The concept of social positionality, or just positionality, comes from the field of sociology and describes the groups that people belong to because of their place or position in society. An individual’s positionality depends on a combination of categories or attributes such as Indigeneity, gender identity/expression, race, age, ability, immigration status, class background, language, sexual orientation, employment, and religion, among other factors. All of these elements are constantly interacting which makes positionality unique to each individual (Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, 2018).

Positionality is important because it strongly influences our identity or sense of self, how we see the world, how we relate to others, and how others relate to us. When it comes to the topic of sexualized violence, we all have different experiences, values, beliefs, attitudes, strengths, and vulnerabilities. It can be helpful to try to understand your positionality to be able to facilitate across all these differences.

Here are some questions to help with that process:

• What is your positionality relative to the participants in the session?
• Based on your positionality, in what ways are you able to and unable to relate to the experiences of the participants?
• In what ways do you experience privilege? (You can think of privilege as an advantage that you have because you belong to a certain group, such as being male or middle-class.) In what ways could this impact your role as a facilitator?
• In what ways, or through what aspects of your positionality, do you experience oppression? (A simple way of understanding oppression is to see it as a lack of privilege or the presence of disadvantages from belonging to a certain group. Keep in mind that multiple factors affect our positionality so we can experience both privilege and oppression simultaneously). In what ways could this impact your role as a facilitator?
• How do you think your positionality affects your approach to education and the way you work with people?
• How do you think your positionality affects your approach to the topic of sexualized violence?

For some Indigenous people, it may be a common practice to identify their communities and family relations when introducing themselves. This is a way to connect with other Indigenous people in the room and honour ancestral ties to land and family. Similarly, facilitators with settler backgrounds may choose to share some of their lineage and family roles. For example, “I am a third-generation settler Canadian, with Ukrainian and English roots. I am also a father, son, and partner.” Statements like this can demonstrate the multiple selves that bring us to this important work.

Facilitating across differences means being grounded in an awareness of your own positionality. As a facilitator, you will want to recognize the diverse positionalities of participants and value the knowledge and experience participants bring with them. At a practical level, this understanding can help you raise issues related to sexualized violence in a way that will create a safer space for all learners. An awareness of your own positionality allows you to engage in conversations about how positionality influences experiences of sexualized violence and provides a foundation for unpacking assumptions, championing new ideas, and promoting values central to creating safer campuses.

Disclosing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Your sexual orientation and gender identity are important points of reflection as a facilitator. If you can and feel safe doing so, disclosing your sexual orientation and gender identity in a way that is thoughtful and respectful may help in creating a safe space for gender and sexual minorities by signalling that you are aware of your positionality. Be precise in your language. For example: “I am a straight, cisgender woman who is neurodivergent, and I’m aware that the privileges and disadvantages associated with sexual orientation and gender identity mean that I experience the world in a very different way than some of you might” is more precise than saying “I’m a woman.”

If possible, there will ideally be co-facilitators from a range of positionalities that deliver training related to sexualized violence prevention and response. Having facilitators of diverse backgrounds is important in creating safer, inclusive, and welcoming learning environments for diverse learners.

When delivering to student groups, a peer-to-peer facilitation model can help to increase credibility of the training as well as have other benefits such as empowerment of facilitators (Hines & Palm Reed, 2015; McMahon et al., 2013; McMahon et al., 2014; Turner & Shepard, 1999). Transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit and queer people benefit from learning about sex and sexualized violence from facilitators who share their personal lived experiences.