User:MrsSunflower/sandbox

Perspectives on Two-Spirited People

With all the labels people choose or choose to ignore, "two-spirited" is one with many misconceptions and outdated explanations. Often people use this term as a blanket term for those who are Indigenous and gay. The perspectives of this term have confounded some people, and led others to believe those outdated misconceptions and move on with inferior knowledge. This is not an easy definition by any means; the term itself is describable by the people who identify with it, as well as differences between several indigenous cultures,a s listed in this wikipedia article. An important detail is that two-spirit does less to signify gender or sexual orientation than it describes the person in their social interactions or community.

Basic Understandings

It can be easier to comprehend if we think in terms of colors, masculine being different from feminine qualities or traits. Each person has a personality blend- some have masculine tendencies and feminine qualities, or exist somewhere in the middle. Whatever the blend, the same term can be used for each. The term means more than a single whole, not a mix of two halves. It is an important distinction.

Another term, bardache or berdache , has been used to describe two spirited people in terms of sexual deviancy, and will be omitted henceforth. The official term, two-spirit, was coined in 1990 as part of an interstate meeting of leaders and indigenous community members. This inclusion was a significant step in the perception of the LGBTQ+ community.

The term was given as it is known today in 1990, but the ways in which people have filled the roles of two spirited people are as old as human existence. Gender duality and conflicts within socio-sexual roles came from colonial settlers. Indigenous roles were filled as needed; two spirit people were just part of their respective communities. The roles they fulfilled were respected and not questioned until colonists came ashore. Only then were their placement and social hierarchy disparaged.

Colonization's Effects Today

Since the emergence of the LGBTQ+ movement towards acceptance and inclusion of those who exist outside of the "normal" family structure, the two-spirit people have been culturally protected in some ways, and socially miscategorized because of it. Two-spirit people had hellish colonization experiences, many racist and xenophobic policies and practices reinforce the colonization-era values into today's modern world. (Image, right)

Part of the miscategorization aforementioned is the perception that two-spirit peoples are mixed, incomplete personalities. In reality and throughout history, " [E]elders tell us of people who were gifted among all beings because they carried two spirits: that of male and female... these people walk carefully between the worlds and between the genders."

Mending the Gap

Efforts to reduce the invalidation are headed by thousands of organizations and businesses from all over the world. Many of these organizations are fueled by the desire to educate people inside and outside of the indigenous community, thereby bringing a deeper collective understanding of the roles and values two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people bring. Educational outreach includes indigenous cultural traditions, seminars and class-type environments, art, and more. Further outreach is being planned and sanctioned by compiling study after study of community inclusion or identity assessments of Indigenous peoples, like the Aboriginal Two-Spirit and LGBTQ Migration, Mobility, and Health Research Project: Winnipeg Final Report.

The limits to these bridging the paths to cultural acceptance and inclusion are factors on the colonization feedback- prevalent in our current time in some states. The "return of Christian values" is key vocabulary to look out for when assessing the priorities and functions of other organizations or businesses. Policies and legislation that are racist in nature or adoption need reformation, which is another daunting task taken on by advocacy programs.

Return to Old Values

Acceptance is paramount in any community. Two-spirit people have been documented throughout history in many facets of life. They were also said to have special powers or super strength.