Two spirits better than one?

The LGBTTQ community is one that makes up a sizeable part of the population.  And within this community, there are many labels that members identify with.  Whether it’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Two-Spirited, or Queer, most of us understand how one would identify with one or more of these labels.  The orientation that often stands out as being misinterpreted or misunderstood is that of a Two Spirited identity.  What does it mean and where does the term come from?   I must admit, I felt pretty ignorant, for I hadn’t really understood the meaning, until recently.  But I feel as though I’m not alone, for I had asked others what they had felt it meant, and many were at a loss. In their mission statement for Projet/Project Interaction, the McGill School of Social Work defines Two Spirited as an aboriginal belief that dates back to a time prior to European colonization.  Based on anthropological evidence, it was believed that there was an existence of three genders: male, female, and male-female, the latter being considered a Two Spirited individual (McGill, 2006).  It was also believed that those who were given the gift of possessing two spirits could see the world from both male and female perspectives, enabling them to achieve and understand an exceptional equilibrium between both the male and female worlds.  Those who were given the gift were highly respected and held important traditional positions within the community (McGill, 2006).  That said, two spirited individuals can be men or women who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.

            Unfortunately, with the onset of European colonization and the imposition of Christian values on First Nations peoples, the tradition of two-spiritedness as well as many other traditional practises had been eradicated, while morals and values regarding sexuality were replaced by the church, and “Elders who may know the stories and teachings are often afraid to talk about them because of their experiences in Residential Schools and other forms of Colonization.” (Laframboise & Anhorn, 2008) Due to the ramifications of cultural genocide that have wreaked havoc on aboriginal culture, it’s hard to deny the impact that the church’s ideologies have had on Aboriginal people’s perception of themselves and others regarding sexuality.  

Despite the honour and respect that was traditionally given to those who were two-spirited before colonization, indigenous Canadians have experienced (and still experience) an extremely painful, convoluted, and oppressive history regarding sexuality since colonization.  With issues that stemmed from sexual abuse that was prevalent in Residential Schools and the Christian values that were imposed, as well as current issues regarding exploitation at home and on the streets, it seems much confusion and alienation regarding sexuality would result.  It also seems that many who identify as two-spirited have difficulty finding support and health services within their communities that are sensitive to their needs.  One survey completed by two-spirited aboriginal males, most of whom had lived on reserves, reported that “Less than half would consider moving back to their home community citing a lack of services, a lack of acceptance, and a lack of employment as major reasons” (Monette, Albert & Whalen, 2001). The survey also reported that issues such as unemployment, poor housing, racism, poverty, homophobia, and physical abuse were negative sociological factors that negatively affected their lives (Monette, et al. ,2001).  

              Though these findings are disconcerting, it seems that people are taking initiative to acknowledge and speak publicly about social issues that affect two-spirited men and women.  Winnipeg’s own Albert McLeod, the volunteer leader of a group called Two-Spirited People of Manitoba, was chosen to speak at a sharing circle of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings into residential school abuse back in June, 2010, where he publicly identified himself as a gay man. He continues to advocate for better services for two-spirited individuals who have left their communities due to lack of support (Hasselriis, Xtra!, 2010).  Other programs, such as the Two-Spirited Youth Program, which is administered under the Vancouver’s Urban Native Youth Association, are designed to focus on the intergenerational impacts that history has had on Two-Spirited youth, and use counselling and support group activities as a means to empower and educate youth. “What we do is try to break the cycle as we carry on, which is what the program is all about,” says Gil Lerat, the youth counsellor who runs the program, “Healing takes time.” (INAC.gc.ca, 2000)

I believe that these programs are a step in the right direction, and it shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the two-spirited, who may feel isolated or as if they lack support.  Part of the healing process is coming together and finding commonality, which will in turn, help us find our voice and give us the power and strength to educate and facilitate change.  As Albert McLeod so eloquently put, “In order to advance human rights, you have to value your identity.” Thanks for reading.

