAF is UnSettled, an exhibition of indigenous art work curated by two-spirit Blackfoot Adrian Stimson.

In its most basic form, two-spirit is an umbrella term used by indigenous people to describe spiritual LGBT people in their communities.