A guide for healthcare professionals argues that “settler colonialism” has resulted in the oppression of indigenous identities like the “two spirit” sexual orientation.
The guide, produced by the Fenway Institute and titled “Healthcare Considerations for Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Indigenous Communities,” explains that it pulls from “Indigenous holistic models of wellness.” The guide’s introduction reads:
This publication will guide health centers in developing a deeper understanding of Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ AI/AN people by explaining key concepts and terms, exploring the sources and effects of historical trauma, and offering best and promising practices that incorporate Indigenous holistic models of wellness and focus on resilience and protective factors.
The document defined “settler colonialism” as “Systemic oppression and discrimination of an area and the people indigenous to that area.” The definition goes on to add “The effects of settler colonialism continue today through institutional and structural racism.”
Meanwhile, the term “historical trauma” is described as “the accumulation of emotional and psychological harms inflicted on a marginalized group of people over generations.”
The document lists a number of key points regarding the “two spirit” identity. It notes, for example, “The term Two Spirit was created by and for AI/AN people. The term should not be used to describe a non-AI/AN person.”
Another key point reads “Two Spirit is distinct from Western categorizations of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The 14-page document also provides a diagram claiming that before “settler colonialism,” Native Americans relied on “traditional knowledge and practices and engaged in a “celebration of gender diversity.”
It also says that historical trauma was perpetuated by “Structural racism, homophobia, transphobia, poverty, marginalization, adverse childhood experiences.”
The Fenway Institute is just one of many organizations to promote the two-spirit identity. In fact, it has been promoted by a wide array of different institutions. Breitbart News revealed that a branch of the Department of Justice prepared to pay $1 million to create a ”National Resource Center for Justice-Involved LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit Youth.”
A number of different schools have also discussed the topic with students. The Oregon Department of Education includes the two-spirit identity in their “LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan,” which includes curriculum and professional development. Meanwhile, a 7th grade health teacher in Maine posted LGBT+ vocabulary lists around the classroom, including one that featured the term “two spirit.”
John Hopkins University published an LGBTQ Glossary stating that the term “two spirit” is used “to describe certain Native American and Canadian First Nation people who identify with a third gender, implying a masculine and a feminine spirit in one body.”
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com
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