#indigiqueer — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #indigiqueer, aggregated by home.social.
-
Another victim of Cesar Chavez breaks their silence: ‘My body remembers’
“I am only alive right now because of my son, art and because of the Black, brown, Indigenous and Indigiqueer community who listened to me, who have held me, in times where I did not want to be here,” Porras said. “For years, I allowed myself to believe that I wasn’t worthy of real peace, real happiness or just anything good.”
#Chicano #BIPOC #Indigenous #Indigiqueer #Native
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/20/cesar-chavez-victim-breaks-silence -
From 2018, but I need my #TwoSpirit uplifted these days! (And the picture is so beautiful!)
#NativeAmerican Two-Spirits Look to Reclaim Lost Heritage
Read more:
https://www.voanews.com/a/native-american-two-spirits-look-to-reclaim-lost-heritage/4440354.html -
How did I miss this [ the show #TheLowdown ]!!! Getting my #WillieJack fix tonight (while prepping some Indigenous foods to cook up tomorrow)! I LOVE WILLIE JACK!
-
Re-connected with a dear friend (who is like a younger sister to me) tonight. We will be doing genealogy research on our #NativeAmerican ancestors, sharing #NativeAmericanFoods and recipes, and re-learning and learning new dances for upcoming #Powwows! To reconnecting with #Sisters!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbrvwaVXJ48
#Halluci_Nation #ATribeCalledRed #NativeAmericans #Indigiqueer #SharingInformation #SharingKnowledge #Connection #CommunityFirst
-
#Minneapolis #powwow celebrates belonging for #TwoSpirit, #queer community
#TwoSpiritPowwow invites natives to dress and dance on their own terms.
By Auds Jenkins
June 23, 2023"Em Matson leaned intently over a long table to arrange the delicate pieces of water lily appliqué.
"Amid the mechanical whir of sewing machines and the lively chatter during a community regalia making night, Matson zeroed in on the task at hand: finishing their ribbon pants in time for the Two Spirit Powwow.
"On Saturday, New Native Theater will sponsor Minneapolis' second annual 'Reclaiming Our Identities' Two Spirit Powwow, part of a burgeoning movement of powwows across the country that honor Two Spirit and #indigiqueer (Indigenous and queer) people.
"'I can't wait to see everybody turn out. I know that if you come specifically to this powwow, it means you support our community,' said Wase Mannidu Ikwe, a Two Spirit person of the Rocky Boy Chippewa Cree Tribe. 'It's nice to see our allies. As Two Spirits, we make large impacts in the native community. We are valid.'
"'Two Spirit' is an umbrella term derived from the #Anishnaabe '#NiizhManidoowag' (literally translated as "two spirits") that describes native people who exist outside the #GenderBinary and hold sacred roles in their communities.
"Popularized by activists in the 1990s, the term honors multiplicity within native conceptions of gender identity and spirituality. It also reflects a pre-colonial legacy of gender diversity that is being reclaimed today.
"'Prior to European #colonization, #GenderDiversity was the norm for many tribes. Gender was based on your roles and responsibilities, not what you looked like,' said Matson, a Two Spirit of the Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe and one of the organizers of Minneapolis' Two Spirit Powwow.
"In the months leading up to the powwow, organizers have hosted regalia-making nights for local Two Spirit and indigiqueer folks to make ceremonial clothing that authentically represents their identities.
"'Our goal was for you to come and make whatever makes you feel comfortable,' said organizer Beth Seidl of the White Earth Band of Chippewa. 'We wanted everyone to feel safe, without any chance of someone coming by and saying, 'You're a boy. Why are you making a ribbon skirt?' if that's not how they identify."
#Minnesota #Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer -
Why #Montana’s #TwoSpirit people are challenging a state law that defines sex as binary
“It’s scary, in our reservations we have a lot of suicide already because of just being who they are,” Steven Barrios.
By Nicole Chavez, CNN
December 4, 2023"As they fight to reclaim their history, some in Montana’s Two-Spirit community are challenging a state law that defines sex as binary because it 'infringes' on their spiritual and cultural beliefs.
"The law, #SenateBill458, defines 'male' and 'female' based on the presence of XY or XX chromosomes as well as reproductive systems. The legislation, which took effect in October, inserts those definitions of male and female in several parts of the state’s legal code, impacting driver’s licenses, demographic records and the state’s anti-discrimination law.
