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 (a First Nations woman) from the Ottawa River Valley in Ontario, Canada. She is a writer, blogger, and a strong supporter of Indigenous human rights. Lynn Gehl has worked hard to change unfair rules in the Indian Act. These rules sometimes stopped Indigenous women and their families from having full legal "Indian status."

She also speaks out about how land claims and self-government processes affect Indigenous communities in Canada. In April 2017, Lynn Gehl won an important case. The Court of Appeal for Ontario agreed that a policy about not knowing a father's name was unfair to Indigenous women. This was a big step in fighting against unfair treatment.

Lynn Gehl's Early Life and Learning

Lynn Gehl was born and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. Her grandmother was from the Algonquins of Pikwàkanàgan First Nation. Lynn first studied chemical technology at Humber College. For over ten years, she checked Ontario's waterways for harmful chemicals.

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 work became a book called "The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process."

Fighting Unfair Rules in the Indian Act

Lynn Gehl faced a challenge because she did not know who her father's father was. Because of this, she was not given full "Indian status" or membership in her band. This led her to start a legal fight against unfair rules in the Indian Act.

During her fight, Lynn found out about a hidden rule. If an Indigenous woman had children and the father's name wasn't on the birth certificate, those children might not get full Indian status. On April 20, 2017, the Ontario Court of Appeal said Lynn could register as an "Indian" under the Act.

However, she was only given a certain type of status (6(2)), which meant she couldn't pass it on to her children. This was another unfair rule she had to fight. In 2019, Lynn Gehl and other Indigenous women started a campaign called "6(1)a All the Way!" They wanted the government to remove all unfair rules based on gender from the Indian Act. They were successful, and Lynn's status was changed to 6(1)a, allowing her to pass it on.

Lynn Gehl's Books

Lynn Gehl has written several books that share her knowledge and 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)
• Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts (2012)

Awards and Recognition

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

• 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)