Author: Precious Benally
June is Pride Month, a month to celebrate LGBTQ and Two Spirit members of our communities. Two Spirit people have been present in Native communities for countless generations, each Tribe with their own terms for Two Spirit people. Before first contact with European colonizers, most Indigenous people recognized the importance of Two Spirit individuals and the special responsibilities bestowed on them by their communities as visionaries, healers, medicine people and leaders.
The impact of colonization has been long lasting; suppressing Two Spirit traditions and roles, and leaving generations of Two Spirit people suffering from multiple layers of discrimination and stigma. Two Spirit youth are particularly at risk, finding themselves shut out of community gatherings, disowned or ostracized from their families and communities.
Today, Two Spirit and Native LGBTQ youth are working to reclaim their roles and places in their Tribal communities. When colonization took hold of our communities and many of our traditional ceremonies were made illegal, the powwow emerged as a form of resistance and celebration. Today, Two Spirit Powwows are a similar act of resistance and celebration of culture. Two Spirit powwows are becoming more and more present on the Powwow Trail with the largest native LGBTQ gathering in the nation at San Francisco’s Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit (BAAITS) Powwow. For many Nations, Powwows weren’t traditionally practiced but it has become a way to celebrate indigeneity with community. The same can be said for Two Spirit powwows, where you can feel the vitality of true self-expression in a safe space where such expression isn’t always accepted.
Another way Two Spirit and LGBTQ members of our communities are reclaiming space is through the organization of Pride festivals on reservations. From June 28-29, 2019, the Navajo Nation LGBTQ and Two Spirit community will host the largest Indigenous Pride festival in the country. Community members selected the theme: Diyingo ‘Adánitsiiskees – I am a sacred being – because all gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit Diné relatives are sacred and should find pride in who they are. “Using the sacredness of Diné principles and the history of our people, the 2019 Diyin ‘Adánitsiiskees event will highlight many social and educational disparities that affect our LGBTQ+ relatives today,” said Andy Nez, Pride Executive Director. “Far too long, Western enculturation has distorted identity and the existence of our LGBTQ+ relatives amongst the Diné people. We plan to change that narrative because we are all sacred and our teachings are non-discriminatory.”
The efforts by Two Spirit people are aided by allies in their communities and a shift in public opinion regarding the support of LGBTQ rights. As recently as 2004, polls showed that the majority of Americans—60 percent—opposed same-sex marriage, while only 31 percent were in favor, according to the Pew Research Center. Today, those numbers are reversed: 61 percent support same-sex marriage, while 31 percent oppose it. Support for same-sex marriage has increased among nearly all demographic groups, across different generations, partisan lines and religious faiths (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/americans-views-flipped-on-gay-rights-how-did-minds-change-so-quickly/2019/06/07/ae256016-8720-11e9-98c1-e945ae5db8fb_story.html?utm_term=.4bbc98166e28).
To help support Two Spirit youth, below are tips for effective and respectful interactions:
- Don’t assume you can tell if someone is LGBTQ/Two Spirit
- Respect the need for confidentiality
- Understand the differences between coming out as lesbian, bisexual, or gay and coming out as transgender
- Do not tolerate anti-LGBTQ/Two Spirit remarks or attempted humor in public spaces
- If you don’t know what gender pronouns to use, ask
- Be patient with a person who is questioning their gender identity
- Don’t tell a person what category or identity they fit in to
- Don’t ask a transgender person what their “real name” is
- Don’t ask about a transgender person’s genitals or surgical status
- Don’t ask an LGBTQ/Two Spirit person how they have sex
- Know your own limits as an ally
Here are some helpful resources for Two Spirit and Native LGBTQ youth and those that strive to support them:
