The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society

Welcome to NE2SS' website devoted to providing information about and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and two-spirit American Indians of New York City and the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.) We invite all two-spirit people and their allies to attend our social/business meetings held every month at the LGBT Center (208 West 13th Street, NY, NY) on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.

What is a two-spirit? In crude terms, it is a LGBT Indian. For a more refined definition, here’s an historical perspective:

In many American Indian traditions, there were individuals, who entered into same-sex relationships, who were considered holy and treated with the highest respect and acceptance. They were the historians, the healers, and people of empowerment. They possessed a delicate balance of male and female "spirits", were often honored for being unique and having a different spiritual calling. One of the important functions they provided was as mediators between the spirit world and physical world.

The mission of NorthEast Two-Spirit Society is:

• To educate the LGBT and non-LGBT communities regarding indigenous and Two-Spirit histories and traditions;
• To ensure community cohesion amongst the NorthEast Two-Spirit people through the promotion of health and spiritual well-being by sharing our traditions with one another;
• To outreach, build alliances and coalitions with other community based organizations to increase the visibility of the Two-Spirit community to ensure the Two-Spirit community's needs and concerns are being addressed.

Comments

[David]

I just want to congratulate you on your vision and dedication in creating this society. Several months ago, I read Brian Gilley's book, which gave me a deeper appreciation of both the challenges and the spiritual heritage of Native American gay men. It has greatly illuminated and deepened my self-understanding as well.

-- David