Overview
The Nine Genders is a groundbreaking framework that moves beyond the normative binary of male/female to embrace multiple articulations of gender. Rooted in traditional ancestral knowledge and oral teachings, this framework reintroduces pre-colonial understandings of gender that honour the full spectrum of human experience, including the sacred concept of Two-Spirit identities.
Developed and shared by Michael Parsons, an Ancestral Knowledge Keeper, pipe carrier, social work researcher, and person living with HIV, the Nine Genders framework was received through ceremony and gifted teachings from the ancestors. It is presented not as an academic invention, but as a reintroduction of a traditional worldview that has always existed within ancestral communities.
Key Concepts
Beyond the Binary
The Nine Genders framework challenges the Western two-gender binary (male/female) and recognizes that gender is far more expansive, fluid, and spiritually rooted. It honours the diversity of gender identities as they have long existed in ancestral traditions.
Research Within Ceremony
Michael Parsons embeds research within ceremony. The Nine Genders research project begins with a sweat lodge, where the pipe is lifted and a continuous four-day pipe ceremony is held. Sharing circles within a teepee serve as the data collection space. On Day 3, drum and basket-making workshops allow participants to create a gift to take home. Day 4 concludes with a sweat and a community feast, the entire event constituting a continuous, living ceremony.
About Michael Parsons
Michael Parsons is a Knowledge Keeper, pipe carrier, social work researcher, and person living with HIV. He began his path to social work education in 1985 at Mount St. Vincent University. In 1986, he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and through a remarkable journey, including a period in Ecuador with a Quechua medicine man, navigated healing that transcended Western medical frameworks.
Through adoption into the Cree Nation, his Jackatar heritage (a Métis nation formed in Newfoundland), and his Mi’kmaq and Biotic ancestral roots, Parsons carries a rich multi-layered heritage that informs his work as a Knowledge Keeper. He received the teaching of the Nine Genders from the ancestors and has dedicated his social work research career to sharing and studying this framework.
Parsons completed his field placement for his Bachelor of Social Work through the AHA Centre, a project of CAAN (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network), where he served as Nominated Principal Applicant on the original Nine Genders CIHR grant proposal. He has since co-led multiple research grants totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars, co-authored conference presentations in Canada and internationally, and developed the Nine Genders into a growing body of community-based Indigenous research.
Research Funding & CIHR Recognition
The Nine Genders research has received significant funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), demonstrating national recognition of its importance:
- Development Grant (2020/21): $74,960
- Funder: CIHR, Indigenous Gender and Wellness Development Grants
- PI: Michael R. Parsons
- Institution: Dalhousie University
- Team: Renee Masching (CAAN), Marni D. Amirault (CAAN), Albert McLeod (U of Manitoba), T. Sharp Dopler, Andrea C. McIntyre (CAAN), Oleksandr Kondrashov (TRU)
- Team Grant (2021, Competition 202107): $499,998
- Funders: CIHR Institute of Gender & Health ($208,076), Institute of Indigenous Health ($161,538), Institute of Population & Public Health ($130,384)
- PIs: Michael R. Parsons, Skylar S. Louttit, Albert McLeod
- Co-investigators: Marni D. Amirault, Christian Hui, Renee Masching, Oleksandr Kondrashov, Katrina M. Plamondon
- Institution: Communities, Alliances & Networks (Saskatchewan)
- Program: Team Grant: Indigenous Gender and Wellness Team Grant
Learn More: Resources & Social Media
Follow the Nine Genders work and access resources through the following channels:
Website: Nine Genders website
TikTok: 9Genders on TikTok
Instagram: Nine Genders on Instagram
YouTube (Teaching.Coaching.Instructing): Teaching.Coaching.Instructing YouTube channel
HIV2020 Conference Presentation (YouTube): The nine genders: A reintroduced Indigenous way of organizing gender (HIV2020 presentation)
Original Student Paper (CAAN): Student placement at the AHA Centre, a project of CAAN (PDF)
CIHR Project Details: Exploring 9Genders within the life cycle: ‘We will always love’ (CIHR project details)
Cognit Funding Record: The nine genders Development Grant (Cognit funding record)
9Genders Community Learning Course (DROKACADEMY, 2024)
In September 2024, Sasha Kondrashov (Dr. Oleksandr Kondrashov, Thompson Rivers University) launched a free, 12-week community learning course through DROKACADEMY, built entirely around Mike Parsons’ ancestral 9Genders teachings. The course ran online from September to November 2024.
Course Objectives
The course was designed to help participants: explore gender diversity beyond traditional binary models; analyze current research on the 9Genders framework; examine masculinity, femininity, and non-binary dimensions of gender; apply the framework to personal experiences; and connect the 9Genders concept to broader social and political issues.
Who the Course Was For
The course welcomed students of social work, gender studies, sociology, and psychology; educators and researchers in gender theory; LGBTQ+ community members and allies; healthcare professionals working with diverse gender identities; and anyone curious about expanding their understanding of gender.
12-Week Curriculum Overview
The course covered: Introduction to 9Genders (Week 1); Gender Terminology (Week 2); Spirituality and Gender (Week 3); Masculinity Dimension of Gender (Week 4); Femininity Dimension of Gender (Week 5); Non-binary Dimension of Gender (Week 6); Research within Ceremony and 9Genders (Week 7); and four weeks of Guest Presentations on selected topics (Weeks 8–11), followed by a Course Review (Week 12). Guest/group presentation topics included Ancestral Concepts of Family and Kinship, Gender and Spirituality, Gendered Violence and Activism, Language and Gender, Storytelling and Oral Traditions, and cross-cultural gender identities such as Māhū, Fa’afafine, Hijra, and Nádleehi.
