Lauren Fukumoto
Professor Raymond Smith
Race and Ethnicity in American Politics
April 21, 2015
Title: Changing attitudes among Native Americans over LGBT rights
Keywords: Native American, LGBT Rights, Two-spirit, European colonization, samesex marriage
Description: Native American tribes, before the arrival of European colonists, had
immense respect for LGBT individuals because the Native Americans considered
LGBT people spiritually gifted. This attitude reversed after European colonization
but is slowly changing back to a spirit of tolerance and respect for LGBT people.
Key Points:
 Before colonization Native Americans respected and praised LGBT people.
 LGBT people were ostracized and critiqued by Native Americans later on as a
result of European colonization bringing European ideas of gender norms
and sexuality.
 Today, some Native American tribes still respect LGBT rights and have
granted marriage licenses to people on Indian reservations even though
same-sex marriage is banned in that state.
 Several prominent members of the Native American community are making
strides for the LGBT community.
 The majority of Indian reservations and tribes today do not support samesex marriage although this attitude is gradually changing alongside the
sentiments of the rest of the United States
Images:
Two-Spirit Man. Digital image. PBS. N.p., 20 May 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/two-spirits/film.html>.
Graph of Colonial Criminalization of Homosexual Conduct. Digital image.The
Washington Post. N.p., 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/10/30/thebritish-colonial-origins-of-anti-gay-laws/>.
Rothschild, Tama. Dr. Paula Gunn Allen. Digital image. The Washington Post. N.p., 15
July 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://amerinda.org/newsletter/113/gunnallen.htm>.
Brief: Although Native Americans and LGBT rights are not generally thought of as
having a correlating relationship in the modern world, the Native Americans’
respect and reverence for LGBT rights stems from their rich culture and traditions.
Remnants of that respect can persist in today’s society as well.
In most Native American cultures before colonialism, gay, lesbian, or
androgynous people were known as “two-spirit” people. This comes from the idea
that these specific types of people have both male and female spirits inside of them.
Consequently, these “two-spirit” people were praised for their spiritual gifts and
were often some of the most highly respected people in each tribe. These “twospirit” people were often shaman or even tribal leaders. The few that were not
leaders, were integrated normally into tribal life and often had gay spouses
(Williams). For example, if a “two-spirit” person was biologically male but had
feminine attributes, then he would most likely contribute to the tribe with farming
and weaving similar to the women (Giago). Because households needed both
farmers and hunters to create a successful self-sustaining household, that “twospirit” male would often marry a masculine male, and this homosexual relationship
was considered common and even normal in Native American cultures before
European intervention.
After European settlers brought Christianity to the Native Americans, many
two-spirit people were forced to conform to gender roles and were disrespected and
attacked by the European colonists. Furthermore, after marriage laws and sodomy
laws in the 20th century were enacted, it became illegal to be a two-spirit person.
Consequently, the cultural tradition of respecting and accepting “two-spirit” or gay
people within the Native American tribes gradually died down.
However, today, after the American Indian Movement (AIM) of the 1960s and
the current LGBT movement, attitudes on Indian reservations about LGBT rights are
changing. For example, on October 31 in Oklahoma, Jason Pickel and Darren Black
Bear were married after being granted a wedding license by the Cheyenne and
Arapaho Tribes. The only stipulation to the tribal marriage laws were that both
spouses “must be of American Indian descent and one must be a member of the
tribe and live within its jurisdiction” (TIME). The gender of each spouse is not
mentioned and Pickel and Black Bear were the 3rd couple to be legally married due
to tribal affiliations in a state where same-sex marriage is banned. However, The
Cheyenne Arapaho Tribe is only one of 7 tribes that allows for same sex marriage.
The other 559 federally-recognized tribes, including the two largest—the Cherokee
and Navajo tribes—do not allow for same-sex marriage. This reflects the remnants
of the Christian ideals that were instilled in the tribes during the times of
colonization.
Other than being a small resource for marriages, several Native American
people in modern society are prominent for their roles in advocating for LGBT
rights. Jack C. Jackson, Jr., a gay politician of the Navajo tribe, is an Arizona state
senator who was appointed by both President Clinton and the Obama
administration to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He has also served
on the board of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center. Another
politician, Susan Allen was the first Native American woman elected to Minnesota
legislature, and as both a politician and lesbian activist, has dedicated herself to
helping Minnesota legalize gay marriage. Most prominent, the late Paula Gunn Allen
was an author and one of the most infamous Native lesbian activists. She wrote
several books on being a lesbian in the Native American community and on the
importance of women in Native American cultures before the instillation of the
European patriarchal society (Advocate.com).
Although not all Native American tribes and people today are as accepting of
LGBT rights as it seems they were in the past, there is a general movement alongside
the rest of the country towards cultivating respect for same-sex marriage and the
acceptance of LGBT people.
Works Cited:
"Eight LGBT Native Americans You Should Know." Advocate.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Apr. 2015. <http://www.advocate.com/politics/2012/11/23/eight-lgbt
native-americans-you-should-know?page=0%2C3>.
Giago, Tim. "Native Americans and Homosexuality." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-giago/native-americans-andhomosexuality_b_2267967.html>.
TIME. "A Gay Marriage Loophole for Native Americans | TIME.com." US A Gay
Marriage
Loophole for Native Americans Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://nation.time.com/2013/11/01/a-gay-marriage-loophole-for-native
americans/>.
Williams, Walter L. "The 'two-spirit' People of Indigenous North Americans." The
Guardian. N.p., 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fmusic%2F2010%2Foct%2F1
1%2Ftwo-spirit-people-north-america>.
Relevant Websties:
Native Out: www.nativeout.com
Fredom to Marry: http://www.freedomtomarry.org/communities/entry/c/nativeamericans
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation: http://www.glaad.org/tags/nativeamerican
Red Circle Project: http://redcircleproject.org/
National Native American Aids Prevention Center: http://www.nnaapc.org/