two-spirit : Messages : 787-818 of 830

#788

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:05 am
Subject: The Allure of Gay Cavemen: Third genders, two spirits, and a media without a clue

losmara

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/the-allure-of-gay-cavemen/
http://www.seismologik.com/journal/2011/4/16/the-allure-of-gay-cavemen.html

The Allure of Gay Cavemen

By David Dobbs | Email Author ( david.a.dobbs@... ) |
April 15, 2011 | 12:35 pm |

Categories: Neuron Culture, Science Blogs

Guest post by Eric Michael Johnson

The following guest post by Eric Michael Johnson is part of the
Primate Diaries in Exile blog tour. You can follow other stops
on this tour through his RSS feed, through his Facebook page, or
by following @ericmjohnson on Twitter. Thanks. - EMJ & DD

___

The Allure of Gay Cavemen

Third genders, two spirits, and a media without a clue

by Eric Michael Johnson

In 1993 the reputable German weekly Der Spiegel reported a
rumor that Otzi, the 5,300-year-old frozen mummy discovered in
the Otztal Alps two years earlier, contained evidence of the
world's earliest known homosexual act. "In Otzi's Hintern,"
wrote the editors, referring to the Iceman's hinterland,
"Spermien gefunden worden." (If you require a translation,
chances are you didn't want to know anyway.) The rumor quickly
spread on computer bulletin boards as the recently unveiled World
Wide Web inaugurated a new age in the free flow of
misinformation. The origin of the rumor, as Cecil Adams
discovered, turns out to have been an April Fool's prank
published in the Austrian gay magazine Lambda Nachrichten. The
joke about our ancient uncle being penetrated deep in the Alps
was then picked up by other periodicals, but with a straight
face.

Twenty years later it appears that little has changed. Last
week Czech archaeologist Katerina Semradova spoke with the
Iranian news service PressTV about their ongoing excavation of a
burial in Prague that contained evidence suggesting a "third
gender" identity. Dated to approximately 4,700 years ago, the
archaeologists found what they said was a man from the Corded
Ware culture who had been buried in a way that was highly
uncharacteristic for the time. Typically, males from this
Chalcolithic society were interred laying on their right side
facing east while women were placed on their left side facing
west. Accompanying the bodies would be gender specific grave
goods that the deceased individual would presumably need in the
afterlife (weapons or tools in the case of males and jewelry or
domestic jugs for women).

"We found one very specific grave of a man lying in the
position of a woman, without gender specific grave goods, neither
jewelry nor weapons," said Semradova. "[I]t could be a member of
a so-called third gender, which were people either with different
sexual orientation or transsexuals or just people who identified
themselves differently from the rest of the society."

Identifying the biological sex of a 5,000-year-old skeleton
can be difficult enough, let alone interpreting a persons gender
identity from a long forgotten culture. Nevertheless, their
archaeological hypothesis is a sound one. The trouble however,
as both John Hawks and Kristina Killgrove pointed out, is that
the statement was merely part of an outreach campaign and didn't
have a scientific paper to accompany it. Nevertheless, the story
quickly went viral with news agencies ranging from Ukraine to
Vietnam to Saudi Arabia all announcing the discovery nearly
simultaneously. The problem lay not with the scientists, who
were describing preliminary findings that previewed some
tantalizing results, but a media culture that emphasizes
sensationalism over accuracy and being first over being right.

By all accounts it seems that the UK Telegraph had the
dubious honor of being first in this case, and in so doing
committed two wrongs in just as many words: "Gay Caveman." First
off, a person living during the Chalcolithic (a period previously
referred to as the "Bronze Age") was not a caveman. This highly
inaccurate term is usually used for Neandertals or Cro-Magnon
humans, both of whom lived about 35,000 years ago. Secondly, an
alternative sexual orientation does not make a person gay. Full
stop. The first error is conflating one date with another that
was seven times earlier, like claiming the Australopithecus Lucy
lived alongside the giant mammal Megacerops. But the second
error is conflating entire categories, like saying that everyone
in Asia is Chinese. Someone making the first error we might
excuse as merely being ignorant of specific time periods and
details they don't normally encounter, but the second error is
just plain ignorant.

Something that was seriously lacking from almost every
report on this story, a notable exception being Rosemary Joyce's
blog post on the topic, was providing their readers with the
proper context of what was meant by third gender. This is a term
that can best be understood as an umbrella concept that
incorporates multiple sexual identities that don't fit into
either male or female social norms. It's a term that is mostly
used when describing non-Western societies and the closest
equivalent in our own culture would be the reappropriated word
"queer" as it's used within the LGBT community (outside that
community it's often used as an epithet, very much like a certain
N-word).

Of course, non-Western societies have their own terms for
third gender. Native Americans use "two-spirit" to describe a
person who simultaneously embodies a mixture of traditionally
masculine and feminine identities, or two spirits residing in a
single house. According to anthropologist Will Roscoe in his
book Changing Ones, more than 155 North American societies have
been documented as having two-spirit people (or "berdaches" as
they were commonly called in anthropology). Some were men who
took on traditional female gender roles, some were women who
identified as men to become hunters, warriors or chiefs, and some
were members of either sex who weren't easily categorized. To
the Crow they were bote, the Navajo knew them as nadleehi, while
the Lakota called them winkte. Some had sexual relationships
with women, some with men, some with both, and some eschewed
sexuality altogether.

"However, when the sexual preferences of berdaches have been
reported a definite pattern emerges," says Roscoe. "Male and
female berdaches were sexually active with members of their own
sex and this behavior was part of the cultural expectations for
their role." The gender roles that we've come to know as
homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender were all
represented in these societies, but in ways that were culturally
specific and likely to have been quite unfamiliar based on our
definitions.

Outside of North America the story of gender diversity is
just as rich. In southern Mexico, the descendants of Zapotec
societies have a gender identity they refer to as muxe, or a man
who dresses and behaves as a woman. As the recent CNN program
"Men, Women, Muxe" highlighted, these individuals are highly
respected in society, particularly in the Oaxacan city of
Juchitan. Some are sexually attracted to men while others just
feel more comfortable dressing as women (what we might refer to
as transvestism). In the latter case these muxe marry and have
children as any man would, though I expect the choice of bridal
gown requires some negotiation.

Third genders are reflected in practically every region of
the globe. In Polynesia are the mahu, in both classical and
modern India the hijras and jogappas, in the early Islamic cities
of Mecca and Medina were the mukhannathun, while those in the
modern societies of Pakistan, Indonesia, Samoa, and the Dominican
Republic are known as khusra, tomboi, fa'afafine, and guevedoche
respectively. All systems contain aspects that are both familiar
and unique. In the latter example, guevedoche translates to
"penis at twelve" and these intersex individuals are born with
undescended testes along with an absent or clitorislike penis.
Many of these biological males are therefore raised as girls
until, at puberty, their voice deepens, their testes descend, and
their phallus grows, at which point they transition into life as
a man. Within their society this is nothing particularly unusual
and there's no stigma attached, it's just guevedoche. Given such
a diversity of roles, it seems that three genders aren't nearly
enough to represent the numerous forms that sexual identity can
take in our species. Gay cavemen, indeed.

However, despite the initial similarities between the gay
cavemen scandals of 1991 and 2011 there is a very important
difference. Us. In the last twenty years the global community
has undergone a radical shift in our understanding and acceptance
of alternative sexual identities. In ten countries (including
where I sit in Canada, though not where I'm from in the United
States) gay marriage has the same legal recognition as straight
marriage. Sadly, the national dialogue of my home country
remains painfully reminiscent of the pre-1967 era when
interracial marriage was a crime and bringing Sidney Poitier home
for dinner was risqu� enough to attract an audience. But the
situation is improving. The popular allure of the gay caveman
story is just one indication of this ongoing change. Given time
I'm confident that our society will one day see our myriad
differences as our strength. Because whether we call it third
gender or two-spirit, our diversity is one thing that truly
unites us as a species.

Photograph of Otzi's reconstruction by Kennis, South Tyrol Museum
of Archaeology, Foto Ochsenreiter

David Dobbs writes features and essays for publications including
the Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, National Geographic,
Wired, the Guardian, and other publications, and is working on
his fourth book, The Orchid and the Dandelion.
Follow @david_dobbs on Twitter.

#789

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:45 am
Subject: another success

cjoey40

Thank you to all the people who made this years Tulsa gathering such a wonderfull success. It was so great to meet so many new people. The food was great and the laughter was healing.
Joey

#790

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:12 am
Subject: FW: mont gathering

cjoey40

The Montana Two-Spirit Gathering is a weekend retreat for Native American Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people, their partners, family and friends. The gathering will provide a safe, healthy, drug and alcohol free environment. Its purpose is to encourage all people to heal the damage wrought by racism, sexism, ageism and homophobia and the negative impacts these have on health. As in past gatherings, as part of the closing ceremony there will be a giveaway. Please bring a small gift for the giveaway as a way to give thanks.

We encourage all our brothers and sisters to come join us at this healing and deeply spiritual gathering.

2011 Montana Two Spirit Gathering
When: July 29-31, 2011
Location: Blacktail Ranch

If you need more information about this gathering, please contact us here.

#791

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Wed May 4, 2011 5:32 am
Subject: [AZ, USA] Native American transgender woman lets identity shine

losmara

Downtown Devil (Arizona State University), AZ, USA
http://downtowndevil.com/2011/04/21/8237/native-american-lgbtq-pride-parade/

Native American transgender woman lets identity shine

By Anna Gunderson, on Thursday, April 21st, 2011

[Photo: <http://bit.ly/gMLwed> Trudie Jackson, a public-service and
public-policy sophomore at ASU Downtown, has been able to rise above
her difficult past to work on bettering the future for herself and
others. (Evie Carpenter/DD) ]

Soaking in the attention from the throng of thousands on the parade
route, Trudie Jackson beams and waves at the crowd. She yells "Happy
Pride!" and shows off her deep crimson Native American dress and her
hair tied back with white ribbons.

She is surrounded by several other women, all wearing bright dresses.
Together they create a kaleidoscope of colors so that the Indigenous
Out and Proud entry, a group of Native American transgender women, is
one of the brightest at this year's Pride Parade.

After the parade was over, I meet Trudie at Cruisin' 7th, a bar on 7th
Street, where she is helping with an Indian taco sale. As I approach
her table, she hugs me, enthusiastically asking if I liked the parade.

Trudie, a public-service and public-policy sophomore at the College of
Public Programs, learned earlier this month that she has been awarded
a Udall Scholarship <http://www.udall.gov/OurPrograms/MKUScholarship/MKUScholarship.aspx>.

But Trudie's current success hasn't allowed her to forget her troubled past.

***

Growing up near the Four Corners on a small reservation, Trudie spent
the first seventeen years of her life as a male. When she came to
Phoenix, she began dressing and acting like a woman.

"You couldn't be open on the reservation -- everyone knows everyone,"
she says. "My parents were involved in traditional Native American
events, and I didn't want to bring shame to my family."

Trudie began working in Phoenix as a female prostitute, where she
hustled to put a roof over her head. She fell in with a clique of
other prostitutes, a crowd filled with sex and drugs that consumed
Trudie like a black hole for fourteen years. Ultimately, she was
stabbed by another prostitute.

"It was just a street fight among trans women," Trudie says
matter-of-factly. "It's part of the turf -- you have to stand your
ground."

After being in and out of jail for several years, Trudie left for the
last time in 1999. She mentions an individual she met, who had one
thing to say to Trudie: "This place is not for you."

Eleven years later, Trudie is a recipient of the Udall Scholarship, a
$5,000 national grant given to eighty individuals annually, designed
primarily for Native American students pursuing public-policy degrees.
Through the scholarship process, Trudie met Janet Burke, associate
dean for national scholarship advisement and internships at ASU.

"I encouraged her (to apply for the scholarship) just by assuring her
that she brought a wonderful set of accomplishments to this
application and that I felt she had as good a chance as anyone I had
encountered of winning," Burke says.

Writing the application essays, Trudie says, made her look back
critically at her past. She now drives from her home in west Phoenix
along the same streets she worked as a prostitute years ago.

Trudie attended Phoenix College part-time for six years, working
full-time as a peer health advocate for HIV/AIDS. In 2008, she was
honored by the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center for her
action and leadership.

***

Soon after winning the Udall Scholarship, Trudie attended a reception
for students transitioning from Phoenix College to ASU. Her father
gave her some sage educational advice at the event.

"When you get your degree, no one can take it from you," Trudie recites.

Her appreciation of education is palpable: She follows any mention of
an experience she has overcome with her feeling of hope for the
future. Being an older student at ASU does not faze her. "We're all
here to learn," Trudie says.

Almost two years into the program, she is in no hurry to complete her degree.

"It took me six years at Phoenix College, I'm just hoping to finish my
bachelor's degree at ASU within five years," Trudie explains with a
slight chuckle.

Trudie found a mentor in her first-year composition teacher at ASU,
Elizabeth McNeil, who is also the coordinator of the university LGBT
certificate. Though Trudie has struggled in writing for the course,
her perseverance has impressed McNeil.

Confronting prejudices held by other students has also been a challenge.

"There was a macho male student who called Trudie a derogatory term
when I wasn't in class," McNeil says. "She came and talked to me about
it, because she has always been an advocate for herself." McNeil adds
that Trudie did not want to cause a controversy, however, and that
eventually the male student dropped the class out of academic
necessity.

Trudie works full-time as a tobacco-program liaison for Native Health,
an urban Native American organization, coordinating programs to
prevent smoking-related injuries or deaths. She is attempting to fuse
smoking and HIV/AIDS policies together, since the latter is Trudie's
passion. She also acts as a mentor for Native American transgender
women -- for example, she is involved with the biannual Miss Native
American Transgender Arizona pageant, which will be held on December
10, 2011, at Cruisin' 7th.

***

After our interview is over, Trudie thanks me for my time with a big
smile. She mentions that she needs to go back to Cruisin' 7th for a
Native American drag show.

Shortly before I leave, Trudie recalls her most memorable experience
at the parade.

"I was stopped by a woman along the parade route who hugged and
thanked me for my presence in the parade," Trudie says. "Native
Americans have less representation in (LGBT) community events so their
appearance made her proud, she told me."

With a new spotlight shining on her, Trudie is representing more
communities than ever before.

Contact the reporter at anna.gunderson@...

#792

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:46 am
Subject: a reminder

cjoey40

To register for the Montana Two Spirit Gathering, go to :

www.mtgayhealth.org/spirit

I'll see if we can also put a link to this page on our website at: www.mttwospirit.org

Folks can either print out a PDF registration form, OR they can fill out the form electronically (there's a highlighted link in the text that says "Click Here")

#793

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Thu Jul 7, 2011 7:15 am
Subject: FW: SAVE THE DATE FLYER for the Two-Spirit Leadership Summit Sept, 16-17 2011

cjoey40

TSSD%202011%20%5Bsave%20the%20date%5D[1] 2.docx

From: raven_hr@...
Subject: SAVE THE DATE FLYER for the Two-Spirit Leadership Summit Sept, 16-17 2011
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 13:34:48 -0700

Are you a Two-Spirit who either is or wants to be a leader within your community, then this Summit is for you. Check it out.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Two Spirit Society of Denver

SAVE THE DATE

WHAT: International Two-Spirit Leadership Summit

WHEN: Friday, September 16-17, 2011

WHERE: Hotel VQ � Denver, CO (USA)

The Two Spirit Society of Denver will facilitate educational Leadership sessions on building leadership within the Native American, Alaskan Native and First Nation Two-Spirit Societies. At the Two Spirit Society of Denver Leadership Summit participants will learn from gifted Native American, Alaskan Native, and First Nation Leaders� experience, strength, and wisdom. The outcome of this Summit is to educate/supporting our Two-Spirit Society�s in developing successful leaderships within Two-Spirit Society�s.

Leadership Workshops and Discussion Sessions:

Facilitation of Youth Leadership and Development

Elders Leadership/Mentorship

Creating and Maintaining Inclusivity and Support

Strategies for maintaining organizational continuity

Resources for Leadership development

Obtaining (or maintaining) 501c3 status

Traditional Two Spirit responsibilities

a. Spiritual and Cultural

b. Emotional and Mental

Roles of our Allies

Funding Development (Donor Database)

The Leadership Summit will conclude with an all participant session for next steps and the second annual Leadership Summit.

The Two Spirit Society of Denver constituency is American Indians and First Nations People�s who live, work or visit Denver, CO. The mission of the Two Spirit Society of Denver is to continue the restoration and remembrance of the traditional role of Two Spirit people in the Native American communities and to confront and combat issues of homophobia, racism and oppression from the Native American community, the non-Native American communities and the GLBT community at large through education, visibility, and support.

We, the committee for the Two-Spirit Leadership Summit seek to empower American Indians, Alaskan Native, and First Nations Two-Spirit People to stand up for and resolve historical inequities in a way that is respectful, culturally appropriate, relevant and absolute.

This Two-Spirit Leadership Summit is open to the public (Space is limited). All are encouraged and welcome to attend.

For more information please contact Hiram Calf Looking Sr at: hcalflookingsr@...

� Applications will be posted on the Two Spirit Society of Denver website soon.

�Homophobia is not indigenous to this continent, tolerance of diversity is.�

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Raven E. Heavy Runner

<><><><><><>

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."

Alice Walker

Thank you Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho people, as I live in this beautiful territory now called Colorado. This is the land Creator gave to you to care for and I will walk in it with a good heart, in a good way.

~ Ah Stoh Yoh Gaht Tsi (Sees in Both Directions) aka Raven E. Heavy Runner

Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 11:39:21 -0700
From: hcalflookingsr@...
Subject: SAVE THE DATE FLYER for the Two-Spirit Leadership Summit Sept, 16-17 2011
To: raven_hr@...

Please Forward Widely.....

Thank You,

Hiram Calf Looking, Sr.

Coordinator

Two-Spirit Leadership Summit

Homophobia is not indigenous to this continent, tolerance of diversity is.

1 of 1 File(s)

#794

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:47 am
Subject: "Two Spirits" lands Independent Lens prize

losmara

Realscreen, ON, Canada
http://realscreen.com/2011/07/06/two-spirits-lands-independent-lens-prize/

[7/6/2011]

"Two Spirits" lands Independent Lens prize

by Kelly Anderson

[Photo <http://bit.ly/nhk3NC> ]

Lydia Nibley's Two Spirits, a documentary about a transgender Navajo
teen murdered for embracing his feminine side, has won the PBS
Independent Lens audience award.

The documentary (pictured above), which aired as the Independent Lens
strand's season finale, edged out The Calling and The Longoria Affair
among audience voters.

Two Spirits explores Navajo tradition, where true harmony is achieved
by balancing feminine and masculine within the individual, families
and culture; and looks at the current state of bullying faced by LGBT
people.

"It is thrilling to see two stories that had both been overlooked
connect in a meaningful way with millions of people," Nibley told
realscreen. "The story of the murder of Fred Martinez and the history
and contemporary experience of Two-Spirit people have opened people up
to new ways of thinking.

"I'm so grateful that Two Spirits has been embraced by the PBS
audience and that nationally we're having a more sophisticated and
humane conversation about gender and what it really is -- something
much more nuanced and varied that many have realized."

The Independent Lens blog paid tribute to the doc, congratulation
Nibley and her team for "inspiring an amazing number of our viewers
and for mobilizing them on behalf of the film and its subject matter."

