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