Simon Fraser University Sociology and Anthropology

Sofia Vitalis writes on the Impact of Settler Hetero Normativity on the Two Spirit and the Journey to Revitalizing Non-Binary Gender Roles.

Excerpt

The effects of colonialism have drastically changed the way in which indigenous communities relate to, and perform gender. In this essay I will explore the way gender existed pre contact through knowledge from the past and also through examples where groups have resisted assimilation into colonial perspectives on gender and gender roles. I will explore the challenges that come with allowing for the homogenization of two spirit identity, and the reasons for a diverse group of indigenous queer people to come together with a more or less common goal. I will also go into further depth about the barriers that two spirit people face to draw a clearer picture of the importance of the movement of advocacy and awareness. This movement includes marginalization and oppression that may cause an intersectionality where poverty and discrimination have lead to issues of marginalization. I will discuss movements and conversations that have elicited forms of solidarity and
fluidarity (Nelson). The two spirit people have a rich history, but are not left in the past. In this paper I will explore both the current narrative and the past stories from where that narrative was born and from where it has resurged.

Click here to view the full original document on the Academia website: The Impact of Settler Hetero Normativity on the Two Spirit and the Journey to Revitalizing Non-Binary Gender Roles