"In October, attorneys representing the Two-Spirit nonprofit #MontanaTwoSpiritSociety along with a group of #transgender, #intersex and #nonbinary #Montana residents, filed a lawsuit in Missoula County District Court challenging the law.
"They argue the state’s definitions of sex 'improperly categorizes many Montanans, excludes others from legal recognition entirely, and deprives them of the benefits and protections of myriad state laws.' The complaint also argues the law violates Montana’s individual dignity, #EqualProtection, privacy and freedom of speech laws.
"David Herrera, co-founder and executive director of the Montana Two Spirit Society, said it was important for the group to join the lawsuit because limiting gender goes against #IndigenousTraditions and cultures.
"'We don’t ascribe to just simply biologic definitions. We acknowledge that there are different genders, and our cultures have always known that there are more than two genders. In some of the Indigenous cultures, there may be as many as four to six different genders,' said Herrera, a 61-year-old who is Two-Spirit and adopted Blackfeet.
[...]
"Two-Spirit is an umbrella term that emerged in the 1990s, referring to people in many Indigenous and Native American who historically had both a masculine and feminine spirit, and who filled specialized social and spiritual roles. Some Native American people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or gender non-conforming also use the term to self-identify.
"Prior to #colonization, Two-Spirit people had roles of honor in healing and ceremonies, but as Indigenous people were forced into assimilation that part of their tradition was lost.
“For folks that were seen as being Two-Spirit, men dressing as women, or women dressing as men and warriors, that went against the teachings of the church and so they were seen as an abomination or deviance. In some of the histories, our Two-Spirit people were actually murdered and killed, while in others, they were forced to subscribe to specific gender roles,” Herrera said.
"Steven Barrios, a 71-year-old enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation and co-founder of the Montana Two Spirit Society, said the organization supports efforts to fight back against the state’s new gender definitions.
"'We’ve already been traumatized through so many things that the government has done to us and so we just figured it’s time – we have to step up and reclaim what’s rightfully ours and not let the government take that away from us,' Barrios said.
"Barrios added SB 458 and similar legislation could add more challenges for Two-Spirit youth."
Read more:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/04/us/montana-two-spirit-lawsuit-sex-binary-reaj/#Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer #MontanaLegislation #TransRightsAreHumanRights -
For #TwoSpirits, An Opportunity To Reclaim Acceptance Across #IndianCountry
#KLCC | By Brian Bull
Published November 29, 2018"The term '#TwoSpirit' in #NativeAmerican culture often describes a person possessing both male and female spirits. And they’ve been around well before the Santa Maria or the Mayflower dropped anchor. And while 'Two Spirit has been used for Indians who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender…many say there’s more to it than that. KLCC’s Brian Bull explores a community that’s finding its voice again after generations of oppression, prejudice, and oversight.
"This summer, the annual #Powwow in #SiletzOregon presented something subtle…yet powerful.
"A new sign affirming tribal members could compete in the gender category of their preference debuted at this year's annual #SiletzPowWow.
"Lisa Norton, a member of the #ConfederatedTribesOfSiletz Indians, explains.
"'It’s a competition pow-wow, so people dance in categories…traditionally male or female.
"'So one of the things we wanted to do was #ungender that, so we were able to post a sign that said we were an open and affirming pow-wow. And that people could feel free to compete in the category they desired.'
"It was the first time such a sign was posted at the event. This pleased #JackieCloud, a Chippewa who identifies as a 'Two Spirit'.
"'And I also saw Two Spirit individuals out there dancing. And I was like, 'YEAH! Cool!'
"Cloud joined the other dancers.
"'Y’know there’s that twinge of excitement, exhilaration, oh like…it’s okay. And I commented to someone that I was with there at the pow-wow, and she said, 'That’s where we need to be. That’s where we need to be going.'
"'And so I was very proud of the tribe of #Siletz to…to acknowledge that.'"
#Decolonize #NonBinary #GBLTQI #Activism #GBLTQ #GBLTQAcceptance #SupportPublicRadio #Reclamation #Indigiqueer
-
From February 2024:
#TwoSpirit and #Indigiqueer communities mourn #nonbinary teen's death in Oklahoma
'Something that affects one of us affects all of us,' says Jade Lacosse
Edzi'u Loverin · CBC News ·
"Members of the two-spirit, Indigiqueer, and Indigenous #transgender communities are mourning the death of a non-binary 16-year-old teen in Oklahoma earlier this month.