#795

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:38 am
Subject: in Focus with Eden Lane - Special Edition "Two Spirits"

losmara

...
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "saadaya" <hclasalle@...>
To: ANDROGYNE@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:47:45 -0000
Subject: [ANDROGYNE] in Focus with Eden Lane - Special Edition "Two
Spirits"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnF9d9WVAI&feature=feedf


To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANDROGYNE/

#798

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:23 am
Subject: Re: Re: Virus alert on last post

losmara

here is the virus report from the link in the last posting from VirusTotal.com >

Antivirus	Version	Last Update	Result
AhnLab-V3	2011.08.13.00	2011.08.13	-
AntiVir	7.11.13.37	2011.08.12	JS/iFrame.aar
Antiy-AVL	2.0.3.7	2011.08.13	-
Avast	4.8.1351.0	2011.08.13	JS:Redirector-HU [Trj]
Avast5	5.0.677.0	2011.08.13	JS:Redirector-HU [Trj]
AVG	10.0.0.1190	2011.08.13	-
BitDefender	7.2	2011.08.13	Trojan.Script.475058
CAT-QuickHeal	11.00	2011.08.13	-
ClamAV	0.97.0.0	2011.08.13	-
Commtouch	5.3.2.6	2011.08.13	-
Comodo	9730	2011.08.13	-
DrWeb	5.0.2.03300	2011.08.13	-
Emsisoft	5.1.0.8	2011.08.13	-
eSafe	7.0.17.0	2011.08.10	-
eTrust-Vet	36.1.8499	2011.08.12	-
F-Prot	4.6.2.117	2011.08.13	-
F-Secure	9.0.16440.0	2011.08.13	Trojan.Script.475058
Fortinet	4.2.257.0	2011.08.13	-
GData	22	2011.08.13	Trojan.Script.475058
Ikarus	T3.1.1.107.0	2011.08.13	-
Jiangmin	13.0.900	2011.08.12	-
K7AntiVirus	9.109.5010	2011.08.12	-
Kaspersky	9.0.0.837	2011.08.13	Trojan-Downloader.JS.Agent.gey
McAfee	5.400.0.1158	2011.08.13	-
McAfee-GW-Edition	2010.1D	2011.08.13	-
Microsoft	1.7104	2011.08.13	VirTool:JS/Obfuscator.Z
NOD32	6374	2011.08.13	-
Norman	6.07.10	2011.08.12	JS/Obfuscated.CH
nProtect	2011-08-13.02	2011.08.13	Trojan.Script.475058

#799

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Sun Aug 14, 2011 6:52 am
Subject: Re: Re: Virus alert on last post

losmara

[This was what I mailed to the list but wound up being an attachment:]

      Yeah, and what post was that?  The last post to the list was on
July 21st, from me, and the link is to YouTube.
      I think that this "post" might be an automated message from a
compromised machine.

Stephe

#800

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:59 am
Subject: FW: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache

cjoey40

www.legacyprojectchicago.org

From: peacewarrior@...
To: joeynco@...; apmxtd@...; PASHOFA@...; derekrsmith@...
Subject: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:23:34 -0700

Hi Folks,

just wanted to share this email BAAITS received, any thoughts? I personally would like to respond by asking what does he know about two spirit people, I�m not feeling comfortable about the ignorance of the word Berdache, thought everyone knows that word is not accepted anymore. Do we know any two spirit groups in the Chicago area?

Ruth

From: BAAITS

Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 9:20 AM

To: pashofa@... ; Ruth Villasenor

Subject: Fwd: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache

Not sure what to do about this. Very odd that he is using that term...

Derek

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Victor Salvo <victorsalvo@...>
Date: Thu, Aug 4, 2011 at 8:45 PM
Subject: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache
To: kumeyaayindian@..., northeast2ss@..., admin@..., info@..., info@..., berdache2@...

Greetings!

I am trying to locate the address (or addresses) of any central cultural or social organizations that can be said to represent those who are Berdache. I would assume there are many such groups, given the number of tribes and the great distances involved. My Internet search has led me to you, thus far.

My purpose in inquiring is to tell you that the Berdache - as a collective cultural entity of indigenous peoples within the GLBT family - have been selected for induction into a special permanent outdoor exhibit in Chicago, Illinois called "The Legacy Walk," which will be dedicated in October of 2012. To commemorate the Berdache' unique role and identity within all of GLBT history, we will be creating an 18" x 24" bronze plaque that will join 35 others to become part of this unique "walking museum" covering 1/2 mile of a major urban thoroughfare in Chicago.

For many, many people there is no knowledge of the Berdache or your rich cultural traditions and history. Your inclusion - which was nearly unanimous in our voting - is an unprecedented opportunity to bring that knowledge to a vast number of people who, under ordinary circumstances, would never know you existed. I hope you will agree this is a cause for celebration.

I am seeking the addresses of our inductees' agents to notify them of the honor. But in the case of the Berdache - you are a people, a collective - there is no one address. We wish to extend news of this honor to all who would be glad for it and we hope your inclusion in our exhibit - which will be seen by as many as one million people every year - will be something those who are Berdache - and all who are Native American or Canadian First Nations - will take great pride in.

If you would please assist me in spreading the word of this honor to whomever you think would want to know, I would appreciate it. And if you could get back to me with any addresses of any individuals or groups you think I should reach out to directly, I will do that as well. Right now you are my only contacts...

Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you!

Kindest Regards,

Victor Salvo

Founder and Executive Director

THE LEGACY PROJECT

victorsalvo@...

"We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny... but what we put into it is ours."

-- Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), U.N. Secretary General (1953-61), Legacy Project Nominee (2010)

"The answer to the problem must not lie in suicides that look like accidents... but rather in life and the freedom to live it."

-- Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989), Transgender Activist and International Spokesperson, Legacy Project Nominee (2011)

The Legacy Project intends to inform, inspire, enlighten, and foster an appreciation for the many roles Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) people have played in the advancement of world history and culture through the dedication of the only outdoor International GLBT History Museum in the World - "THE LEGACY WALK" - in Chicago on October 11, 2012.

#801

From: Harlan Pruden <hpruden@...>
Date: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:18 pm
Subject: Re: [theprideoftwospirits] FW: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache

hpruden212

Ruth,

I don't know if it is still up and going, but there is a yahoo listserv called "Chicagogaynativeamericans" it has 178 members as of today.

�

I agree with you about the usage of the term 'berdache' - it really seems odd that an organization that so rooted in history doesn't know our history.

�

Let me know if this is anything else I can be of assistance to you and BAAITS.

�

Harlan

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 6:59 AM, joey criddle <joeynco@...> wrote:

�

�

From: peacewarrior@...
To: joeynco@...; apmxtd@...; PASHOFA@...; derekrsmith@...
Subject: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:23:34 -0700

Hi Folks,

just wanted to share this email BAAITS received, any thoughts?� I personally would like to respond by asking what does he know about two spirit people, I�m not feeling comfortable about the ignorance of the word Berdache, thought everyone knows that word is not accepted anymore. Do we know any two spirit groups in the Chicago area?

Ruth

�

From: BAAITS

Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 9:20 AM

To: pashofa@... ; Ruth Villasenor

Subject: Fwd: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache

�

Not sure what to do about this.� Very odd that he is using that term...

Derek

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Victor Salvo <victorsalvo@...>
Date: Thu, Aug 4, 2011 at 8:45 PM
Subject: Inquiring about Honoring the Berdache
To: kumeyaayindian@..., northeast2ss@..., admin@..., info@..., info@..., berdache2@...

Greetings!