 Julia

References: 

Hasselriis, K., (June, 2010). Winnipegger speaks up for gay Aboriginals at national hearings, Xtra! Canada’s Gay and Lesbian News. Retrieved from: http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Winnipegger_speaks_up_for_gay_Aboriginals_at_national_hearings-8825.aspx

Laframboise, S., Anhorn, M., (2008). The way of the two spirited people: Native American concepts of gender and sexual orientation. Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society. Retrieved from: http://www.dancingtoeaglespiritsociety.org/twospirit.php

Monette, L., Albert, D., Whalen, J. (2001). Voices of two-spirited men, 2-Spirited People of the 1^st Nations, Centre for Quality Service Research, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto. Retrieved from: http://www.2spirits.com/

Two-spirited people, (2006). University of McGill, retrieved from: http://www.mcgill.ca/interaction/mission/twospirit/

Wilson, J. F., (August, 2000). Two-spirited youth program. Dreamspeaker. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/nwltr/drm/su2000/tsny_e.html

Image retrieved from: http://twospiritedjournal.tripod.com/

LGBTTQ* Health Care

An indigenous perspective on the relationship of society to the people is the priority of health and well-being (Morrissette, 2006) which is why I thought about health care.  LGBTTQ* people have very different health care needs than those who are not LGBTTQ* (Mule et al., 2009) and it could be beneficial to them if Canada’s health care system was sensitive to these issues.  All other minorities have been addressed in Canada’s public health guidelines except for those who identify with LGBTTQ* (Mule et al., 2009).  Many health concerns arise from the discrimination and ostracism experienced by LGBTTQ* people including increased suicide rates, higher smoking rates and alcohol abuse, and higher rates of depression which is 3 to 5 times higher than heterosexuals (Mule et al., 2009).  Another sad fact in my opinion is that many LGBTTQ* people are too afraid to be open and honest with their health care providers which leads to over looked health conditions leaving them untreated and when the problem gets more noticeable it may be too late to treat (Mule et al., 2009). These conditions which are prevalent in LGBTTQ* people are increased rates of HIV in gay men, high rates of STI’s and hepatitis A and B, anal cancer which is 80 times more common in gay and bisexual men, cervical and ovarian cancer as well as reproductive issues in lesbians, and overall 21.8% of LGBTTQ* peoples health care needs are unmet compared to only 12.7% of heterosexuals (Mule et al., 2009).  It is like the Reexamining LGBT healthcare video says, “To treat me you have to know who I am”, until LGBTTQ* people feel more comfortable sharing who they are they may continue to show these high rates of unfortunate conditions.  An indigenous perspective says, “Before we give advice we must start with ourselves and our own place of meaning”, (Morrissette, 2006, p.182), I take that to mean, in this situation, that every person is different and requires different kinds of care and there are different things to consider when treating an LGBTTQ* person. 

In October, 2005, the Public Health Agency of Canada took a perspective that has much in common with indigenous values in solving this problem by setting new public health goals for Canada that now include ways on how to help those who are LGBTTQ* (Mule et al., 2009).  They are to improve our quality of life by keeping us healthy, “Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually”, (Mule et al., 2009).  There are four goals I thought related to an indigenous perspective, the first is, "every person has dignity, a sense of belonging, and contributes to supportive families, friendships and diverse communities", this involves including LGBTTQ* individuals when developing policies and services (Mule et al., 2009).  Social change in an indigenous perspective involves communication with the community (Morrissette, 2006) which is what this goal intends to do by including the LGBTTQ* community in these social changes.  The next two goals also relate to community inclusion which is keeping us healthy by collaborating and gathering knowledge with the community and the next is that we all need to take part in our health care needs and goals (Mule et al., 2009).  The last goal is of lifelong learning by continually educating the public about health care and service providers for LGBTTQ* people (Mule et al., 2009) and indigenous perspectives are about continually learning through life (Morrissette, 2006).  To me these are very refreshing goals and sound like a good starting point in improving the health and well-being of the LGBTTQ* people.

