It Gets Better CanadaIt Gets Better CanadaFor me to speak about the history and understanding of identifying as “Two-Spirit” is to only speak from the heart of my own personal story, along with recognizing and honouring the Indigenous relatives before me who made it possible for this knowledge to continue being passed down to future generations.
Due to my family’s deep impacts from intergenerational trauma and colonization, there was a huge disconnection from any cultural knowledge along with our community altogether, making my journey with understanding my identity extremely difficult to navigate on top of going through difficult situations.
When I was younger, my mom used to pick my outfits for school and I never liked how “girly” they always were, it wasn’t until I wanted to express myself more freely whenever I pleased, that I asked to do it myself which sparked the connection to both the feminine and masculine energies I’ve always walked within.
Between the confusion of questioning my sexuality for many years and the fear of rejection from my family over how I chose to identify, it was a constant internal battle trying to figure out where I fit in, which was usually outside lines.
@itgetsbettercanada e="backtoschool" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/backtoschool?refer=embed">#BackToSchool #BTS #Gender #TwoSpirit #Indigenous #Pronouns #Students #Teachers #2SLGBTQ #Queer #Advice #Allyship #Explore #2spirit ♬ original sound - It Gets Better Canada
I never liked conforming to society’s stereotypes or labels. I felt like none of them fully resonated with me. However, I still restricted myself the ability to freely express who I was by forcing myself to be what society wanted until I began the journey of reconnecting to culture and community. I didn’t cross paths with the term until 2020, which was during the pandemic when awareness for Two-Spirit individuals became more prominent on social media and in the LGBTQ+ communities. Once I began listening to other Two-Spirit individuals share their experiences, I felt I’d finally found something that resonated with me in every aspect of life by embracing who I am and not just a label for my identity that society conforms me within.
Before colonization, the traditional roles of men and women within our cultures were held equally and highly amongst each other, especially Two-Spirit individuals, who have been highly celebrated throughout history for their sacred and important roles of walking in both worlds within their Indigenous communities.
It’s important to remember that not every LGBTQ+ identifying Indigenous person will identify with the term “Two-Spirit”, as it’s not interchangeable with being queer and being Indigenous. To be Two-Spirit is to be Indigenous and a representation of decolonizing our identities, reviving traditions, and reclaiming our cultures.
Navigating the journey of reconnecting to your cultural heritage and identifying as Two-Spirit can be difficult and uplifting too, especially as a youth who may not have access to support or cultural knowledge, just like I was and sometimes still am. The best piece of advice I could give anyone on this journey is to utilize the Two-Spirit individuals sharing their stories, experiences, and the obstacles faced while navigating their own identities when you are questioning yourself and your understanding. Every individual has their own definition and meaning of how they choose to identify, but when you listen to others share their journey, sometimes it teaches us things about ourselves and the way we’ve felt in certain situations throughout life which can give us guidance.
Always remember, as you’re on this journey and begin sharing your identity with non-Indigenous people, there will be questions about what the term means and that doesn’t make you obligated to explain your personal reasoning if you aren’t comfortable doing so.
With that said, the importance of being supportive allies for Two-Spirit youth and the community is critical to the navigation of their journeys and building more awareness for the term without those individuals always having to explain themselves or the issues our communities face. The best advice I could give to allies trying to navigate supporting Two-Spirit youth and the community is to:
Take the time to educate yourself as an ally about the term, the history of the Indigenous communities around you, and the systemic issues still faced today.
Always speak up and use your voice, whether it be challenging the stereotypes around you or educating others.
Make it a priority to find or create inclusive spaces for Two-Spirit youth to feel safe with you and their environment because there is not enough, and we can’t do it alone!
The reclamation of identifying as Two-Spirit within many Indigenous communities and individuals apart of the LGBTQ+ communities is not just about the decolonization of their identities or their worldviews, but also an act of Truth and Reconciliation by non-indigenous communities towards the constant erasure of our traditions, cultural practices, and Indigeneity. It is important to take this action, educate yourself or others, and remember that allyship goes beyond just wearing an orange shirt on September 30th, but requires support all year round.
Trinity Antone (She/They) is 21 years old and a proud mixed Two-Spirit Haudenosaunee woman from Oneida Nation of the Thames, Ontario and Malta, an island in Southern Europe, but was born and raised in Southwest Ontario. Trinity works as a Multidisciplinary Artist, Content Creator, Model, and Indigenous Youth Advocate. After taking her cultural reconnection journey and advocacy to social media during the start of COVID-19, her platform unexpectedly grew into a relatable and inclusive space for over 17K+ users on TikTok, where many other folks began sharing their similar or exact experiences in the comments of her videos. Trinity’s advocacy is centred around MMIW awareness, effects of intergenerational trauma, mental health & addiction awareness, and breaking social stigmas/stereotypes towards mixed-Indigenous folks.
