Gender & Sexuality dictionary
two-spirit
or Two-Spirit or Two Spirit or two-spirited [ too-spir-it]
What does聽Two Spirit mean?
Two-spirit聽is a聽third gender聽found in some Native American cultures, often involving birth-assigned men or women taking on the identities and roles of the opposite sex. A sacred and historical identity,听two-spirit can include but is by no means limited to LGBTQ+ identities.
Where does two-spirit come from?
The term聽迟飞辞-蝉辫颈谤颈迟听is an umbrella term across American Indian and聽First Nations聽cultures for a person who embodies both male and female spirits within them, hence聽two-spirit. It originated at a 1990 conference for gay and lesbian Native people to replace the derogatory,听colonial听迟别谤尘听berdache聽(French for a 鈥測oung male kept for gay sex鈥�), used for gender-nonconforming individuals.
A stellar Two-Spirit lesson by …watch.it.now!
— Cinnamon C-Legutko (@CLegutko)
The two-spirit听肠辞苍肠别辫迟,聽however, is an ancient and traditional one in Native cultures, and not just a Native equivalent for聽queer听辞谤听LGBTQ+. It especially referred to birth-assigned men who took the social identity and dress of women. It took diverse forms (and terms) within the hundreds of tribes across the Americas. Two-spirit聽identity frequently involved special work roles in society (e.g., weavers, healers, caretakers), sacred status, roles in ceremonies, same-sex relations, and cross-dressing.
Our Two-Spirit ancestors were targeted, beaten, raped, murdered because colonizers thought they were evil, sinful…..they were targeted because of the power they held within many of our communities as leaders, healers, warriors…
— Johnnie Jae aka The Brown Ball of Fury (@johnniejae)
Historically,听two-spirited聽people especially suffered under white colonization and the abusive American Indian boarding schools in the 19th-20th centuries, which made them choose a gender and its roles rather than live as a third gender.
Two-spirit spread in the 2000s with growing visibility and inclusion of gender diversity in culture. The topic was featured in several documentaries and films in the 2000鈥�10s, including 2018’s Miseducation of Cameron Post, following a聽two-spirit聽person sent to聽conversion听肠补尘辫.
I'm really glad the miseducation of cameron post adressed two-spirit and lgbt+ native americans experience even if brief
— 馃 (@hecaete)
However, some in mainstream culture have appropriated or misunderstood聽two-spirit聽outside of its complex and historic Native American cultural context. It鈥檚 important to note that while聽two-spirit is a term many Native persons use for all LGBTQ+ Native individuals, it鈥檚 not synonymous with LGBTQ+.
Pop star Jason Mraz came under fire in July 2018 when he discussed his sexuality in terms of聽two-spirit, which he says his wife defined in terms of聽bisexuality. This was seen as a form of聽cultural appropriation.
Jason Mraz opens up about his sexuality to .
鈥淚鈥檝e had experiences with men, even while I was dating the woman who became my wife. It was like, 鈥榃ow, does that mean I am gay?鈥� And my wife laid it out for me. She calls it 鈥榯wo spirit鈥�.鈥�
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave)
Okay but here is the thing Mraz, two spirit is a gender identity, not a sexuality. A Native American gender identity. It is not about sexual preference. It is about gender. This smacks an awful lot of cultural appropriation.
— 馃巺Pearl馃巹 (@archaeonerd91)
Examples of two-spirit
Who uses two-spirit?
Two-spirit聽is used as a gender and social identity in Native American cultures.
鈥淚 Walk in the History Of My People鈥� by Chrystos, two-spirit Native American (Menominee) queer activist+writer. Their work explores the intersections of queer and Indigenous identity, and social justice. Have a favorite QPOC creator? Let us know! 馃拰
— The I Project (@itstheiproject)
While it can overlap with the western LGBTQ+ community, it takes diverse forms across tribes. As such, it is only properly understood in Indigenous聽contexts and used by Native persons.
Sade 'Heart of the Hawk' Ali First Nations Mi'kmaq speaking passionately about Two Spirit or LGBTIQ+ people
— Jayde (@jaydefuller)
Two-spirit聽is frequently used in discussions of the rights of Indigenous persons as it overlaps with the rights of gender-diverse people.
It was an honour to hear from women who are fighting to end violence against women, trans, two spirit and gender-diverse people. Thank you for your incredibly important work .
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of two-spirit like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of two-spirit that will help our users expand their word mastery.