America is attacking trans people, but they are also attacking indigenous people. They don’t want people to know that we are still alive, and we still carry our culture. Say Nex Benedict’s name, and say it loud. But not just because they were trans. But because they were Two Spirited aswell. Native Americans are perhaps some of the most widely ignored, forgotten, and hated POC community in America, and it’s unfair because this was our land until you forced us out of our homes and into small camps. Please, support local POC communities. Buy from Indigenous owned businesses. And don’t let anyone forget about Nex Benedict.

LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History—chapter 09. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native America and the Pacific Islands by Will Roscoe. part 2

Two Spirits in Native Tradition: Roles, Genders, Identities and Diversity cont.

In the twentieth century, ‘berdache’ “became the standard anthropological term for alternative gender roles among Native Americans. By the 1980’s, however, there was call for a change among scholars. In 1990, at a gathering of Native American and First Nations people, the term ‘two-spirit(ed)’ was coined. “Today, the term is used to refer to “both male-bodied and female-bodied native people who mix, cross, or combine the standard roles of men and women” (09-5).

The author acknowledges in a footnote that the term has its limitations (translation errors, and the fact that many tribes believe that all of us have the essence/spirit of male and female in us). But none of his reasons for these limitations match with my main critique both with the term two-spirit but mostly with the way it is often spoken of. Even within the acknowledgement of individuals who do not conform 100% to the Western concept of man or woman, the people are still fit into a binary. They are referred to as ‘male bodied’ and ‘female bodied’ two-spirited people.

To me, this often feels like an easy way for people to ‘short cut’ their understanding of native genders—as soon as they understand the way someone is sexed, they can still fit that person into a category, even if those categories are imperfect. Intersexuality is a ghost when topics of sex and gender arise. More and more, we understand that sex is not immutable, it is yet another social construction—the process of someone developing in utero and then continuing to grow and change in their lifetime is so complex that very often people do not fit neatly into either the distinct category of male or female.

(See the link below for a better image of this)

Whether that is their very chromosomes, hormones, secondary or primary sex characteristics—all these things and more combine to create a person. A person whose very sex is unique to them, as their gender is unique to them. Who knows the true reality of the two-spirit’s biological sex? No one—unless they are given extensive expensive testing that has only recently become available.

The truth is that intersexuality is natural and is common in humans, even in the Western world with its biopolitical control and its dualisms. The reason two-spirit people were and are held so special is because they do not fit neatly into these categories. To me it feels a kind of modern colonial erasure to try and sex the bodies of people who often very clearly and blatantly blurred all barriers. It feels as if it misses the entire point of the term two-spirit, as least as I understand it. But, I have not read much into what other two-spirits (especially elders) think about this concept. “Two-spirit males have been documented in at least 155 tribes; in about a third of these a recognized status for females who adopted a masculine lifestyle existed as well”. (09-6) But as Roscue later adds, “absence of evidence cannot be taken as evidence of absence” (09-8).

In general, the lives of “native women have been overlooked […] and obscured by Euro-American sexual and racial stereotypes. Taking a broader view reveals that women throughout North American and the Pacific Islands often engaged in male pursuits, from hunting to warfare and tribal leadership, without necessarily acquiring a different gender identity” (09-8). Roscoe then offers some examples of Indigenous women being awesome. The author then lists examples of traditional terms for two-spirited people across various tribes and explains that many of them cannot be literally translated into gender binary terms like ‘man-woman’. “These terms have lead anthropologists, historians, and archaeologists to describe two-spirit roles as alternative or multiple genders” (09-6). In fact, “many native societies are capable of accommodating three, four, and possibly more genders, or having a gender system characterized by fluidity, transformation, and individual variation” (09-7).

The author discusses how two-spirit children were identified often as youth by the certain type of activities they liked to participate in. Oftentimes ceremonies ‘marked’ people with two-spirit status. He then goes on to discuss the other ways two-spirits lived in society. “In many instances, male and female two spirits were medicine people, healers, shamans, and ceremonial leaders” (09-8). Certain ceremonial functions were specific to two-spirits and they were often seen to hold great power (09-8). “Because two-spirits occupied a distinct gender status, their relationships were not viewed as being same-sex” (09-9). !!!! This feels so important for some reason!!

Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native Hawai’i

This section further emphases that indigenous peoples have had genders that go beyond male or female, man or woman and also that colonial violence is a tragedy. While I respect and love the people of Hawai’i and their struggles are so, so similar to Native Americans, I believe that the vast majority of Native Hawaiians do NOT consider themselves Native American (or American Indian or even just American) so my covering on this topic will be limited.

Roscoe speaks about the mahu stones that have extraordinarily sacred significance—these stones have a powerful history and connection to the mahu people (their gender diverse term). (This summary is literally so terrible and not at all a true representative of how important and beautiful this topic is, I apologize). Like the people, the stones faced colonization and were figuratively and then literally buried—“in the 1920s they were buried beneath a bowling alley” (09-15). They have since been reclaimed and are now being properly respected but, for the native peoples, “the Land inheres as sacred—beyond human perception and conception, beyond our capacities for belief and imagination—in and of itself” (09-15) and “If there were no humans on earth, they would still be sacred” (09-15). The stone’s spiritual power ‘has never been interrupted’ (09-15).

halona from flicker (roblox) is two-spirit (canon)

submitted by anonymous

Happy International Women's day ALSO to the boy-girls and girl-boys, to the two spirited, the multi-gender, the genderqueer, the gender fluid, people who are only sometimes a women, the people who are not women but identify more with women empowerment, the questioning, the unsure, and all those who do not fall under the umbrella of women but who find solidarity and comfort in the experiences often attributed to women by society.

