It's a First Nations concept. A two-spirit person is one with both masculine and feminine spirit energies. Historically, often associated with a shamanic role. It was/is a celebrated position in native communities.

A First Nations person is welcome to correct this analysis. It is my understanding from an American friend, who is a masculine-identified lesbian with some native background (mixed with Mormon - very interesting, but that's another story).

It is representative of a unique or eunuch person of balanced persona ... as viewed upon by republican tendancies ... evil ... too much co-operation and not enough dissonance to cause a fog around what the higher ups were doing to scrooge the common folk of the realm!

We call it smoke and mire Ayres today ... no clear whetted Eire ...

Everything is to bi purely scrooged ... until flat out and illiterate ... the Roman dream ...of Pall ... smoke af a burning passion of Nero attempting to get out from an impossible situation ... without thought ... as a thinking man is considered evil! Such networking is strongly suggestive of co-opted desires .. subliminal activity!

Gotta L'uv the devil as an alien thought ...

2 Spirit is a term that I like. It is one I commonly use when I know people have been exposed to the term and when I speak to First Nations and Metis people.

My personal reasons-
a) it places the GLBTQ community back in time, not some free love 1970's invention but something people on this land, on all lands, knew before the word homosexual, before Europeans arrived.
b) it is a word that fits. Am I a lesbian? Am I straight? What is my gender? Both. Neither.
c) it acknowledges gender is not binary and not only includes GLBTQ but also "other gendered" and "third/fourth gendered" and " those who walk between the world and between the genders"
d) it is a term that has often not been mired in the same stuff as the other words, it says no to shame...there was pride and respect... not demeaning and abusing.
e) it values aboriginal peoples and their values and spirituality rather than devalues
f) in my experience, people can benefit from the reflection on another culture and their views on things.
g)racism and homophobia are a double whammy for some
h) what I most admire... the 2Spirit tears down barriers and divisions in the Aboriginal community. It means lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people are united. One can see division and even intolerance in the GLBT community. Things like "real women only" and some gays and lesbians have a real problem with bisexuality and trans people.

So, there are my why's but the biggest one is that it is a term Aboriginals use and we already have devalued them and their culture, spirituality, beilefs... enough.

SG, do you know if 2 Spirited people exist today in the same way they existed historically?  Or has the role/definition changed significantly since then for all of those who would consider themselves to be 2 Spirited?

Is this a test that highlights a person's impatience? It is slow posting, you click again and then BUSTED with 2 posts.

chemgal,

Europeans in North America felt a need to change First Nations peoples spirituality, language, culture.... including their thoughts on 2 Spirit peoples. Sadly, in many places it succeeded. They became homophobic, they judged, they condemned....

As First Nations people seek to restore their language, culture, spirituality... they may also embrace 2 Spirits or struggle between the two cultures.

In other cultures, the same has happened or there was not such a wiping out of this "between gender" or "other gender" or moving to another gender. There are places peoples were valued and then devalued or where they always simply were.

There are the Muxe in Mexico.

The Bugis have 5 genders.
 

Somoans have the fa'afafine.

Tongans have the fakaleiti.

Hawaiians have the Malu.

There are hijaris, kathoey....

Some names are used with pride, otehrs deragatory and some both....

Some people have modern creations in response to Western construction of sexuality, gender and identity expression.

Some cultures gender swap for reasons like inheritance, no sons.... Albania, Bacha Posh

"Zwei Selen wohnen, ach, in meiner Brust!"

(Alas, two spirits reside in me!)

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Equally? Can one have both spirit energies but have more feminine than masculine (or the reverse)?

Isn't every woman at least a bit masculine?

Isn't every man at least a bit feminine?

MC Jae

I do not believe it is equal in 2 Spirits any more than it is in anyone else. I believe 2 Spirit people may embrace that aspect of self, may reject binary gender concepts...I do not think 2 Spirit means 50-50 by any means.

We can use your examples a starting point that gender(as a concept) is not binary. It is a spectrum... as well as that "gender roles" are bunk.

Can anima show the animus ID?

Naked beut ... or just unique SHOE ... both as 's are cracked ...

Not knowing that Elijah and Elisha or just black and white figments of des ole indi jin-nous thing ...

You wouldn't know until pude 'n the wholly thig together as a fabric ... o'men in black under the power of the coven ... that' occult or poorly understodd by those that don't like the awareness of love in hateful surroundings easy kilt ...