While most people just use LGBTQ, the “full” acronym is LGBTQQIP2SAA: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Pansexual, Two Spirit, Asexual, Ally. To be inclusive of the full LGBTQQIP2SAA acronym, the last identity to cover on my blog is the 2S or Two Spirit.
- Native tribes have different terminology and language. There are many different ways of saying words surrounding the Two Spirit Community such as male-bodied and female-bodied. See the list here.
- In these tribes, being transgender is seen as a double blessing, for there is a belief that they are doubly blessed for having “both the spirit of a man and the spirit of a woman” (Huffington Post).
- According to the author of The Spirit and The Flesh by Walter Williams: Gender roles still play into Two Spirit Communities. Feminine men who prefer to do woman’s work would marry a masculine male (doing men’s work), and a masculine female (doing men’s work) would marry a feminine one (doing woman’s work). These were expectations, just like we see in heterosexual men and woman, and just as often in queer relationships (The Guardian).
- While Two Spirit tribes are often talked about historically, they do still exist, and people identify within them. However, now they are welcomed are included within the LGBTQ Community.
I think it’s important to learn about all queer identities within the LGBTQ Community, and I’m happy that I have decided to educate myself on this one. I hope this taught you a little about Two-Spirit identities and the Two-Spirit Community.
Sources:
“5 Things Queer and Questioning Indigenous Folks Should Consider About Claiming Two-Spirit Identity” by Mahealani Joy http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/consider-two-spirit-identity/
Two Spirit 101. NativeOUT http://nativeout.com/twospirit-rc/two-spirit-101/
Huffington Post. “Two-Spirit People: Gays Accepted by Native Americans.” by Charles Orgbon. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-orgbon/twospirit-people-gays-acc_b_1677851.html
The Guardian. “The ‘Two Spirit’ People of Indigenous North Americans.” by Walter Williams. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/11/two-spirit-people-north-america
Native People’s Magazine. “Two Spirit: The Story of a Movement Unfolds.” http://www.nativepeoples.com/Native-Peoples/May-June-2014/Two-Spirit-The-Story-of-a-Movement-Unfolds/
Originally posted on my blog Color it Queer