�

I am trying to locate the address (or addresses) of any central cultural or social organizations that can be said to represent those who are Berdache.� I would assume there are many such groups, given the number of tribes and the great distances involved.� My Internet search has led me to you, thus far.

�

My purpose in inquiring is to tell you that the Berdache - as a collective cultural entity of indigenous peoples within the GLBT family - have been selected for induction into a special permanent outdoor exhibit in Chicago, Illinois called "The Legacy Walk," which will be dedicated in October of 2012.� To commemorate the Berdache' unique role and identity within all of GLBT history, we will be creating an 18" x 24" bronze plaque that will join 35 others to become part of this unique "walking museum" covering 1/2 mile of a major urban thoroughfare in Chicago.

�

For many, many people there is no knowledge of the Berdache or your rich cultural traditions and history.� Your inclusion - which was nearly unanimous in our voting - is an unprecedented opportunity to bring that knowledge to a vast number of people who, under ordinary circumstances, would never know you existed.� I hope you will agree this is a cause for celebration.

�
I am seeking the addresses of our inductees' agents to notify them of the honor.� But in the case of the Berdache - you are a people, a collective - there is no one address.� We wish to extend news of this honor to all who would be glad for it and we hope your inclusion in our exhibit - which will be seen by as many as one million people every year - will be something those who are Berdache - and all who are Native American or Canadian First Nations - will take great pride in.

�

If you would please assist me in spreading the word of this honor to whomever you think would want to know, I would appreciate it.� And if you could get back to me with any addresses of any individuals or groups you think I should reach out to directly, I will do that as well.� Right now you are my only contacts...

�

Thank you for your assistance.� I look forward to hearing from you!

Kindest Regards,

Victor Salvo

Founder and Executive Director

THE LEGACY PROJECT

(c) 312-608-1198

victorsalvo@...

www.legacyprojectchicago.org

�

"We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny... but what we put into it is ours."

�� -- Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), U.N. Secretary General (1953-61), Legacy Project Nominee (2010)

�

"The answer to the problem must not lie in suicides that look like accidents... but rather in life and the freedom to live it."

�� -- Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989), Transgender Activist and International Spokesperson, Legacy Project Nominee (2011)

�

The Legacy Project intends to inform, inspire, enlighten, and foster an appreciation for the many roles Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) people have played in the advancement of world history and culture through the dedication of the only outdoor International GLBT History Museum in the World - "THE LEGACY WALK" - in Chicago on October 11, 2012.

�

�

--
Harlan Pruden
646.351.7360 - cell

�Activism is setting a goal of something you would like to be different, and figuring out what would have to change to achieve that goal. It�s sort of like math.� � Rachel Maddow (Mother Jones Jan/Feb�09)

#802

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:37 pm
Subject: response from the legacy project

cjoey40

this is the response I got from the director

From: victorsalvo@...
Subject: RE: berdache
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:32:27 -0500
To: joeynco@...
CC: kumeyaayindian@...

Hi Joey -

First of all, thank you so much for the feedback. Please know that our use of the term "Berdache" was in no way intended to be derogatory. It was only used because The Legacy Walk is a history project and we were trying to explain to the general public about the recorded historic presence of alternative sexualities, orientations and identities among native North American peoples. I knew "Berdache" was rather clinical, but did not know it was considered insulting; we apologize for any consternation reading it may have caused, and we certainly recognize that Two Spirit is the preferred descriptive term used today. Rest assured that our board has already voted to entitle and dedicate the bronze plaque to "Two Spirit People" and that the word "Berdache" will only be referenced in the text to explain it's historic origins and the fact that it is considered inappropriate today. For now we will amend the entry on our website to reflect these basic changes; but it will be several months before the actual plaque text is finalized. I hope the wording ultimately chosen for the final plaque will be acceptable and that the inclusion of Two Spirit People on The Legacy Walk will be as great a source of pride for you as it is for us.

Kindest Regards,

V

Victor Salvo / THE LEGACY PROJECT
www.legacyprojectchicago.org
312-608-1198

#803

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:26 am
Subject: legacy project update

cjoey40

www.legacyprojectchicago.org

Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:42 -0700
From: victorsalvo@...
Subject: Two Spirit
To: joeynco@...

Hi Joey -

I wanted to let you know that the Two Spirit bioplate has been uploaded to the website (http://www.legacyprojectchicago.org/Two_Spirit_People.html) along with information about our upcoming kick-off luncheon at the Palmer House in October (you can find the link to that on the home page). I hope the language will be perceived as more sensitive - even if it is not perfect. Because of the limited space we will have on the plaques, it must be kept to fewer than 300 words so it sort of has to be very general. But since the vast majority who will read these plaques know NOTHING about Two Spirit people I hope it will be enough to motivate folks to learn more on their own. Next year, when we launch the more advanced website devoted to those whose plaques will actually be on The Legacy Walk, there will be additional links and expanded information. For now we are limited by what we have.

I hope, for now, this new link will be acceptable to most Two Spirit who read it - but I know I cannot please everyone, especially those who are impatient with someone like me. I am trying to do my best by everybody. That is why we will take several months to craft the actual plaque text. For now I hope this will be accepted in good faith. And, again, I apologize for any consternation caused by the previous effort. It was never our intention to offend - only to honor.

Thank you again for your feedback!

Victor Salvo

Founder and Executive Director

THE LEGACY PROJECT

victorsalvo@...

#804

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:34 pm
Subject: RE: Please forward widely: GLBTQ Resource Center Director search

cjoey40

> Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:37:11 -0600
> From: Kevin.Correa@...
> To: glbtqrc_general@...
> Subject: FW: Please forward widely: GLBTQ Resource Center Director search
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Jim Davis Rosenthal
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 5:00 PM
> Subject: Please forward widely: GLBTQ Resource Center Director search
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> We would appreciate you forwarding the below to well qualified candidates. This is a competitive national search and we look forward to a diverse pool of applicants. Inquiries about the search should be directed to Jackie.Shimamoto@...<mailto:Jackie.Shimamoto@...> who is staffing the search process. Hillary Montague-Asp and I are the co-chairs of the search committee.
>
> The Director of GLBTQ Resource Center position has been posted on www.jobsatcu.com<http://www.jobsatcu.com>. You can view the posting at:
> www.jobsatcu.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=66030<http://www.jobsatcu.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=66030>
>
> Please direct interested applicants to apply at www.jobsatcu.com<http://www.jobsatcu.com> job posting number 814764.
>
> Jim Davis Rosenthal, Ph.D.
> Director, Office of Orientation and Ralphie's Resource Center
> University of Colorado, Boulder
> 143 UCB
> 80309-0143
>
> jdr@...<mailto:jdr@...>
> 303 492-1417 http://www.colorado.edu/orientation
> STANDARDS on-line: http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards
> 303 735-0387 (f)
> http://www.colorado.edu/sasc
>
>
>

#805

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:12 am
Subject: FW: Please circulate and repost: Job Opening: Woodbine Ecology Center is seeking an Executive Director

cjoey40

http://www.woodbinecenter.org

Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:33:05 -0600
Subject: Please circulate and repost: Job Opening: Woodbine Ecology Center is seeking an Executive Director
From: rezchix@...
To:

Hi, all,
Please forward and share with all!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pavlos Stavropoulos <pavlos@...>
Date: Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 2:05 PM
Subject: Please circulate and repost: Job Opening: Woodbine Ecology Center is seeking an Executive Director
To: Shannon Francis <rezchix@...>

Dear Shannon,

I want to thank you for your ongoing support of Woodbine. As a person who understands Woodbine's vision and mission and is well connected in the community I am asking you to help us circulate this job posting as widely as possible as well as to make sure that it gets to the right people. Our full job posting is attached but can also be found at http://www.woodbinecenter.org/jobs.

