The Healing History Of Two-Spirit, A Term That Gives LGBTQ Natives A Voice https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b37cfbce4b007aa2f809af1?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003 In the early 1990s, Little Thunder helped create the term “two-spirit,” an umbrella term for LGBTQ+ Native Americans. She vowed she would not return home “until all of my two-spirit brothers and sisters were welcome.” Years later, on a cold October night in 2016, Little Thunder sat in car headed south on Highway 1806 from Bismarck, North Dakota. As the car slowed down and pulled up to a security gate at the #NoDAPL resistance camp, the elder rolled down her window and asked a young volunteer where she could find the two-spirit camp. That weekend, Little Thunder and other two-spirit leaders were officially welcomed by the Oceti Sakowin leadership in a grand entry ceremony organized by Lakota activist Candi Brings Plenty. It was the first time Little Thunder had been home in 32 years.
Two-Spirit Grandmother Advocates to Eliminate Homophobia http://anishinabeknews.ca/2018/07/30/two-spirit-grandmother-advocates-to-eliminate-homophobia/ Teresa Sims, a Two-Spirit grandmother, is making it her mission to deliver the message that it’s time to eliminate homophobia and allow Two-Spirit people to reclaim their proper place in First Nations’ culture. L to R: Theresa Sims, Lori George, assistant director at Wulaawsuwiikaan Healing Lodge, Jason George, lodge program coordinator. “Two-Spirit people were accepted and even honoured in the traditions of First Nations, and they should not be afraid to come out and be part of Indigenous society today,” explained Sims. The concept of being Two-Spirit in that it is not the same as dominant cultural ideas of hetero-, homo-, or bi-sexuality. Two-Spirit people can “see and feel both sides”, but the idea is not all about a person’s sexuality. Two-Spirits can have any sexual orientation, she says, and the idea that these matters are only about sexual preference is not part of Indigenous culture.
Two-spirit powwow gives dancers a place to be themselves https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/two-spirit-powwow-beardys-okemasis-june-pride-1.5177776?fbclid=IwAR3m343PQChUvqhIBFbl--4uB8R2Q7aQrbzrQB_87fgmV1qpF7s8pawBF2Y "This is possible anywhere and that we shouldn't be afraid to be very visible about our acceptance of all LGBTQ folks in our communities. We need to be visible," Saddleback said. "We need to be able to showcase to folks that we are a loving environment. That we support one another," he said. "We walk behind them and we let them know that they are protected in our communities, they are loved in our communities and we will not let anything harm them."