If you find comfort in International Women's Day, then you deserve to celebrate too.

Posting this before pride month ends! (in my region)

2021 and 2022

Nex Benedict's death wasn't just for being transgender, it was for being native too. 2 Spirits are revered in many native cultures and it is a native-specific identity. This wasn't just a hate crime against trans & NB individuals, this was also a hate crime against Natives of Turtle Island.

You cannot separate Nex's trans identity from their native identity - this is a case of MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirits).

Native children being killed at school is nothing new, so it's equally important to talk about Nex's native identity and being intersectional, this is a devastating tragedy for indigenous people, the queer community & especially those of us who are both indigenous and queer.

May Nex rest in peace 🪶

reminder that indigenous queer folks do not need to fit your colonial definitions or conceptions of queerness in order to be valid, worthy, and spectacular.

if your concept of what a lesbian looks like requires that all lesbians have shaved or short hair, then you’re excluding ntv lesbians who honour our ancestors by growing our hair long.

i’m no less of a butch for having hair that goes down to my tailbone. i’m no less of a butch for wearing my hair in a braid. i’m also still butch when i wear beaded earrings, a ribbon skirt, and moccasins.

if your idea of queerness is tied to whiteness, that’s just a shame. indigeneity and queerness go together like inhaling and exhaling. one cannot exist without the other.

Nex Benedict was an Indigenous, Two Spirit, Trans teenager who was murdered by three other students who attacked them in a school bathroom.

This is what we fight for, this is what we march for, this is what we have Pride for.

Because of the Anti-Trans hate and violence that is continuously being spewed.

Nex was a TEENAGER! WHO WAS BEATEN TO DEATH!

You say protect the children well NEX WAS A CHILD! WHERE WAS THEIR PROTECTION?

Nex I am so sorry, I'm so sorry this was done to you, you deserved to live a life full of love and joy. 💛💜🖤

Say his name, and never forget them.

Nex Benedict.

Their name was Nex Benedict.

Nex Benedict, not whatever name the news keeps saying.

Nex used He/Him pronouns according to friends, not whatever the news keeps saying.

Nex was the victim of a hate crime. Nex's death was because of a hate crime. Nex's death was not an accident, it was a hate crime.

I was originally planning on holding off sharing this until June, but then decided to hell with that; why wait?

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Intersections: Indigenous and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Identities – this booklet from the Native Women’s Association of Canada is more intended towards 2S folks, but is still a great read for anyone.

Two Spirits, One Voice – This video from Egale is a great, no more comments needed.

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder – This book by Ma-Nee Chacaby can be a difficult and emotional read, but very much worth it.

Becoming Two-spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country – I have yet to read this book by Brian Joseph Gilley myself, but heard positive things about it.

Please feel free to reblog with more suggestions, if you have them!

LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History—chapter 09. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native America and the Pacific Islands by Will Roscoe. (final)

Two Spirits Today: Renewal and Change

The section starts and continues by discussing two-spirit activism and cultural renewal being fostered by two-spirits and lgbtq native people. One such event is the intertribal powwows such as the Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits Powow which in 2015, drew over 2,000 attendees (09-12). Attendees were asked to define two-spirit, the answers varied; “two spirit means being born with a male and a female spirit”, while another said that the term is “more of a historical reminder that before colonization all of our tribes had multiple genders” (09-12)

Two Spirits in the History of the United States

The author then tells us about four individuals who by our modern standards would be considered two-spirit, all of whom led incredibly fascinating lives. Most of them faced violence and prejudice in their lives. And this remains true for two-spirits today—the author mentions a young two-spirit Navajo named Fred Martinez Jr. who had been bullied and was murdered in a hate crime in 2001.

(Rest in Power, relative...)

Conclusion: History Matters

“Two-spirit/LGBTQ history not only challenges stereotypes and transforms prejudice, it provides the path to self-esteem, empowerment, and community for two-spirit-LGBTQ native people, while the stories of two-spirit males and females in American history teach us all about sexual and gender diversity and the ways in which these differences make distinctive cultural and historical contributions” (09-29)

I went to gay street today and everyone there knew you.

meteorologists report sky just a little bluer today, and it's because skyloft residents link and zelda are in love :)

being in love with a fictional character will make u produce art u didnt know u were capable of

~

[if ur part of the "fiction doesnt affect reality" crowd: please fuck off lol]

Are you an Oklahoma resident? Do you also want to try and remove Ryan Walters to counteract even more harm being done to our trans, nonbinary, and 2S kids?

Sign this petition to show your support of harm reduction for our schools

Share this link with others! Idc how you do it, just share it!

If at any point i hear one more person taking the piss out of someone with neopronouns/xenopronouns or non-binary people or trans folk, I'd really like to remind them that there are SEVERE consequences to this. The death of Briannah Ghey and now Nex Benedict NEEDS to be spoken about more, and how influencers online who spread their bigoted views contribute to the bullying and sometimes death that these people face. If you find yourself posting something about 'trans-trenders' or whatever, you're going to have an impact on that community. Someone will see what you've posted, they'll repost it or rephrase it and it will spread. This is a plague, and if we can get rid of it we need to start holding more bigoted people accountable.