If you have any questions please contact me directly.

In solidarity.

Pavlos Stavropoulos

Sustainability Coordinator

Woodbine Ecology Center
303.380.7984 office

303.380.9889 fax

303.912.0960 cell

pavlos@...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Woodbine Ecology Center <info@...>
Date: Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 12:05 PM
Subject: Job Opening: We are seeking an Executive Director

Job Opening: Executive Director

Job Opening Announcement
Executive Director

We are seeking an outgoing, community minded, and knowledgeable Executive Director. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader, enjoys working with a diversity of people, and shares our passion in our mission. We are working with JVA Consulting LLC, a leader in non-profit consulting, in our search, hiring and transition. JVA is dedicated to identifying, evaluating, recruiting and delivering the highest-caliber Executive Director professionals. Click here for more information and a detailed job posting or view the attached file.

Please forward this announcement to all interested people. If you have a newsletter or website where this can be posted we would appreciate your help in disseminating this announcement.

This email is sent from:

P.O. Box 1253
Littleton, CO 80160-1253
United States

1 of 1 File(s)

Job_posting_WBkswsP_1.pdf

#806

From: "twospirits26" <twospirits26@...>
Date: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:17 pm
Subject: Reading

twospirits26

I have read a few books on Two-spirits.. anyone have any good suggestions on any
othes?

#807

From: "Yayanaru" <yayanaru@...>
Date: Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:56 pm
Subject: I moved to Austin TX

yayanaru

My granddaughter and I moved to Austin TX a year ago, does anyone know of any
Two-Spirit Communities here?

#808

From: Harlan Pruden <hpruden@...>
Date: Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:23 pm
Subject: OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE � ISSUES PROCLAMATION FOR TWO-SPIRITS� DIGNITY & HUMAN RIGHTS

hpruden212

http://www.actonprinciples.org/2011/10/25/oglala-sioux-tribe-issues-proclamation-for-two-spirits-dignity-human-rights/

Greeting Two-Spirit Community,

I�want�to share with yon� some very exciting news.

�

Times are changing and its a GREAT day for the Two-Spirit community and our movement!!!
�
Help spread the word!

�

-Harlan Pruden

NorthEast Two-Spirit Society

�

OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE � ISSUES PROCLAMATION FOR TWO-SPIRITS� 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 21^st 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 declare 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

�

Share it!

#809

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:46 am
Subject: two spirit gatherings

cjoey40

Tulsa has announced dates for their gathering on facebook so I thought I'd forward dates to everyone....particularly people who are not on facebook (you know who you are).

Tulsa Two Spirit Gathering

April 20-23

2012 International Gathering

Washington DC

October 4-7

Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#810

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:11 pm
Subject: Remembering Two-Spirits This Thanksgiving - OpEd

losmara

http://www.irenemonroe.com/home/
http://www.bilerico.com/contributors/rev_irene_monroe/
http://www.faithinamerica.org/about-fia/board-members/irene-monroe/

SheWired, USA
http://www.shewired.com/lifestyle/2011/11/23/remembering-two-spirits-thanksgiving-oped

[also at http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=opinion&sc=guest_opinions&sc2=news&sc3=&id=127061]

Remembering Two-Spirits This Thanksgiving - OpEd

By: Rev. Irene Monroe

Wed, 2011-11-23 13:27

Every year I submit this piece for Thanksgiving because it captures,
in my humble opinion, the best way I can express my outrage of the
genocide of Native Americans that is summarily glossed over with a
national celebration and an annual holiday of its occupiers.

As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of the
autumnal harvest time's spiritual significance. As a time of
connectedness, I pause to acknowledge what I have to be thankful for.
But I also reflect on the holiday as a time of remembrance -
historical and familial.

Historically, I am reminded that for many Native Americans,
Thanksgiving is not a cause of celebration, but rather a National Day
of Mourning, remembering the real significance of the first
Thanksgiving in 1621 as a symbol of persecution and genocide of Native
Americans and the long history of bloodshed with European settlers.

I am also reminded of my Two-Spirit Native American brothers and
sisters who struggle with their families and tribes not approving of
their sexual identities and gender expressions as many of us do with
our families and faith communities.

"Yes, there's internalized homophobia in every gay community, but as
Native Americans we are taught not to like ourselves because we're not
white. In our communities, people don't like us because we're gay,"
Gabriel Duncan, member of Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits
(BAAITS), told the Pacific News Service.

And consequently, many Two-Spirit Native Americans leave their
reservations and isolated communities hoping to connect with the
larger LGBTQ community in urban cites. However, due to racism and
cultural insensitivity, many Two-Spirits feel less understood and more
isolated than they did back home.

But homophobia is not indigenous to Native American culture. Rather,
it is one of the many devastating effects of colonization and
Christian missionaries that today Two-Spirits may be respected within
one tribe yet ostracized in another.

"Homophobia was taught to us as a component of Western education and
religion," Navajo anthropologist Wesley Thomas has written. "We were
presented with an entirely new set of taboos, which did not correspond
to our own models and which focused on sexual behavior rather than the
intricate roles Two-Spirit people played. As a result of this
misrepresentation, our nations no longer accepted us as they once
had."

Traditionally, Two-Spirits symbolized Native Americans' acceptance and
celebration of diverse gender expressions and sexual identities. They
were revered as inherently sacred because they possessed and
manifested both feminine and masculine spiritual qualities that were
believed to bestow upon them a "universal knowledge" and special
spiritual connectedness with the "Great Spirit." Although the term was
coined in the early 1990s, historically Two-Spirits depicted
transgender Native Americans. Today, the term has come to also include
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and intersex Native Americans.

The Pilgrims, who sought refuge here in America from religious
persecution in their homeland, were right in their dogged pursuit of
religious liberty. But their actual practice of religious liberty came
at the expense of the civil and sexual rights of Native Americans

And the Pilgrims' animus toward homosexuals not only impacted Native
American culture, but it also shaped Puritan law and theology.

