Two Spirits

Ruth Fertig 2007 22 min. USA

Joey Criddle is a Two Spirit man fighting with other LGBTQ Native Americans to reclaim the place of honor that many Two Spirits once held prior to colonization. The film follows Joey as he leads parallel lives - one as a co-director of the Two Spirit Society of Denver and the other as a father attending the Mississippi wedding of his Pentecostal son. Joey’s words bridge the gap between the closeted man he was in Mississippi and the Two Spirit activist he is today.

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Oglala Sioux Tribe
PROCLAMATION OF THE OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE IN SUPPORT OF TWO-SPIRIT DIGNITY & HUMAN RIGHTS

WHEREAS, the unity of cultures across time have embraced the concept of inalienable human rights that derive from our relationship to nature; and, on this 24th day of October 2011 the Oglala Sioux Tribe acknowledges Richard Noble and the grassroots LGBT Civil Rights Movement; and

WHEREAS, a central tenant of United States law is the principle of
non-discrimination and equal protection under the law as human rights; and

WHEREAS, members of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered – and the two-spirits of this world – face historical and ongoing community rejection, political stigmatization and institutional discrimination based on their innate nature, causing untallied human tragedy, emotional detachment and suffering so extreme that many commit suicide; and

WHEREAS, members of the grassroots LGBT community seek, via the American Equality Bill, to add “sexual orientation and gender identity” equally to all of America’s non-discrimination laws, both to advance this urgent cause for justice, and to protect the inherent right of each person to develop consistent with their natural sexuality and gender as their authentic self, safely and with appropriate cultural dignity and respect; and

WHEREAS, the American Equality Bill reflects the Government’s duty to provide protection from discrimination for all people as a matter of public welfare, and the human rights duty to ensure legal equality for LGBT people under federal law in order to rebuke homophobia and transphobia with the full force of official United States governmental policy, including via the expenditure of all federal funds under Title VI; and

WHEREAS, it is time to ignite the civil rights movement of the 21st Century to liberate the LGBT community in America, in order to reach every community, leaving no child anywhere alone suffering with discrimination or social rejection; and

WHEREAS, from March to October, 2011, Richard “Rainbow” Noble will traverse the country from West Hollywood to Washington D.C. on the Civil Rights March Across America with a sacred Rainbow flag and staff to raise the collective call for freedom, showing remarkable braver and dedication to his people; and

NOW, THEREFORE, the President John Yellow Bird Steele of the Oglala Sioux Tribe here by calls upon all of humanity to rise in support of the liberation of our two-spirit brothers and sisters from social and legal discrimination, and to urge all official representatives to take urgent action to protect their human rights with the full inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity” under all of America’s Civil Rights laws.

THEREFORE, I, John Yellow Bird Steele, hereby declar on this 24th day of October to honor and continue a collaborative effort with Congress for full federal equality and Civil Rights LGBT Omnibus Bill.

JOHN YELLOW BIRD STEELE
President
Oglala Sioux Tribe

Paula Ettelbrick, activist

October 7, 2011

It is with great sadness, NE2SS honors the final journey of Paula Ettelbrick. Paula was a strong supporter of NE2SS and the local two-spirit community. Paula was a tireless advocate who dedicated her life to fighting for the larger LGBT community, and it was late in her life she took up the fight for the local two-spirit community.

Paula was a dedicated and thoughtful leader to all and a pioneer in LGBT/Two-Spirit rights. As the first woman Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, Paula helped make the Foundation an indispensable part of New York and develop programs that help people give back to their community. All New Yorkers are better because of her activism. 

Paula’s legacy will live on through her work, and the countless numbers of lives she made better with her advocacy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula’s friends, family, and the lives she touched with her lifetime of service.

Angela McKenzie met up with Harlan Pruden, the co-founder of the Northeast 2 Sprit Society to talk about the historical importance of Native American Indian gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders to their indigenous culture. In 1990 after the Third Annual Inter-tribal Native American/First Nations Gay/Lesbian American Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the American Indian LGBT community abandoned European gender and sexual orientation labels to self-identify as Two-Spirit people. Two-Spirit describes Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations indigenous groups.

Harlan is a member of the Cree nation from the Saddle Lake Indian Reservation in Northeasten Alberta, Canada, where he did not receive the necessary support systems to help him come to terms with his Two-Spirit identity. He now resides in New York City and is a dedicated advocate for First Nations, community organizing and progressive causes.

In this edition of Initiative Radio you will also hear a great selection of traditional Cree music and a couple of songs written by the Cree Nation’s most famous recording artist Buffy Saint-Marie.

Angela McKenzie is the Producer & Presenter of Initiative Radio

The documentary film “Two-Spirit” is playing on Independent Lens (PBS) AND you can actually stream it online in its entirety: http://video.pbs.org/video/1989512827

Fred Martinez was one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. This documentary film explores the life and death of a boy who was also a girl, and the essentially spiritual nature of gender.

