Lynn Gehl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lynn Gehl
Born	1962 (age 62–63) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Author, human rights activist

Lynn Gehl is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe (which means Indigenous woman) from the Ottawa River Valley in Ontario, Canada. She is a writer, blogger, and a strong voice for Indigenous human rights.

Lynn Gehl has worked hard to challenge unfair rules in a law called the Indian Act. This law used to deny or take away official "Indian status" from some Indigenous women and their families. In April 2017, Lynn won an important court case against a policy that was unfair to women. The court agreed that this policy was discriminatory.

Lynn Gehl's Early Life and Learning

Lynn Gehl grew up in Toronto, Ontario. Her grandmother was from the Golden Lake First Nation.

Lynn first studied chemical technology at Humber College. For over ten years, she worked to check if Ontario's waterways were clean. Later, she went back to school to study anthropology at York University. She then earned her master's and PhD degrees in Indigenous Studies. Her PhD research became a book called "The Truth that Wampum Tells."

Fighting Unfair Rules in the Indian Act

The Indian Act is a Canadian law that controls many aspects of life for First Nations people. It also defines who has "Indian status," which is an official recognition.

Lynn Gehl faced a big challenge because she didn't know who her paternal grandfather was. Because of this, she was denied official Indian status. This meant she couldn't be a member of her First Nation band.

Lynn's Legal Fight for Fairness

Lynn decided to fight this unfair rule. She found out that the government had a secret policy. If an Indigenous woman had a child and the father's name wasn't on the birth certificate, the child might not get full Indian status. Or they might be denied status completely.

On April 20, 2017, Lynn won her case! The court said she had the right to register as an "Indian" under the Indian Act. However, she was only given "6(2) status." This type of status meant she couldn't pass her status down to her own children. This was another unfair rule based on sex.

Achieving Full Status

In 2019, Lynn Gehl joined other Indigenous women to start a campaign. It was called "6(1)a All the Way!" They wanted the government to remove all remaining unfair rules in the Indian Act. They worked hard, and they were successful! Lynn was then "upgraded" to "6(1)a Indian status." This meant she could finally pass her status to her descendants.

Books by Lynn Gehl

Lynn Gehl has written several books about Indigenous issues and her experiences.

• Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Act (2021)
• Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit (2017)
• The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process (2014)
• Mkadengwe: Sharing Canada's Colonial Process through Black Face Methodology (2014)
• Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts (2012)

Awards and Recognition

Lynn Gehl has received several awards for her studies and her important work.

• Nicol, Vince, & Wensley Book Prize in Anthropology, York University (1999)
• Bachelor of Arts with Honours (summa cum laude), York University, Socio-Cultural Anthropology (2022)
• Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2022)