Here in the New England states, the anti-sodomy rhetoric had punitive
if not deadly consequences for a newly developing and sparsely
populated area. The Massachusetts Bay Code of 1641 called for the
death of not only heretics, witches and murderers, but also
"sodomites," stating that death would come swiftly to any "man lying
with a man as with a woman." And the renowned Puritan pastor and
Harvard tutor, the Rev. Samuel Danforth in his 1674 "fire and
brimstone" sermon preached to his congregation that the death sentence
for sodomites had to be imposed because it was a biblical mandate.

Because the Pilgrims' fervor for religious liberty was devoid of an
ethic of accountability, their actions did not set up the conditions
requisite for moral liability and legal justice. Instead, the actions
of the Pilgrims brought about the genocide of a people, a historical
amnesia of the event, and an annual national celebration of
Thanksgiving for their arrival.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush ironically -- if not ignorantly --
designated November as "National American Indian Heritage Month" to
celebrate the history, art, and traditions of Native American people.

As we get into the holiday spirit, let us remember the whole story of
the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers to the New
World.

On a trip home to New York City in May 2004, I went to the Schomburg
Center for Research in Black Culture to view the UNESCO Slave Route
Project, "Lest We Forget: the Triumph Over Slavery," that marks the
United Nations General Assembly's resolution proclaiming 2004 "The
International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its
Abolition."

In highlighting that African Americans should not be shamed by
slavery, but instead defiantly proud of our memory of it, I read the
opening billboard to the exhibit that stated, "By institutionalizing
memory, resisting the onset of oblivion, recalling the memory of
tragedy that for long years remained hidden or unrecognized and by
assigning it its proper place in the human conscience, we respond to
our duty to remember."

It is in the spirit of our connected struggles against discrimination
that we can all stand on a solid rock that rests on a multicultural
foundation for a true and honest Thanksgiving.

And in so doing, it helps us to remember, respect, mourn and give
thanks to the struggles not only our LGBTQ foremothers and forefathers
endured, but also the ongoing struggle our Native American Two-Spirit
brothers and sisters face everyday--and particularly on Thanksgiving
Day.

-----

#811

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Wed Dec 7, 2011 8:43 am
Subject: FW: [twospiritgatherings] two spirit gatherings

cjoey40

Tulsa has announced dates for their gathering on facebook so I thought I'd forward dates to everyone....particularly people who are not on facebook (you know who you are).

Tulsa Two Spirit Gathering

April 20-23

2012 International Gathering

Washington DC

October 4-7

Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#812

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Fri Dec 30, 2011 10:12 pm
Subject: FW: Jop Opportunites

cjoey40

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/PublicHealth/research/centers/CAIANH/about/Pages/Job-Opportunities.aspx

Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:35:45 -0700
Subject: Fwd: Jop Opportunites
From: rezchix@...
To:

Please share with all!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gallegos, Joaquin <JOAQUIN.GALLEGOS@...>
Date: Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Subject: Jop Opportunites

Greetings,

Linked are two employment prospects at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health.

Please forward to any potential individuals.

Best,

Joaquin R Gallegos

Joaquin Ray Gallegos |

Center for Native Oral Health Research

Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building | Mail Stop F800 | 13055 East 17th Avenue| Aurora, CO 80045-0508

Ph: 303-724-1482 | joaquin.gallegos@... | ucdenver.edu/caianh

E-mail_signature_graphic

#813

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Wed Feb 1, 2012 10:58 am
Subject: FW: [twospiritgatherings] two spirit gatherings

cjoey40

Thanks Joey,

Tulsa has announced dates for their gathering on facebook so I thought I'd forward dates to everyone....particularly people who are not on facebook (you know who you are).

Tulsa Two Spirit Gathering

April 20-23

2012 International Gathering

Washington DC

October 4-7

Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#814

From: DeBruhl <cymru@...>
Date: Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:54 pm
Subject: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

cikakeya

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to carry out official visit to the United States from 23 April to 4 May 2012

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Professor James Anaya, will carry out an official visit to the United States of America from 23 April to 4 May 2012.

The aim of the Special Rapporteur's visit to the United States is to examine the human rights situation of the indigenous peoples of the country, that is, American Indians/Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will hold meetings and consultations with federal and state government officials, as well as with indigenous nations and their representatives, in various locations.

Of particular relevance to the visit are the implications of the United States' endorsement, in December 2010, of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Special Rapporteur will assess the ways in which the standards of the Declaration are currently reflected in U.S. law and policy, both domestically and abroad, and identify needed reforms or areas that need further attention in light of the Declaration.

The results of this assessment will be reflected in a preliminary report that will be submitted to the United States for its comments and consideration. A final version of the report will be circulated publicly and presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The report will include recommendations to the United States, indigenous governing bodies and, possibly, other interested parties on how to address issues of ongoing concern to indigenous peoples.

The Special Rapporteur has tentatively planned to visit locations in the Southwest, Midwest, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. Further information and updates about the agenda of the Special Rapporteur as it becomes available will be made public on the websites of the Special Rapporteur maintained by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/SRIPeoplesIndex.aspx :
and the University of Arizona: www.unsr.jamesanaya.org

Background information on the Special Rapporteur and his mandate from the UN Human Rights Council is available on these web sites.

The Special Rapporteur invites indigenous peoples and organizations, and other interested parties, to send information relevant to the visit to the United States or any other aspect of his mandate to: indigenous@...

--

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives... The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. Zinn

#815

From: joey criddle <joeynco@...>
Date: Fri Mar 9, 2012 2:01 am
Subject: tulsa two spirit gathering

cjoey40

yes Joey, go to OKEQ.org then click on store then click on special events, then click on Tulsa 2 Spirit retreat 2012, it will take you to the applications. We are having to charge 30 for the weekend,due to lack of some funding lol...

Reply | Messages in this Topic (6)

#816

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Sat Jun 9, 2012 9:19 am
Subject: Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) two spirit as Waxla

losmara

I don't have any information on this, but perhaps someone
at the two-spirit@yahoogroups.com does. I've forwarded this
message to that list.

Stephe

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Cassidy <cmedicinehorse@...>

To: scfeldman@...

Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 15:02:58 -0600

Subject: additional tribal two-spirit terms

Message-ID: <CAAxpMFWNWLAG3q5pq6-gvvCCVOsYvPXVGKQ9MkYeqxxoHOOmsA@...>

Hi,

I am trying to confirm a reference to Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) two spirit as Waxla.

Do you have any information that you would be willing to share?

Thanks,

Cassidy

Cassidy Medicine Horse

American Studies ~ PhD Graduate Research

Native American Studies ~ Adjunct Instructor

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana

"Great spirits have always encountered

violent opposition from mediocre minds".

AE.