Unfortunately these goals are not reflecting what is actually happening in Canada.  Research conducted by DECODE (a global consultancy that does research for businesses) found that most of these goals are not living up to standards.  For instance the quote on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health is found to be inaccurate because Canadians find that the health care system focuses primarily on physical health than the others (DECODE).  Lifelong learning does not seem to be playing out because those outside the education system are not receiving the same vast amount of information on health issues (DECODE). As well, the goal of community is leaning on a more individualistic side and certain groups are still falling behind (DECODE).  An indigenous perspective sounds like a good approach to LGBTTQ* issues; it is very open minded and allows personal input into the problem which makes sense. It seems that good intent was there when the goals were made but for the change to actually occur there needs to be much more of an effort in place. 

Peace N Love

Brittany

References

DECODE. Public Health Goals For Canada: A National Youth Health Network to Engage Young Adults. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hgc-osc/pdf/ph-goals-youth_e.pdf

lizmargolies. (2010, November 5). Reexamining LGBT Healthcare [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqH6GU6TrzI    

Morrissette, V. (2006). Towards and Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Manitoba.

Mule, N.J., Ross, L. E., Deeprose, B., Jackson, B. E., Daley, A., Travers, A., Moore, D. (2009). Promoting LGBT health and wellbeing through inclusive policy development. International Journal for Equity in Health, 8-18. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-8-18

http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/8/1/18



The Two-Spirited Ones

The above youtube clip explores the two-spirited tradition in the indigenous culture.

I have often heard individuals refer to the "LGBTQ" community, but rarely do they remember to include, or even know of the other "T" which stands for Two-spirited. Very little people know of the story behind the term "Two-spirited" which is incredible considering that the the Two-spirited person is " a native tradition that researchers have been able to date to some of the earliest discoveries of Native artifacts"  Roscoe (1991) also writes that “ male and female two-spirits have been documented in over 130 tribes, in every region of North America, among every type of native culture.”

In the indigenous tradtion, The term Two-spirit refers to the concept of individuals having dual spirits. Early explores of North America referred to this concept as “ berdache” and imposed this name onto them, which upset the indigenous people. Therefore, Two-spirited is preferred as it emerged from indigenous people whereas berdache was imposed upon Native American’s by the colonial explorers. (Jacobs, 1997)  

Prior to colonization, Indigenous people believed that there were three genders: the male, the female and the male-female gender, or in other words the two-spirited person. Although in today’s times, the two-spirited person would be considered an outcast of society, this was not the case in native tradition. Indigenous people believed that to be Two-spirited was a gift from the Creator himself.

It was believed that these individuals had been blessed with the ability to understand the world from two different perspectives at the very same time. Two-spirited people could do so, because they housed both male and female spirits in one body. It was believed that Two-spirited people had a special gift and this gift must be shared within the community, and so they were given distinct deeds among their tribes.  As McGill(2006) writes: “This greater vision was a gift to be shared with all, and as such, Two-spirited beings were revered as leaders, mediators, teachers, artists, seers, and spiritual guides. They were treated with the greatest respect, and held important spiritual and ceremonial responsibilities”.

It can easily be said that being two-spirited was a valuable and well-respected way of being and others viewed it on a positive regard, however this all changed with colonization. The arrival of the Europeans completely destroyed Native traditions including that of Two-spirited people. The Europeans enforced their traditions and values onto indigenous people and many Native traditions, including that of the Two-spirited way were destroyed.

As LaFramboise (2008) writes “The arrival of the Europeans was marked by the imposition of foreign views and values on Native spirituality, family life and traditions. The missionary churches' views on sexuality, for example, created many new taboos. Many traditions, including that of the Two-spirited were eradicated or at least driven underground from many tribes of North America. Once honored, Two-spirited people were shamed, beaten, killed, isolated and driven from their homes.”

As a result of the impact of colonization, most tribes have forgotten the two-spirit teachings. As LaFramboise, 2008) noted, “elders who may know the stories and teachings are often afraid to talk about them because of their experiences in Residential Schools and other forms of colonialization”. In consequence, Two-spirited people are plagued with homophobia by others, whereas their ancestors would have treated them witht he utmost respect. It is sad to see taht most indigenous people have little knowledge of two-spirited people, this has been a tremendous loss to all indigenous people.

