Overview of Presentation

-Native Americans/Alaskan Natives
United States
-Native LGBT ~ Two Spirit
-Sexual Orientation – Native LGBT/Two Spirit
-Tribal Language & Two Spirit Terminology
-Spirituality and Culture
-LGBT/Two Spirit Umbrella – Transgender Umbrella
-Question and Answer Period

Native Americans/Alaskan Natives United States

-In 2000, US Census – NA/AN make up 1.5% of total US population – over 3 million people
-In CA, over 100 tribes – Federal & State recognized
-40% living in rural/reservation areas; 60 % living in urban areas (Los Angeles County)
-In 1950s – Relocation Program placed a majority of NA/AN in urban areas such as Los Angeles

Sexual Orientation ~ Native LGBT/Two Spirit

-Historically, NA/AN had alternative gender roles and sexualities
-Upon European contact, homophobia was introduced and have hindered this
belief of Native LGBT
-“Berdache”=French term (considered offensive by most LGBT people today)
-Some tribal languages still use traditional names for LGBT among their
communities

Native LGBT ~ Two Spirit

-Two Spirit term refers to Native American/Alaskan Native Lesbian, Fay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) individuals
-Came from Anishinabe language
-It means having both female and male spirits within one person
-Has a different meaning in different communities. Encompassing term used is “Two Spirit” adopted in 1990 at the 3rd International Native Gay & Lesbian Gathering in Winnipeg, Canada
-The term is used in rural and urban communities to describe the re-claiming of their traditional identity and roles
-The term refers to culturally prescribed spiritual and social roles; however, the term is not applicable to all tribes

Tribal Language & Two Spirit Terminology

Tribe Term Gender Chart

Crow boté male
Navajo nádleehí Male and female
Lakota winkte male
Zuni lhamana male
Omaha mexoga male

Spirituality and Culture

-Alternative gender roles were respected and honored and believed to be part of the sacred web of life and society
-Lakota view: Winktes are sacred people whose androgynous nature is an inborn character trait or the result of a vision
-Example: Lakota Naming Ceremony
-For many tribes, myths revealed that two-spirits were decreed to exist by deities or were among the pantheon of gods
-Example: Navajo Creation Story – The Separation of Sexes

LGBT/Two Spirit Umbrella

-Lesbian: A woman whose enduring physical, romantic, emotional and/or spiritual attraction is to other women
-Gay: A man whose enduring physical, romantic, emotional and/or spiritual attraction is to other men
-Two Spirit: A contemporary term used to identify Native American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender individuals with traditional and cultural understandings of Gender roles and identity
-Bisexual: An individual who is physically, romantically, emotionally and/or spiritually attracted to men and women
-Transgender: A term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth

Transgender Umbrella
-Man/Woman: Living in gender appropriate to gender identity and congruent with genitalia
-Intersex people: Person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male
-Crossdresser “Drag”: Crossdressing for political/social activism. “Gay Pride” humor, entertainment

Transgender Umbrella
-Transvestite: Crossdressing for emotional comfort (straight men but dress in women’s clothing)
-Transgenderist – Androgyne: Presenting self as a blend of masculine and feminine for emotional comfort and “wholeness”; Crossdressing for emotional comfort and to resolve gender identity conflicts.
-Transsexual: Non-surgical Transsexual, (Transition): Living in gender congruent with gender identity to resolve gender identity conflicts

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