Two-spirit

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Two-spirit (also spelt Two Spirit or Twospirit) is an umbrella term used by native North Americans to describe some gay, lesbian, bisexual and gender-variant people. This term was adopted in 1990, during an international Indigenous gathering.[1]

The term "Two-spirit" is not interchangeable with "LGBT", as it refers to a spiritual and ceremonial role recognised by the Elders of the Two Spirit's ceremonial community.[2] Also, this term is not used in all tribes, and most of them use the local name in their own language.[3] Not all tribes have rigid gender roles, but the most common is to have four genders: masculine men, feminine men, masculine women and feminine women.[2]

References

  1. A Spirit of Belonging, Inside and Out". The New York Times. 8 Oct 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Estrada, Gabriel (2011). "Two SpiritsNádleeh, and LGBTQ2 Navajo Gaze"(PDF). American Indian Culture and Research Journal35 (4): 167–190. doi:10.17953/aicr.35.4.x500172017344j30.
  3. "Two Spirit 101" at NativeOut: "The Two Spirit term was adopted in 1990 at an Indigenous lesbian and gay international gathering to encourage the replacement of the term berdache, which means, 'passive partner in sodomy, boy prostitute.'" Accessed 23 Sep 2015