-  Brigitte Tetrault

References

Gilley, Brian Joseph (2006: 8). Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country

Roscoe, Will (1991). The Zuni Man-Woman, p.5. ISBN 0826312535

Jacobs, S. (1997). Two-spirit people: Native American gender, identity,sexuality and spirituality . Illinois, USA : Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois .

Laframboise, S., & Anhorn, M. (n.d.). Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society - TWO SPIRITED PEOPLE. DANCING TO EAGLE SPIRIT SOCIETY ~ Serving the two spirited community and their allies. Retrieved November 3, 2011, from http://www.dancingtoeaglespiritsociety.org

Two-spirited people. (2006, May 26). McGill University. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from http://www.mcgill.ca/interaction/mission/twospirit//

The Reinstatement of the Second T

The purpose of our blog as a whole is to address the social policy concerns for the LGBTTQ* community, but you may be surprised as to how few of people actually know and understand what the second T stands for in LGBTTQ*.  I work in the retail industry and find myself interacting with a lot of fellow students, discussing our projects and what they might entail.  The L, G, B, T, and Q were generally known to most people but the second T remained a mystery.  When explaining to people that one of the T’s stood for “Two-Spirited”, the reaction was very similar, what exactly does the term Two-Spirited stand for? 

Two-Spirited, according to Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (CFSH), is defined as “a First Nations term for individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men.  It often implies a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit living in the same body ” (CFSH, 2009).  I had never spent a lot of time thinking about the second T, but as I continued my research I was intrigued and surprised as to the history attached to the term.  The colonization of the Indigenous People destroyed many of their traditions, values, and spiritual ways, including their acceptance and appreciation of those who considered themselves Two-Spirited.  Everyone had a role in the community before colonization.  Two-Spiritedness was viewed as gift from the creator, they were considered to be important in spiritual and ceremonial roles, and also seen as mediators between men and women because they held an understanding of both perspectives (Giroday, 2008).  So where does that leave the current status of the Two-Spirited community?

Due to the stripping away of traditions of the Indigenous People through colonization, the Two-Spirited peoples are addressed with feelings of homophobia within their own community where their ancestors would have treated them with honor. However, not all has been lost for this community.  In 1988, Albert Mcleod and 10 other Winnipeggers attended a conference in Minneapolis specific to “aboriginals who identified themselves as gay or lesbian, or had alternative ways of identifying their gender or sexuality” (Giroday, 2008).  This initiative taken on by Mcleod was the first step in giving Two-Spirited people a name they can be proud of with no negative stereotypes attached.  In doing this the Indigenous People, specifically the Two-Spirited community were able to reclaim a sense of identity and also recognition. 

In Canada, a country that prides itself on diversity, it can be hard to remember the harsh reality that racism and homophobia are still very prominent today.  Before colonization, the Indigenous People accepted everyone in their culture as contributing equals.  As stated by Morrissette (2006), “the individual is subsumed under collective responsibility but not in the deterministic sense where individual expression is quelled or silenced”.  People were celebrated for their differences in the Indigenous community, but today in current society differences are seen as problematic and penalized by the unaccepting views of the majority.  The recognition of niizh manidoowag, the traditional Ojibwe term for Two-Spirited, is a step forward for the Indigenous People reclaiming their traditions and spiritual culture. 

References

Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (CFSH). (2009). What does it mean to be transgendered or two-spirited? Retrieved from http://www.cfsh.ca

Giroday, G.(2008). Winnipeg term `two-spirited' goes global. Postmedia News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/460835684?accountid=14569

Morrissette, V. (2006). Towards an Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. Chapter 5: Implications for Social Work (pp.162-189). Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Manitoba.