"#NexBenedict died the day after a violent confrontation in a high school bathroom in Owasso, Okla., near Tulsa. Owasso police said in a statement preliminary autopsy results indicate the teen did not die as a result of injuries sustained in the fight.
"Benedict's mother is enrolled with the #ChoctawNation of Oklahoma and the school where the incident took place is located within the #CherokeeNation reservation. Benedict's family said Benedict experienced #bullying from their classmates due to their gender identity.
"The story has sparked cross-border reaction from #2SLGBTQ+ community members, reflecting on their own experiences as well as the current climate for #IndigenousYouth.
"'Many of us are in mourning,' said Jade Lacosse, an Anishinaabe and adopted Tlingit two-spirit trans woman in Whitehorse.
"'This was a young child that very few of us were directly connected to but they're still a relative, they are still a two-spirit relative in the way that our community sees things. Something that affects one of us affects all of us.'
"Lacosse said the statement from police appears to be about placing blame rather than taking responsibility for discrimination.
"'A young two-spirit child, one of our relations, died … and it's a direct result of #transphobia," Lacosse said.
"'The way that they died doesn't change that.'"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/2-spirit-indigiqueer-mourn-oklahoma-teen-1.7124184
#TransPhobia
#GBLTQRights #TransRightsAreHumanRights #IndigenousYouth #TransDayOfRemembrance -
A Map of #GenderDiverse Cultures
By Independent Lens • August 12, 2015
This text and the language in the corresponding map was updated in consultation with a world gender expert* in October, 2023.
NOTE to teachers and students: Some school or corporate domains block custom Google Maps so you may need to log in under a different or personal email address to see the map.
"Throughout recorded history and since time immemorial, thriving cultures have recognized, revered, and integrated more than two genders. Terms such as transgender, gay, or bisexual are Western constructs that often assume three things: that there are only two sexes (male/female), as many as three sexualities (gay/straight/bisexual), and only two genders (man/woman).
"Even after the end of the modern era and as the colonial period wanes, hundreds of distinct Indigenous societies around the globe still retain their own long-established traditions for third, fourth, fifth, or more genders. The subject of Two Spirits, Fred Martinez, for example, was not a boy who wanted to be a girl, but both a boy and a girl—an identity his Navajo culture recognized and revered as nádleehí. Meanwhile, Hina of Kumu Hina is part of a native Hawaiian culture that has traditionally revered and respected mahu, those who embody both male and female spirit. It’s not uncommon for third gender people to perform critical spiritual and religious functions in their communities.
"Among many #Indigenous societies, two prominent features often distinguish the lives and social roles of third gender persons from those of cisgender persons or contemporary transgender persons in non-Indigenous societies. The first is that many Indigenous terms for third gender people contain both the word for 'man' and 'woman' in their construction, and that third gender people are seen as embodying both of those genders in diverse ways. The second is that the history of many third genders is in the community role of religious specialists, which also takes diverse forms, depending on the beliefs of diverse cultures. While not all third gender persons are defined in these terms, across our species, this phenomenon of the third gender religious specialist, healer, or spiritual worker has been part of our collective identity and human experience since time immemorial.
"Take a tour with this world map, and learn how many cultures see gender diversity."
*Note: The 2023 update for this text and the map was made in consultation with Badly Licked Bear, an educator, writer, artist, and mutual aid worker. They are a storyteller who teaches storytelling by storytelling and they tell circle-shaped stories. Their work is rooted in shifting identity, Looney Tunes, BDSM, deep observation, and their lived experience as an #Indigiqueer #transfemme.
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/content/two-spirits_map-html/
#TwoSpirit #Decolonize #NonBinary #GBLTQI
#Decolonize #Activism #Reclamation -
Sharing this for two-spirit and Indigiqueer artists. Litmus Press is looking for cover art submissions for the cover of a volume of contemporary Indigenous LGBTQ2SIA+ poetry. You'll need to log into Submittable for the details. It's free to make an account there. https://litmuspress.org/about/submissions/ #TwoSpirit #indigiqueer #Indigequeer #IndigenousMastodon #IndigenousCreatives #illustrator #NativeMastodon