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Two-Spirit Initiative

Two-Spirit youth deserve culturally competent programming and they deserve a voice in creating it. GSA Network will launch a Two-Spirit Initiative to bridge the gap between Native youth organizing and LGBTQ+ youth organizing. This identity-based initiative provides space for youth to bring their cultural practice into their organizing activities and supports our organization’s efforts to decolonize our curricula. 

Read more about why we launched a Two-Spirit Initiative here.

The Two-Spirit Initiative convened an Advisory Panel in spring 2021 to create resources and curriculum relevant to issues that Two-Spirit youth are navigating in their education and communities. The Advisory Panel will include members of Native-led organizational partners from Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana. The Two-Spirit Initiative will also provide a foundation to ensure that all of our programming integrates a cultural lens to build solidarity for Indigenous people across all youth in our network.

Follow our new Instagram account @two_spirit_initiative, where we will increase visibility and resources for Two-Spirit young people!

Check out our partner organizations below!

Partners:

       

Related Resources:

  • Learn more about our language change update as we shift organizationally from using “LGBTQ+” to “TQ2S+” (transgender, queer, Two-Spirit+) to refer to our community!
  • Our Story Does Not Begin or End With Binaries by Hendrix O.
    • It’s important to honor the history and meaning of the Native-specific term ‘Two-Spirit’ as it relates to Indigenous trans and queer identities and cultural ties.
  • Two-Spirit Spotlight Series– As part of our Native American Heritage Month series, we’re highlighting Two-Spirit individuals from our collective to show the diverse range of identities and experiences in our community. Check out their stories and give them a follow on their social media platforms!
  • Honoring the Land- Land Acknowledgement Resource
    • Recognizing the land we are currently on and doing GSA movement work go hand in hand. GSA Network’s Two-Spirit Initiative has created this simple guide to understanding and doing a Land Acknowledgement and recognizing the spaces we inhabit. The Two-Spirit Initiative hopes that with this resource, folks can better understand who is in their communities and be able to weave in the histories and current awareness of Indigenous folks.
  • Native American Heritage Month Blog series
  • Watch the full interview below with Siihasin Názbaa’ (they/them), a Diné Two-Spirit Water Protector, as they discuss Two-Spirit identity, their experience on the frontlines opposing Line 3, and what it will take to break down the colonial systems that don’t serve our communities.