Two-Spirit Sexuality in Native American Culture
Native Americans of Alternative Sexual Orientations
Aug 12, 2009
The term two-spirit (or two-spirited) was coined during the third Native American/First Nations gay and lesbian conference in Winnipeg in 1990. The participants invented the term in order to differentiate themselves from non-Native homosexuals and avoid some of the stigma of being gay in a Native community.
Two-Spirits and AIDS
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many homosexual Native men who were infected with HIV were returning to their communities to reunite with their families as they faced their terrible disease. The families of these men were often not accepting of their returning sons carrying what they thought of as a “white gay man’s disease.”
The majority of Native people at that time did not consider homosexuality to be a natural part of their culture. The term two-spirit allowed these men and other Natives of alternative sexualities to accept their lifestyles in a spiritual sense and throw off some of the negative connotation of being gay and Native.
Berdache in the Native American Culture
“Berdache” is a term that has been used by anthropologists to describe Natives that they observed in alternative gender roles, including transvestites, homosexuals, hermaphrodites and transgender individuals. These individuals were once viewed positively in Native cultures as the cleverest of people, able to excel in the performance of a woman’s duties, capable of seeing the future and good at gambling.
In modern times, the word is thought to be offensive and derogatory, since over the years it has been translated as "passive homosexual partner," "kept boy," "male prostitute" or "a boy kept for unnatural purposes."
Native American Culture's Three Genders
Originally, Native people believed that three genders existed: male, female and male-female. The male-female gender is what is now called two-spirit.
A two-spirit individual was believed to have been given the gift of carrying two spirits in one body by the Creator. They would dress in both male and female clothing and perform the tasks of both sexes. They were highly respected by the tribe.
The Sex Lives of Two-Spirits
Two-spirits may have sexual interactions with either women or men. Most female-bodied two-spirits had relations with females only. Partners of two-spirits were not labeled as homosexual or heterosexual. Some thought that engaging in sex with a two-spirit would grant them magical powers.
The Disappearance of the Two-Spirit
European settlers to North American were quick to push their beliefs and values on the Native people they came into contact with in their New World. The influence of European religion and morals caused two-spirit sexuality to go underground and the practice was eliminated in many tribes.
Modern Two-Spirits
These days, a two-spirit individual is defined as a person of Native origin who is either gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual or in some other alternative sexual role. Native culture is traditionally intolerant of homosexuality, especially feminine males, but the resurgence of the two-spirit concept has given a sense of identity to many gay Native Americans.
 |