Duration: (52:50)
Premiere Date: 06/14/2011
Episode Expires: Tue 21 Jun 2011
TV Rating: TV-14
Closed Caption

Harlan Pruden, a council member for the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society, was interviewed on the WBIA’s Out-FM, a progressive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirit news, culture, and activism.

[Listen to the broadcast]

The original air date of this show was Tuesday, April 12, 2010 at Tuesday April 12, 2011 7:00pm. This show included an interview with Michael Tikili about a new queer group called Queerocracy, a grassroots community organization working against the bureaucracy of a government that was supposed to bring us change to promote and advance social justice. Also, youth advocates Carl Sisiliano and Kate Barnhart discuss the latest budget cuts to programs benefiting homeless queer youth. Harlan Pruden on a recently released statewide needs assessment on the two-spirit population of New State, this report is the first of its kind in the country. And finally, an update on fighting the occupation of Palestine and on the LGBT Center controversy.

Nā ʻŌiwi NYC and AICH present

KE KŪLANA HE MĀHŪ:
REMEMBERING A SENSE OF PLACE

Reception and Screening with Producer Connie Florez

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 6:00PM - 9:00PM

American Indian Community House
11 Broadway, 2nd Flr, New York, NY 10004
212.598.0100

Free with a Suggested donation: $5

Talk story and meet Connie Florez, producer and historian of “Ke Kūlana He Māhū: Remembering a Sense of Place,” at a welcome reception serving light refreshments and screening of the film. This documentary explores how colonialism and cultural imperialism has profoundly effected attitudes toward gender and sexuality for indigenous Hawaiians, and marginalized Hawai’i’s multifaceted gay and transgendered communites. Following the screening, there will be a selection from Florez’s current documentary project “The Glades Project,” including a Q&A panel discussion with the producer and members of the Native American Indian Communities in NYC.

Connie Florez is the CEO of Hula Girl Productions, and the Director of Film Programming for the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, and a current board member and former Executive Director for the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation.

Co-sponsored by: Nā ʻŌiwi NYC and American Indian Community House

[download the pdf flyer]

The weekend of October 15th-18th saw a dream come true for the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society (NE2SS), the first ever NorthEast Two-Spirit Gathering. Members of the two spirit community from all over the nation attended. Spanning generations, and representing 15 different States from California to New York, and 1 Canadian province, over fifty, two-spirited people came to support this historic event and NE2SS.

Last April, 2010, NE2SS sponsored six of their members to attend a gathering in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was during this event that Harlan Pruden, co-founder of the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society, asked the sponsored member’s one simple question: “Do you think New York could do a Two-Spirit gathering?” The answer was a resounding “YES!”

Once the NE2SS members returned home to New York, they went straight to work, securing funding, finding a location in scenic Long Island, and promoted the event to national two-spirit leadership across the nation. The gathering happened with support and funding from the Stonewall Foundation’s Racial Equity Intuitive, a New York Senate Grant, and many contributions from our friends, family and allies who answered our First Giving campaign. Special thanks to Lindy Linder for her continued support of our work and standing with our community. Additionally, this gathering would not have been possible without the support and backing of Audre Lorde Project. Finally, a huge thank you to Camp deWolfe’s Executive Director who worked with us so the Gathering has a home! In six short months, the First Annual NorthEast Two Spirit Society Gathering, was ready to welcome its first guests.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14gangs.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

December 14, 2009
New York Times

By ERIK ECKHOLM

PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Richard Wilson has been a pallbearer for at least five of his “homeboys” in the North Side Tre Tre Gangster Crips, a Sioux imitation of a notorious Denver gang.

One 15-year-old member was mauled by rivals. A 17-year-old shot himself; another, on a cocaine binge and firing wildly, was shot by the police. One died in a drunken car wreck, and another, a founder of the gang named Gaylord, was stabbed to death at 27.

“We all got drunk after Gaylord’s burial, and I started rapping,” said Mr. Wilson, who, at 24, is practically a gang elder. “But I teared up and couldn’t finish.”

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NEW YORK – The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society (NE2SS) and Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project were forcefully ejected from this year’s annual Heritage of Pride March in New York City yesterday.

Just before 2PM, Lieutenant Connoly of the Midtown Taskforce demanded that the People of Color Contingent leave the parade. The reason given was that a delay of 6 blocks existed between the People of Color contingent and the contingent in front of them.  NYPD raised the issue of the gap once and POC contingent marshals were in the process of closing the gap.   Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project (ALP), and Loyda Colon also of ALP explained to Lieutenant Connoly, that they were in the process of closing the gap and Lieutenant Connoly refused to listen.  Lieutenant Connoly then insisted that the POC contingent leave the parade, and attempted to arrest both Colon and Hayashi. Lieutenant Connoly then ejected Harlan Pruden, the driver of NE2SS’ support vehicle and co-founder of NE2SS, other members of NE2SS (who led the People of Color Contingent), and Hayashi from the parade. Hayashi was physically dragged off the parade route.

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