NorthEast Two-Spirit Society

Be In A Music Video

The Next Gay Superstar, aka Roger Kuhn, will be shooting his first music video for  "What's Your Name?" The first big hit off his album Proof. He is looking for Extras. (You know, people in the background doing what people in everyday situations do. Shopping, walking, talking, pow wow dancing! Well maybe not he latter, but be ready to act!) If you are interested in this NYC based shoot please give him a shout. It should be a lot of fun. Plus, who knows where it'll go? TV? Film festivals?

Roger's E-mail

Say What?! Houston's Mayor Pro Tem Makes Anti-Native American Remarks

Houston's Mayor Pro Tem member and City Council Member Michael Berry insulted American Indian community during his talk show on slavery and Indians on KPRC Radio 950. The American Indian Genocide Museum in Houston urges others to respond.

Houston's Berry said:

"We need to stop wasting all this time and energy apologizing to the American Indian, which we continue to do ... We give them casinos, we give them special licenses, we give them special scholarships and why I don't understand ..."

" We conquered them, that's history - Hello "

" You got to be against giving welfare to the American Indians because of the fact , that 200 years ago they were whipped in a war.  Lets just call it what it is, they lost a war."

His website: www.michaelberry.com

Email him here.

Listen to his tirade here.

Taken from Racism: Houston Mayor Insults Native Americans

OUTRAGE: This Is Racism; Take Action

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:

Please forward to our community

The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society (www.NE2SS.org) wants to bring to everyone's attention a reprehensible video project produced by a group called "The Highly Defective People."

The video series, which our group finds highly racist, is entitled "Native American Apparel." It is apparently a parody of the highly successful commercial enterprise of "American Apparel." We fail to see the connection. The cast portrays the worst kind of stereotypes equal to Blackface. They use iconography that perverts traditional regalia and sacred culture symbols from our ancient and diverse cultures. They portray Native Americans as overtly sexual and as "kiddie porn." The introductory text is the most racist prose we have seen in a long time:

Native American Apparel is a trail of tears-, blood-, and sweatlodge-free pre-teen sex between consenting intergenerational entrepreneurs. All of our manufacturing is done in our 350-square-foot studio facility in Manhattan by a team of Indians named Bear who lost their casino jobs for masturbating in front of the reporter that was interviewing them.

How to proceed is tricky. Obviously this group wants the most amount of press they can get off of this series. Therefore, we suggest staying away from media outlets and simply silencing their voice, or writing a letter directly to them and let them know you are taking action to remove their videos from YouTube.com. (If you can find a way to contact them.) The best way to stick it to them is to get their content taken off YouTube.com.

How to get their content taken off?

1. Flag their videos as inappropriate. Click on each VIDEO link below and if you deem it "inappropriate" – then flag it as such,
2. Write a letter to YouTube asking for all of Highly Defective People's videos to be taken off the site. When writing the letter, source:
   You Tube Terms of Service (5. C.) In connection with User Submissions, you further agree that you will not:... (iii) submit material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, violate any law, or is otherwise inappropriate; (iv) post advertisements or solicitations of business, and/or
3. Write a letter to Google (who owns YouTube.com) requesting for the same action to be taken.

We thank you for taking a stand against racism.

(Below are the links to the five videos in the Native American Apparel series.)

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Casino Comes to NE2SS Backyard?

NorthEast Two-Spirit Society might have to have their socials at the all you can eat buffet...

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has approved plans for a $600 million Las Vegas-style casino in the Catskill Mountains for the St. Regis Mohawk tribe and agreed to lead the effort to gain federal approval. His decision is the biggest leap yet in a 30-year struggle to bring gambling to the faded resort area.

Hopefully there will be a provision for some of that casino money to go to other Native organizations in New York State, like us or the American Indian Community House?

Check out the rest of the article here.

LGBT Organization in London Appropriates 'Navajo' Angering Navajo Nation; Cultural Appropriation Runs Rampant

An LGBT group in the UK is giving out Navajo Charter Mark awards to businesses who are gay friendly-angering the Navajo Nation.

The group, calling itself rather boadly 'Navajo', named its award that based on well documented evidence of the Navajo's historical practice of what we would today refer to as alternative sexualities or third and fourth genders.

There are two problems that should be noted here. The Navajo Nation responded to the group saying that they were offended their Nation would be used to promote anything gay. (Their courts recently denied gay marriage on reservation lands.) Even though there are numerous out and gay members of the Navajo Nation, a few, even, belonging to NE2SS. The other problem, is that all too often do non-Native people culturally appropriate the use of Native American sayings, ideals, practices, traditions, sacred ceremonies, etc. Ever heard of 7th Generation Cleaning Supplies? Here is an example of a non-Native company appropriating the tenet of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy who responsibly considered 7 generations ahead when mulling a decision. The list goes on and on.

Source: NativeOut
and Pink News

Canada's Next Top Model: Featuring Native Diva!

As a fanatic of America's Next Top Model, I was overjoyed when I found out there was a Canada's Next Top Model. Guess what? They even have a Native girl! Watch Dawn turn it out in this first episode of Canada's Next Top Model? Wanna be on TOP???!

Top 3 Reasons Dream Keeper Potluck Was A Success

1. Navajo Frybread so magical it could walk on water...
2. 7 Two-Spirits, 3 kinds of pies...
3. A great movie that won rave reviews...

Saturday Oct. 14th @ 7pm Indian-time, 7 two-spirits got together to watch Hallmark Film's Dreamkeeper. Everyone loved the movie and enjoyed Othell's recipe for Navajo frybread even more. Thanks to all who came and brought food. See you at the next event!

Is There A Rift Between White "Two-Spirits" and Native Two-Spirits? A Reader Weighs In

NE2SS ran a post on Bo Young's work to promote the Two-Spirit movement. Read the whole text here.

A reader,nehi katawasisiw, pipikisis cree nation, commented to this quote:

Young insists that from a gay and lesbian point of view, there is a "prima facie racism" in saying that people can't do this because they are white. He finds it distressing that spirituality is something that strengthens individuals and communities, yet there are Native American Two-Spirits, "who would deny gay brothers and sisters access to a history, to a tradition that would empower us all." By some accounts, Young would fall into the "Non-Native" category.

with a letter addressed to Bo Young...

Tansi,

Perhaps the source of the rift of which you write comes from the fact that white people are, through treating Two Spirit traditions as up for grabs, trying to claim a culturally specific tradition and history surrounding spirituality & sexuality (i.e.: two spirit) as their own (that is, to colonize it) when it is not.

Two Spirit is not simply an indicator of "sexual orientation"; it is not an umbrella term---it has as much specificity and particularity as Cree, Saulteaux, Asini-pwat, Dine, Innu, Salish, Spokane, Tohono O'odham, et al all do. All of which contain their own discrete identities, separate from European identities.

more

I Spy Subversive Racism?

Is There A Rift Between White "Two-Spirits" and Native Two-Spirits

Bo Young is an accomplished author and educator of Two-Spirit traditions. He is writing the biography of Clyde Hall, Shoshone-Bannock elder. He was also much aquainted with Harry Hay "father of the modern gay rights movement. However, Young is not Native  and finds a fair amount of resistance from Native Two-Spirits:

Unfortunately, although Two-Spirit traditions have survived and still seem to be evolving, there is a perceived rift between the Native and Non-Native Two-Spirit camps. The June 1997 Pride Issue of Village Voice features an article by F. Thomas Edwards, which argues a separatist vision, demanding "a safe space" for Native American Two-Spirits to assemble free from white "imperialistic control freaks."