Maybe a little too much radical and not enough feminism

When it comes to feminism, Mullaly (2007) says, “Although there are different forms or groups of feminism, the common thesis is that the relationship between the sexes is one of inequality or oppression.”  While online researching feminism, I came across a term I hadn’t heard before “lesbian feminists”. After some research, I discovered that it was an ideology all on its own. According to Ellis & Peel (2010), “it was a dominant ideology of politicized white, middle class, North American, Western European and Australasian lesbians during the 1970’s and 1980’s.” They based a lot of their ideas on radical feminism in the sense that they believed that the political was always personal. (Ellis & Peel. 2010) At that time, they were often accused of generalizing all women into one category when clearly not every woman has gone through the exact same thing, and a lot of coloured women at that time fought hard against this. (Ellis & Peel. 2010) During the 1990’s the term LGBT, was formed and the term “lesbian feminists” was lost in the mix. Now it is used very rarely and when it is used, it is not normally associated with the ideology that was built up in the 1970’s, now it is a simple meaning of someone who identifies with both “lesbian” and “feminist”. (Ellis & Peel. 2010)

As I searched for a role model or someone who had or does identify as a lesbian feminist, I came across a band, by the name of “The Stunts”. It was a group of approximately four women who were all lesbians. Two of the members volunteered at the Vancouver Rape Relief. I was intrigued but what really threw me off, was the huge and heavy word “radical” in front of lesbian feminists. While reading the article, I overlooked a sentence that could’ve really changed my original opinion of this band. They were having political issues when it came to defending the Vancouver Rape Relief, due to the fact that what they were defending was all wrong. Dana Ayotte, a member of the band, says “the organization’s determination to choose its own members from among folks born and raised as women, and to operate a women-only transition house and rape crisis center had come under fire.”(Ayotte & Guillion 2006) What was I had overlooked was the simple line of “born and raised”, what they mean is that transgendered females, were not allowed.

                It really shocked me to see how “radical” it really was. They were an ideology of feminism that didn’t permit women who weren’t specifically born as a biological woman. I find that, to be a very difficult situation for me to even understand. These transgendered people were often discriminated against for being too “feminine” and not “masculine” enough to be men. They were never allowed to be involved in patriarchy of our society yet we, as feminists, should have included them. Yet, radical lesbian feminists decided that they were not woman enough. As I kept researching, I was astounded by the amount of hurt and discrimination this nation has caused transgendered people. I wish I had the time to research it all. It was painful to read and try to understand how these people may have felt.

                Feminism, is a great thing. I am a feminist, but some of these ideologies in relation to feminism, are so extreme, it gives the word alone “feminism”, a really bad connotation. I wonder, if maybe, one day we can show the true meaning of feminism.

Belinda

As a side note, I apologize for misinterpreting the article I referenced. I have changed my post to reflect the true meaning of the article.

References:

Ayotte, Dana & Gullion, Jacqueline. (2006). Saying the F-word: Feminism, indie-rock style. Canadian Woman Studies, 25(3/4), 137. Retrieved from: http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umanitoba?issn=07133235&issue=3/4&volume=25&date=2006&spage=137

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford

 University Press.

Peel, E., & Ellis, S. J. (2011). Lesbian feminisms: Historical and present possibilities. Feminism & Psychology, 21(2), 198-204. doi:10.1177/0959353510370178.

Marxism and the LGBTTQ*

            What comes to your mind when I say Marxism?  You probably think of a Marxist economy, maybe you think of the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, or maybe you get confused and think of communism.  Maybe you think of his famous quote “each provides according to his ability and receives according to his needs” (Mullaly, 142).  But what does Marxism have to say about the LGBTTQ* community?  Turns out Marxists aren’t willing to say a whole lot, tending to avoid questions of human sexuality all together (Floyd, 2).  However we can use Marxism as a lens through which to view issues pertaining to sexuality.  Marxism looks at relationships of power between those who owns the means of production (bourgeoisie) and the workers (proletariat).  In the same way we can look at sexualities relationship to power/capital; especially heteronormativity’s relationship to power/capital (Floyd, 3). 