#817

From: scfeldman@...
Date: Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:12 pm
Subject: Osage Transgender Running for Osage Congress Shares Her Story

losmara

http://ictmncdn1.tgpstage1.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jozi-Tallchief-1-615x496.jpg]

Indian Country, NY, USA
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/05/30/osage-transgender-running-for-osage-congress-shares-her-story-115503

Osage Transgender Running for Osage Congress Shares Her Story

By Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan | May 30, 2012

The following story
<http://www.osagenews.org/article/osage-transgender-running-osage-congress-shares-her-story>
and photo were originally published at Osage News
<http://www.osagenews.org/> on May 4.

[Photo Caption: Jozi Tall Chief is the first admitted transgender/intersex

Osage to run for Osage office Photo URLs: http://bit.ly/KrKiXx and

Jozi Tall Chief is making history as the first admitted
intersex/transgender to run for a seat in the Osage Nation government.

"I am the first intersex/transgender candidate in our tribe and I am
making history by not only drawing attention to our tribe and issues,"
said Tall Chief, "But we are enlightening our people to the old
tradition, which we call today 'Two-Spirit.'"

Growing up

Tall Chief always felt in her heart that she was a woman but for the
first 25 years of her life she lived as Alex Joseph Tall Chief V.

Tall Chief was born intersex, or as she puts it a "birth defect."
Intersex means Tall Chief was born with a reproductive or sexual
anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definition of female or
male.

"People around here think I was born a male and one day woke up and
decided to wear women's clothes but that isn't the case," Tall Chief
said.

After she was born her parents took her to the doctor who told them to
raise Tall Chief as a male.

Tall Chief said she tried to be what her parents wanted her to be but
she knew she was different. And her parents ridiculed her for it.

Luckily she had her grandparents Alex Tall Chief III and Juanita
Roanhorse Tall Chief who loved her unconditionally.

"My grandparents were more in tune to the old traditional ways and
believed you love someone no matter what," Tall Chief said. "Also
having a big family helped."

When Tall Chief was 25, she was watching the Joan Rivers' TV show and
Rivers special guest was Caroline "Tula" Cossey, a transgender model.
Tula had an intersex condition known as Klinefelter's syndrome – where
instead of having the XY male chromosome pattern, she possessed the
genotype XXY.

The explanation of Tula's condition opened Tall Chief's eyes since she
had never been educated on her condition. Tall Chief slowly began
being herself and started dressing like a woman.

"It was scary at first but I was willing to fight since I had fought
my entire life to be me," Tall Chief said. "And after I began dressing
like a woman I started blazing a trail for others and now I am blazing
a trail to be the first transgender candidate."

She supports gay men and lesbians but doesn't see herself as either.

"I never felt in my head or heart that I was either one of those – I
guess you could say I am a different bird."

Tall Chief has now been living as a female for nearly 25 years.

Taking a Stand

Tall Chief is trying to make a stand for herself and others because
she feels the tribe is moving backward and it is time to move forward
and join the rest of the world.

"What I have is a birth defect and it shouldn't make or break
someone," she said. "Everyone has a cross to bear but no matter what
we have to bear we should have the right to stand up for our people
and ourselves and make a difference, or at least try."

Tall Chief believes that her condition, along with two-spirited, gay,
lesbian and bi-sexual people, have not been accepted or talked about
in the Osage community.

"It hasn't been accepted and I think that is why people think things
of me and others hide who they really are."

Tall Chief said things are not just black and white; there are shades
of grey too.

She admits that she isn't running because she is transgender or
supports the LGBT community, she is running because she sincerely
cares about her Osage people.

Brittany Novotny, a transgender attorney in Oklahoma City is excited
to see that there are other transgender people in Oklahoma that are
paying attention to their local community.

"I'm glad she (Jozi) is letting herself get involved in her community
and not letting her transgender path stand in her way," Novotny said.

In 2010, Novotny became the first openly transgender political
candidate in Oklahoma history, running for the Oklahoma House District
84 seat. During her campaign Novotny made sure it wasn't overshadowed
by her personal story.

"I hope Jozi can do a balancing act between talking about who she is
openly and keeping a focus on what issues she is concerned about,"
Novotny said.

Running for Congress

Politics never did interest Tall Chief nor was it something she wanted
to pursue.

"I didn't want to fight with people, sling mud or step on anyone's
toes and I felt there was better-educated people out there," Tall
Chief said. "And of course my transgenderism set me back."

But in the last 10 years, Tall Chief has had some concerns and thought
about running. But it still didn't appeal to her but her
great-great-great-grandpa Peter Big Heart quickly changed her mind.

"Just before my grandmother died in 2008 my grandpa Big Heart came to
me in a dream and told me I had to show the people the way to go,"
Tall Chief said. "I was like 'that isn't me I don't have the desire to
be a leader' and he said 'we aren't asking you we are telling you to
be a leader.'"

Four years later, Tall Chief decided to put her name in the running
for the Third Osage Nation Congress.

"When I first went to file at the Election Office I thought 'boy they
(other candidates) are going to rip me to shreds and it almost made me
turn around and go home," Tall Chief said. "But then I talked to my
neighbor and she said 'you've been ripped to shreds your whole life
and at least now it is for a good cause.'"

She admits no one has said anything to her face yet but is expecting
it once the election draws closer.

However, she hopes that once people get to know her they will realize
she is just like anyone else.

Her grandmother Juanita Roanhorse Tall Chief taught her everything she
knows. She taught her Osage words and instilled a lot of values in her
and she wants to share those with the people.

"I feel like the old ones (ancestors) and Wah Kon Tah (God) are
watching over me and guiding me," she said. "I feel like they are
pushing me and I know it might sound crazy to people."

She admits that even though she doesn't have a degree she does have a
lot of experience in the real world and living in Osage County her
whole life.

"Her heart is in the right place and so is her head," said Stephanie
Erwin, Osage.

Erwin is a friend of Tall Chief and believes she has a lot to offer
the Osage people. She said she has visited with Tall Chief at great
lengths about issues within the tribe.

"I believe everyone has something to bring to the table," Erwin said.
"Jozi knows the issues and I think she would be a great congress
person."

Tall Chief said she is an "open book" and if anyone wants to share
their concerns or ask her questions she is more than willing to talk
with them.

"It doesn't matter what you classify me as I still have the love for
my Osage people," Tall Chief said. "And the most important thing is
what is between my ears rather than any other part of my anatomy."

---

About the Author
Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan
Features and Multimedia Reporter

Ramon-Sauberan worked as a freelance reporter for Indian Country Today
Media Network for more than two years. She was also a freelance reporter
for Patch.com, a hyper-local newspaper in the Seattle-Tacoma area and
reznetnews.org, an online newspaper covering topics in Indian Country.
She's had internships at The Daily Times in Farmington, N.M., the St.
Cloud Times in St. Cloud, M.N., Wick Communications in Green Valley,
A.Z., and Patch.com in Washington State. She is a graduate of the
American Indian Journalism Institute and The New York Times Student
Journalism Institute.

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Date: Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:31 pm
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