Course Announcement (DROKACADEMY): Explore the ancestral 9Genders teaching: Community Learning Course.
Advancing Accessible Medical Charting for All People (DROKACADEMY, 2026)
In February 2026, DROKACADEMY announced an exciting new research initiative: building a team to apply for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding opportunity ‘Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research.’ At the heart of this project is Mike Parsons’ ancestral 9Genders teaching, applied to transform medical charting and health information systems.
- Research focus: gender-inclusive medical charting using the 9Genders framework
- Funding target: CIHR, Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research
- Project duration: four years
- Lead vision holder: Mike Parsons
- DROKACADEMY contact: Dr. Oleksandr Kondrashov (Thompson Rivers University), sasha@drokacademy.ca
- CIHR funding information: Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research (CIHR funding opportunity)
Research Vision
This project envisions a world where every person, regardless of gender identity, feels seen, respected, and accurately represented in their own medical records. Current medical charting systems remain largely rooted in binary frameworks that leave many people invisible. The research will explore how health information systems can be reimagined to be inclusive of all gender identities, drawing from the 9Genders framework and community wisdom to develop tools, measures, and practices that truly reflect the people they serve.
The project frames accessible medical charting not merely as a technical issue, but as a matter of human rights, dignity, and health equity, grounded in ancestral knowledge and co-designed with communities.
Who They Are Looking For
The research team welcomes researchers, healthcare professionals, community advocates, Elders, students, and individuals with lived experience who care about gender-inclusive health care. Those interested are invited to reach out through DROKACADEMY at sasha@drokacademy.ca.
Full Announcement (DROKACADEMY): Join Us: Advancing Accessible Medical Charting for All People
CIHR Funding Opportunity: Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research (CIHR funding opportunity)
References (APA 7th Edition)
The following references represent published works, conference presentations, and grant records associated with the Nine Genders project:
Journal Article
Parsons, M. (2021). Student placement at the AHA Centre, a project of CAAN. Journal of Indigenous HIV Research, 11(Summer), 67–75. https://www.caan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Student-Placement-at-the-AHA-Centre-Parsons.pdf
Conference Presentations
Favel, A., Masching, R., Kondrashov, O., Hui, C., & Parsons, M. (2024, April 27). Decolonizing gender research: Navigating Indigenous protocols for ethical gathering of gender diverse experiences [Conference presentation]. 33rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, London, ON, Canada. https://www.cahr-acrv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CAHR-2024-Abstract-Book-FINAL.pdf
Parsons, M. (2020, October 2). The nine genders: A reintroduced Indigenous way of organizing gender [Conference presentation]. HIV2020 Conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p_C3jtvk9c
Parsons, M., Masching, R., Hui, C., Favel, A., & Kondrashov, O. (2024, April 27). Co-developing research data gathering ethics through ceremony: The 9Genders as traditionalist worldview of Indigenous genders developmental study [Conference presentation]. 33rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, London, ON, Canada. https://www.cahr-acrv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CAHR-2024-Abstract-Book-FINAL.pdf
Parsons, M., & Kondrashov, O. (2024, June 1). Advancing gender justice in the Arctic: Exploring a 9Genders curriculum [Conference presentation]. Intersectional Gender Equality within Academia — Exploring Sustainable Futures in the Arctic, UArctic Congress 2024, Bodø, Norway. https://www.uarctic.org/news/2024/6/intersectional-gender-equality-within-academia-exploring-sustainable-futures-at-the-arctic-congress-2024-bodoe/
Grants & Funding Records
Parsons, M. R. (PI). (2020/21). The nine genders: A traditionalist way of organizing Indigenous gender, interpreting gender through an Indigenous worldview [Development Grant, $74,960]. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Indigenous Gender and Wellness Development Grants. Dalhousie University. https://cognit.ca/en/project/230617
Parsons, M. R., et.al (PIs). (2021). Exploring 9Genders within the life cycle: ‘We will always love’ [Team Grant, $499,998]. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Team Grant: Indigenous Gender and Wellness Team Grant (Competition 202107). Communities, Alliances & Networks (Saskatchewan). https://webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/decisions/p/project_details.html?applId=450098&lang=en&wbdisable=true
DROKACADEMY Blog Posts
Kondrashov, O. (2024, September 3). Explore the ancestral 9Genders teaching: Community learning course. DROKACADEMY. https://krasun.ca/2024/09/03/explore-the-ancestral-9genders-teaching-community-learning-course/
Kondrashov, O. (2026, February 1). Join us: Advancing accessible medical charting for all people. DROKACADEMY. https://krasun.ca/2026/02/01/join-us-advancing-accessible-medical-charting-for-all-people/
Online Resources
Parsons, M. (n.d.). 9Genders [TikTok channel]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@9genders
Parsons, M. (n.d.). Nine genders [Instagram account]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/ninegenders/
Parsons, M. (n.d.). Teaching.Coaching.Instructing [YouTube channel]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Teaching.Coaching.Instructing
Parsons, M. (n.d.). Nine genders [Website]. http://www.ninegenders.ca
For more information about the Nine Genders framework, visit the Nine Genders website
CAAN (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network) | http://www.caan.ca