Identity

Baybayin, an ancient script pre-dating Spanish colonialism in the Philippines, is making a resurgence. Its defiance against near-extinction is a testament to how cultural identity can be found through a script almost lost, especially for diasporic Filipinos seeking to reconnect with their ancestral heritage.

I thought I had my faith all figured out — until leaving my Christian comfort zone left me feeling vulnerable. Over drinks in a Vancouver pub with my older sister, I realized faith comes with uncertainty.

The Twelve Tribes, a well-resourced new religious movement with chapters across the world, says they value free expression and debate. The media labels them a cult. JP Conan’s been hanging around, hearing them out, and he’s got some things to get off his chest.

For years, I wore a mask that wasn’t mine, bound by gender roles and expectations. Drag was a stepping stone — a space where I could explore pieces of myself that had long been buried. But it was my transition that finally brought me home to who I truly am.

Our voices reflect who we are and how the world recognizes us. Technological advancements in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices are allowing people who use AAC to claim a voice they identify with.

Car accidents, fights with my mom in the car, and long drives in my childhood developed into driving anxiety in my teens and early 20s. Now at 26, I don’t want anxiety to limit how I move throughout my world.

Three provinces, five small towns, five cities — through all the changes, I’ve learned that music is the constant I need.

As an Indigenous woman, I often feel caught between two worlds. Intergenerational trauma, displacement, and my ongoing struggle for self-acceptance have lasting effects in a society that doesn’t fully accept me.

When my mom died, grief cracked me open and left me feeling disconnected from myself and my identity. Mom always encouraged my creativity, but since she’s been gone I’ve struggled to sing and paint. Could finding my way back to music help me find a new version of myself?

Gary Baker spent his whole life keeping a secret. It was only after a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery that he was forced to face the truth in broad daylight: he could see spirits.

In the family tree, trauma’s roots run deep. After losing a family member to addiction, one young woman confronts the pain of her past and reconnects to her Indigenous identity.

Food helps connect us to our memories, culture, and family traditions. One second-generation Ukrainian immigrant teaches her granddaughter how to make perogies and passes down her love for cooking at the same time.