Albert McLeod

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Two Spirited Movement gives
Hope to Vulnerable
Aboriginal GLBTT Youth

• Albert McLeod
• Two Spirited People of Manitoba Inc.

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COLONIZATION

• Until we conceive God as a female, women will
  not have that power to be treated with respect .
  . . The difference between Indian people and
  white people is that one is patriarchal in
  structure . . . In the Cree language, theres no
  gender. The world isnt divided into that kind of
  gendered hierarchy. But along the road in
  history, God as man met God as woman and raped
  her.
• - Tomson Highway, 1989
• Indian Act, 1876 Residential Schools, 1892

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Bias, Obliteration, Inertia

• Bias by obliteration ignoring significant
  aspects of the history of a cultural or minority
  group in Canada.
• Source ABORIGINAL PEOPLES Resources Pertaining
  to First Nations, Inuit and Metis, Native
  Education Directorate and Instructional Resources
  Unit, Manitoba Education and Training, 2000

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TABOO

• Kirmayer L, et al. (2007). Suicide Among
  Aboriginal People in Canada. The Aboriginal
  Healing Foundation, Ottawa, Ontario.
• Comment In the very short one-page "Sexual
  Orientation" section, mostly studies of
  predominantly white sexual minority youth are
  cited, with little given to provide any
  understanding of the possible suicide-inducing
  life situations that many Two Spirit have been
  experiencing.
• First Nations Centre, National Aboriginal Health
  Organization (2005). Assessment and Planning Tool
  Kit for Suicide Prevention in First Nations
  Communities.
• Comment Nothing mentioned about Two Spirit
  Individuals? 
• Source The North American Aboriginal Two Spirit
  Information Pages
• http//www.ucalgary.ca/ptrembla/

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Research

• SAME-SEX AND CROSS-GENDER ROLES
• Historical Accounts from 1529 to 1976 (Berdache)
• Will Roscoe, Walter Williams, Sabine Lang
• Terry Tafoya, Dr. Wesley Thomas, Dr. Karina
  Walters
• AAGOOKWE hidden woman (Ojibway)
• NADLE being transformed (Navajo)
• WINKTE would-be-woman (Lakota)

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What is a Cultural Memory?

• Pre-arranged adoption by great-grandparents
  around the age of one or two
• Chosen child is taught the languages and cultures
  of surrounding groups
• The memory is obligated to assist siblings in
  raising their children
• Phil Tingley, Kiowa
• New York City, 1991

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What is a Two Spirit Person?

• Two Spirit People a term used to describe
  Aboriginal people who assume cross -, or multiple
  gender roles, attributes, dress and attitudes for
  personal, spiritual, cultural, ceremonial or
  social reasons. These roles are defined by each
  cultural group and can be fluid over a persons
  lifetime. Modern terms like gay, lesbian,
  bisexual, transgender, transsexual and intersexed
  (in combination with, or exclusive to, Two
  Spirit) may be adopted by some Aboriginal people
  to define who they are.
• (Source As Long as the Waters Flow An
  Aboriginal Strategy on HIV/AIDS, Manitoba)

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SELF - NAMING

• Aagookwe
• Berdache
• GLBT
• Two Spirit
• Aagookwe

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Annual International Two Spirit Gathering

• The gathering began in 1988 when GLBT NA and
  Aboriginal people from Canada and the US met at
  an alcohol and drug-free event in Minneapolis.
• It was decided that all future gatherings would
  be held in a campsite or on traditional lands
  where Two Spirit people could have privacy and
  connect with the earth.
• Hosting of the gathering is shared between
  Canadian and US groups. Over 3,000 people have
  attended.
• The term Two Spirit was adopted by many GLBT
  NA and Aboriginal people in 1991.

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Gathering Objectives

• To strengthen the identity, dignity, integrity
  and wellness of Two Spirit (Aboriginal gay,
  lesbian, bisexual and transgender) people.
• To provide opportunities for Two Spirit people to
  learn about their cultures, heritage, ceremonies,
  healing practices and inherent and civil rights.
• To educate Aboriginal people about the
  traditional roles that Two Spirit people held in
  most communities.

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Gathering Activities

• Traditional foods
• Health workshops
• Camping, sports
• Two-Spirit entertainment
• Sweat Lodge ceremonies
• Access to Elders
• Two-Spirit pow-wow
• Traditional crafts
• Sharing and healing circles
• Cultural teachings
• Weddings/Rites of Passage
• Social networks via the internet

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Gathering Sites

• Minnesota Wisconsin Manitoba
• Oregon British Columbia Arizona
• Kansas New Brunswick Washington
• California Alberta Ontario
• Montana Quebec Saskatchewan

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Conclusions and implications for practice

• The reclamation and application of indigenous
  knowledge may result in unexpected outcomes that
  are beyond the scope of contemporary practice and
  logic.

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Aboriginal Identity, 2006 Canada Census

• Aboriginal identity 1,172,790
• First Nation 698,025
• Metis 389,785
• Inuit 50,485
• Estimated number who are gay or bisexual
• 58,639 - 117,279
• (5 - 10) GLHS Saskatoon, 2001

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Heterosexism

• Heterosexism results in violence against
  Aboriginal women and seriously negates the lives
  of Two Spirit men as shown in the category,
  Negative Sociological Influences, in the Voices
  of Two-Spirited Men, 2001.
• Sociological Factors Frequency Percentage

Unemployment (141) 76 Poor housing (83)
45 Racism (82) 44 Poverty (75)
40 Homophobia (71) 38 Suicide (60) 32 HIV
discrimination (59) 32 Physical Abuse (59)
32 Sexual Abuse (58) 31 Gay Bashing (58)
31 Partner/spousal abuse (52) 28
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TWO SPIRIT RIGHTS and HUMAN RIGHTS

• Recognize the role of Two Spirit (gay, lesbian,
  bisexual and transgender) First Nations peoples.
  The solution to discrimination is to educate
  people on the traditionally respected role that
  Two-Spirit First Nations peoples played in most
  communities, and to thus remove the stigma that
  has been associated with this group.
• Assembly of First Nations - HIV/AIDS Action Plan
  2001

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Solidarity

• August 28, 2009
• Dear Friends
• I would like to congratulate you on celebrating
  the 20th Annual International Two Spirit
  Gathering. Communities like yours have worked to
  make America live up to its promise of equality
  and opportunity for all. The annual Two Spirit
  gatherings are becoming a proud tradition within
  the Native GLBT community, and Im grateful to be
  a part of it. excerpt
• Sincerely,
• Barack Obama
• President-elect

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Recommendations

• Research Aboriginal languages about sexuality
• Research with Elders about Two Spirit people
• Aboriginal research must collect Two Spirit data
• Organizations must collect discrimination
  statistics
• Policy development must include Aboriginal
  Customary Law
• Two Spirits must be included in self-government
  processes
• Resources to support programs for Two Spirit
  people

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• The strength of a culture is
• not defined by what it can repel,
• but by what is can absorb.
• Roger Roulette, 2008

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Contact

• Albert McLeod
• Two-Spirited People of Manitoba Inc.
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• E twospiritedmanitoba_at_hotmail.com