Oregon advocates for LGBTQ and “Two Spirit” individuals are cheering support from the National Congress of American Indians.
In July, theNCAI passed a resolution supporting the Trans & Gender-Affirming Care Strategic Vision and Action Plan. It was drafted by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.
Morgan Thomas of the NPAIHB says at a time when many state legislatures are restricting transgender rights, it’s great to see support for Indigenous gender-diverse people.
“Prior to colonization within many Indigenous communities, gender diverse people were held with great respect and had esteemed reclaim roles within their communities," Thomas told KLCC. "And we see Two Spirit and gender diverse Indigenous activists and advocates doing a lot of work to reclaim those roles within their contemporary communities”
Advocates say work has just begun on supporting LGBTQ and Two Spirit rights. Some still experience ridicule, shunning, or violence in and outside their communities.
*“Two Spirit” signifies an Indigenous person who identifies as having both masculine and femine spirits. It’s used by some Native people to describe their gender, sexual, and/or spiritual identity.
Copyright 2021, KLCC.