            Let’s look at the issue of gay marriage.  One of the main objections cited by those who oppose same-sex marriage is that it undermines and posses a threat to the structure of a traditional family (Agostinone-Wilson, 16).  Marxist’s would point out that the family unit is the basis of the capitalist economy; where the husband is the breadwinner and the wife, the bread maker.  Since society is built with capitalism’s best interest and maintenance in mind, no model of government functioning within capitalism can be in full support of same-sex marriage.  Marxist’s would advocate for complete revolutionary change of society rather than structural changes from within (Mullaly, 153).  If Marxism was able to dismantle capitalism then the argument that gay marriage undermines traditional family structure would disappear. 

The basic philosophy underpinning Marxism is humanistic; basically this means that Marx believed in the dignity and worth of all human beings (Mullaly, 138).  He intended this in the context of the dignity and worth of the proletariat, but what about other disadvantaged groups?  Marx believed that social equality could be achieved if production was publically owned and economic class structure was eliminated (Mullaly, 141).  I guess the question is, would greater economic equality do away with other forms of oppression; would a Marxist society still be heteronormative?  I would argue that since we see sexuality as discrete categories (where membership to one group excludes membership to another) and not as a continuum (where sexual identity would be viewed as something fluid) people tend to disassociate from members of the opposite group.  Making sexuality into categories enables one group to have more power and minoratizes other forms of sexuality.  This is in keeping with several Marxist principles.  Marxism views social problems not as the fault of the individual, but as the result of capitalism and the accompanying forms of social relationships (Mullaly, 147).  Marxists believe that by labelling people as “criminals, drug addicts, or poor people, is actually labelling them as troublemakers” (Mullaly, 148).  Once they are labelled we can ignore the social conditions (inequality, powerlessness, oppression…) that form the basis of our communities were these problems take root.  So, Marxists would trace social problems back to social relationships determined by capitalism, not the individual.  Personal problems are therefore rooted in capitalist politics (Mullaly, 148).  

 

            Heterosexuality has been a social norm since the early twentieth century (Floyd, 14).  The idea of having one fixed sexual identity is therefore a modern concept.  The rise of heterosexuality as a social norm creates a binary that subjugates and minoratizes LGBTTQ* communities (Agostinone-Wilson, 9).  Because of this ‘otherness’ to the social norm, LGBTTQ* individuals have limited access to power.  Marxists would contend that this stems from social conditions, like inequality and oppression, created by living in a capitalist society.

Julianna

Agostinone-Wilson, F. (2010). Marxism and education beyond identity: Sexuality and

            schooling (1^st Ed.). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan

Floyd, K. (2009). The reification of desire: Towards a queer Marxism (1^st Ed.). 

            Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford

 University Press.

Two-Spirited peoples... recognize, accept and acknowledge them because they are here to stay!

The above YouTube video describes the significant role of traditional Two-Spirited peoples from a traditional Aboriginal perspective.

In order to understand the struggles endured by Two-Spirited peoples in today’s society, Canadians must educate themselves in terms of the traumatic and historical events Two-Spirited peoples have endured. Prior to European contact, an Aboriginal perspective on Two-Spirited individuals was historically a positive one. Today, although this view has been altered, there is a movement among Aboriginal peoples, Two-Spirited peoples and health care providers to further implement social programs that will better assist Two-Spirited people.

Prior to the attempts made by Euro-Canadians to colonize First Nations peoples, Two-Spirited people held special status in their Aboriginal communities. For instance, they were traditionally viewed as “mediators; keepers of certain ceremonies; transcending the accepted roles of men and women in many cases filling the roles an established middle gender” (“2-Spirited People of the 1^st Nations Our Relatives Said,” 2008, p. 8). In addition, Two-Spirited individuals were, “valued and respected teachers, healers, care givers educators and if need be, warriors” (2-Spirited People of the 1^st Nations, n.d., p. 2). This positive regard towards Two-Spirited people became eradicated by Christian values, especially in the residential school system where they were subjected to physical, sexual, emotional and mental abuse, more so than other Aboriginal students who did not identify as Two-Spirited (2-Spirited People of the 1^st Nations, n.d.).

