No Peace, Only Wrath; June 2 2021
Last year – June 6, 2020 – I made a post about Black LGBTQ+ organizations you could support, and people have reached out to me since then offering me even more resources. Black Lives Matter and will always matter, so in the spirit of that, I also have an amazing link (courtesy of Natalie Jenning) offering insight and ways to get involved in the BLM movement.
Given recent Canadian news, though, I wanted to do some more research along the same vein as last year. If you weren’t made aware, the bodies of 215 Indigenous children were found near a Residential School in Kamloops with very little fanfare from the Canadian government. People all over Canada are dismayed, but the horrifying treatment of Indigenous people is hardly anything new.
So, this week I started looking for Indigenous LGBTQ+ support programs, resources, or organizations, and have found the following. Please note a lot of these are Canadian, since that’s where I’m from and where I centered my search!
2 Spirit Collective: UNYA's 2-Spirit Collective provides support, resources, and programming for Indigenous youth, ages 15 to 30, who identify as 2-spirit or LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, along with many other identities), and for those who are questioning their sexual or gender identities.
2 Spirits in Motion (2SiM): 2 Spirits in Motion is a national non-profit organization that hosts national forums for the Two-Spirit community.
Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS): BAAITS exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people.
The Brown Boi Project: A community of masculine of center womyn, men, two-spirit people, transmen, and our allies committed to changing the way that communities of color talk about gender.
Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN): CAAN provides a space for Indigenous folks to wholistically address HIV and AIDS, HCV, STBBIs, TB, Mental Health, aging and related co-morbidity issues.
CHEW Project: CHEW Project provides frontline support and opportunities for health and wellness for LGBTQ2S+ youth and young adults, including Indigenous peer support and mentoring.
Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society (Vancouver)
Edmonton 2 Spirit Society (website): A nonprofit organization serving folks in the Edmonton area.
The Enchanté Network: A membership-based organization that connects 2Spirit and LGBTQ+ communities across Canada.
House of Anansi: A group that creates and promotes events and spaces by the Queer Indigenous and Queer People of Colour community.
Manitoba Moonvoices Inc.: Manitoba Moon Voices Inc. (MMVI) is The Native Women’s Association of Canada’s (NWAC) Provincial Territorial Member Associate representing the interests of Indigenous women and gender diverse people of Manitoba.
Montana Two-Spirit Society: An advocate to educate the Montana LGBTQ community and general community about Two Spirit issues, histories and traditions. The organization hosts and attends LGBTQ and Two-Spirit gatherings.
Native Youth Sexual Health Network (Toronto)
Out On The Shelves Library (Vancouver): A non-profit community library built and cared for by volunteers, librarians, and librarians-in-training who are committed to anti-oppressive social justice work, particularly within the LGBTQIA2S+. Located on UBC campus.
Shades of Colour: Shades of Colour hosts meet-ups around the city for QTBIPOCs (Queer and Trans, Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) with the hope that this will help to affirm their experiences and identity and move towards strengthening healthy multi-generational relationships that are necessary.
Two-Spirited People of Manitoba
Two Spirits, One Voice (Egale Canada)
Urban Native Youth Association 2-spirit Collective (Vancouver)
Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance: Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance represents the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical well-being and interests of Two Spirits and Indigenous LGBTQ+ individuals and groups in Wabanaki Territory (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland/Labrador, Gaspé region of Quebec, and Maine (northern areas in Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Tribal territories).
If there are any I’ve missed, please drop a link in the comments!