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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Research reveals strong cultural acceptance in the past

By Paul Galinski | reporter@prpeak.com
Published: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 4:19 PM CST

Research shows historically, diffuse gender identification was a celebrated component of first nations culture, according to a Powell River researcher. However, Western contact swayed the positive recognition and has contributed to two-spirited people being ostracized as homosexual people, he added.

Michael Thoms, who has a doctorate in history and teaches history at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Powell River campus, said one of his specialties is ethno-history, “which is a fancy way of saying specialized in fields of first nations cultural, ecological and social relationships,” he said.

“For 15 years I’ve been a researcher for a group called two-spirited people of the first nations, and also for the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network.

“One of the problems, as we know, is first nations people are marginalized in society,” Thoms said. “They experience issues with poverty, poor self-esteem, lack of advanced education and these kinds of things. One group within first nations society that is particularly vulnerable are those that we in the West would call gay or lesbian.”

Thoms said first nations people have a tradition that predates contact with the West.

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http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/coquille_tribe_will_sanction_s.html
by Bill Graves, The Oregonian

COOS BAY — Kitzen and Jeni Branting have been in a committed lesbian relationship since high school and plan to get legally married in Oregon next spring.

Yes, in Oregon.

True, voters amended the state Constitution constitution in 2004 to allow marriage only between only a man and a woman. And Congress outlawed gay marriage more than a decade ago.

But Kitzen Branting, 25, is a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast.

As a federally recognized sovereign nation, the tribe is not bound by the Oregon’s Constitution. The tribe recently adopted a law that recognizes same-sex marriage and extends to gay and lesbian partners, at least one of whom must be a Coquille, all tribal benefits of marriage.

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NE2SS Councilmember Kevin VanWanseele traveled back to his hometown, San Diego, CA, to march with Karen Vigneault and her organization Nations of the Four Directions. NOTFD organizes the ‘twin-spirit’ community of San Diego metro area. NE2SS came to support their organization and ultimately support the national movement of the two-spirit/twin-spirit/winkte community.

“Most of the two-spirits were on the sidelines trying to blend in. When we passed we kept motioning them to join us in our group,” VanWanseele said. “A few joined us.”

Vigneault said she was contacted by numerous two-spirit friends afterward and asked to march with them next year.

“I saw a lot of faces on the sidelines that looked like they wanted so much to be marching and not just sitting. It’s surprising that there is still a lot of shame with being gay in such a large city. Maybe next year there’ll be a little less shame.”

Karen Vigneault wanted to thank the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society for their support.

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