Despite the negative experiences throughout their colonization, many Aboriginal peoples have been able to remain resilient and are striving to a better future for future generations. For example, there has been a positive movement by Two-Spirited peoples and their supporters to implement social programs that would better assist Two-Spirited peoples, as many are still affected by the traumatic occurrences of the historical and current treatment of their people. According to 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations (n.d.), Two-Spirited people are “once again reclaiming their place as respected members of the Aboriginal community (p. 32). 

Cultural service providers have become more sensitive to the issues of Two-Spirited people, which has allowed them to provide better care for members of this population (“2-Spirited People of the 1^st Nations Our Relatives Said,” 2008). There are health policies in place that support Aboriginal and Two-Spirited peoples, and one organization that has influenced Canadian health policies is the 2-Spirited Peoples of the 1^st First Nations, an organization formed in Toronto, in 1989. For instance, the organization has teamed up with “provincial and federal health care funders to provide Hepatitis and HIV clinics, conduct a needle exchange program, and develop a culturally appropriate palliative care program” (“What Health Providers Can Learn,” 2005, para. 5).

Another organization that is supportive of Two-Spirited peoples is the Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition (CRHC). According to “What Health Providers Can Learn” (2005), the CRHC aspires to “improve GLBT and 2-Spirited peoples' access to care through the education of health care professionals and the enlargement of the capacity of communities” (para. 6).  Furthermore, the authors have “partnered with Canadian medical schools… [to] implement a 2-Spirited health curriculum that will be part of a full course devoted to [LGBTTQ*] health” (2005, para. 10). This curriculum will be first practiced in Toronto and then expanded nationwide, including Two-Spirited communities in Canada (“What Health Providers Can Learn,” 2005). This curriculum will recognize the historical past of Aboriginal peoples, especially Two-Spirited peoples, and will be culturally sensitive while providing suitable care in the medical field through Hepatitis and HIV clinics, for example. (“What Health Providers Can Learn,” 2005). It has been recognized by the CHRC and 2-Spirited Peoples of the 1^st Nations to incorporate guest speakers into the classroom, such as Aboriginal leaders and Elders, and to focus on Aboriginal and Two-Spirited peoples’ “culture, traditions, health issues and health access” (“What Health Providers Can Learn,” 2005, para. 14). I feel that by recognizing the historical and current issues of Aboriginal peoples and those who identify as Two-Spirited, medical professionals will be better able to assist them while providing medical care. According to Morrissette (2006), “[t]o forget these things is to bring dishonour to Aboriginal ancestors and to dismiss the sacrifices they have made for keeping a way of life alive...” (p. 164). 

One Aboriginal belief is that it takes a village to raise a child. With this belief in mind, Canadian society needs to implement social policies that will be beneficial to Two-Spirited peoples. As a result, our society will become more accepting and nurturing of Two-Spirited peoples in their attempts to seek out medical help. In addition, I feel that it is important to include traditional Elders as well as Two-Spirited peoples as guest speakers in educational settings as they hold a vast array of practical knowledge of their history, their people and how we as a society can better assist them while implementing programs and policies that will help them thrive in our cultural mosaic.

-Stephanie M.

References

2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations.  ( n.d.).  What health care providers can learn: A history of 2 spirited people.  Retrieved from http://www.2spirits.com/AHistoryof2SpiritedPeople.pdf

2-Spirited people of the 1st Nations our relatives said: A wise practices guide voices of Aboriginal Trans people. (2008). 1-32.  Retrieved from http://www.2spirits.com/2Spirits Transgender Training Manual.pdf

McGill University.  (2006). Two-spirited people.  Retrieved from http://www.mcgill.ca/interaction/mission/twospirit/

Morrissette, V. (2006). Towards an Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. In Chapter 5: Implications for Social Work, 162-189. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB.

What health providers can learn: There are two-education steps to a healthy patient relationship with 2-Spirit people. (2005).  Retrieved from http://www.2spirits.com/Healthcare.html

DGA Productions (2007, February 16). Children of the Rainbow, Pt. 5 - 2-Spirit History [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDqCdQ2NP4&feature=player_embedded