Two Spirit Culture and Bisexuality

Published on by Bi-Ed: Bisexual Education

I love the term Two Spirit which was first introduced by Ojibwa elder Myra Laramee in 1990. The term which came to her during a dream meant someone who holds both feminine and masculine energy or spirit. Even though it has been accepted as strictly an indigenous term, I can’t help but identify with the thoughts and feelings with which it is associated. Perhaps it is my Western French-Canadian background where many of us can claim an indigenous grandmother or great-grandmother or perhaps this just resonates with the nonbinary dual-gender nature many of us bottom-types have. Personally, I like the term because it not only deals with sexuality, but includes the combined male-female sexuality, gender, and spirit that is akin to many of us bisexuals. It is this spiritual sense of my bisexuality that I have learned to live with and eventually have come to accept and love.

The term is relatively new, but Two Spirit people have been part of the North American indigenous communities for centuries. They have been documented in over one hundred and thirty tribes in every region of North America. Two Spirit usually indicated persons recognized as neither men nor women but whose bodies simultaneously housed a masculine and a feminine energy or spirit. From the indigenous perspective, the term involved understanding of gender roles in daily functions. This included wearing various clothing, doing specific works, and fulfilling specific community roles. They were called upon for spiritual practices including being healers and medical practitioners, being keepers of oral traditions and songs, and giving names. They may have had special functions in sun dances or other religious ceremonies. They could be caregivers or parents to orphaned children.

Traditionally, sexual and gender diversity was an everyday aspect of life, but after European colonization the Two Spirit people in their communities were viewed as being perverted and were often humiliated and shamed. In recent times the Two Spirit ideology has been revived to counter negative attitudes. However, life can still be difficult for many Two Spirit people until they come to terms with the dual sexuality and dual gender nature. This includes loss of cultural identity, alienation from family and friends, and problems with coming out. Like many of us in the bisexual world they may be prone to drug and alcohol abuse. They may suffer from depression, sex addiction, and other mental health issues related to trauma. The results are often tragic. In an Urban sample in the United States, gay, bisexual, and Two Spirit men were more likely to be physically abused. Forty-five percent reported sexual abuse or assault compared to two percent in the general population.

Two Spirit women also may face extreme stigma regarding their sexual orientation. They are subject to racism from the wider society and from other sexual minorities. In a recent study of Two Spirit women, seventy-eight percent had been physically assaulted and eighty-five percent were sexually assaulted. This is four times higher than the general population. Most experienced abuse by multiple perpetrators, including family members, acquaintances, and strangers. Assimilation into white lesbian culture often caused disconnection from their indigenous relatives and communities.

In some articles that I have read, it has been decided to adopt the practice of placing ‘2S’ for ‘Two Spirit’ at the beginning of ‘2SLGBTQ’ to acknowledge that Two Spirit indigenous people were the first sexual and gender minority people in North America. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with them in this period of truth and reconciliation in Canada. It may also be a good motivation for us to take a good look at the indigenous communities in the pre-white era as a model for change in how we view bisexuality and other people in the nonbinary communities. It’s a good beginning, but like in so many technical solutions real change has to be on the personal level.

So how can we be helpful as a friend or partner? We can develop connections with them in our communities. As bisexuals we may find that we have so much in common that we can become good friends. We can be good listeners. We avoid judgmental comments and unsolicited advice. We ask how we can be helpful and respect their decisions even though they may be different from the ones we would choose. Above all we can show love and respect. These are special people just as we all are special people. We have so much in common. Most of us bisexuals are Two Spirit in heart.

One of the reasons I have written this article after a long absence on this site is to let you know that my wife has written an excellent romantic novel involving bisexuality with a Two Spirit man as one of the main characters. He is a medical doctor whose wife divorced him when she found out he was bisexual. He never stops loving her even though he is married to another man. Would she be open to a menage-a-trois? Daring Decisions by Dorothea L. Gordon is a delightful read. It can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.ca/Daring-Decisions-Dorothea-L-Gordon/dp/B0C87VXZHH

  • Ross, L. E., Gibson, M. F., Daley, A., Steele, L. S., & Williams, C. C. (2018). In spite of the system: A mixed methods analysis of mental health service experiences of LGBTQ people living in poverty in Ontario, Canada.PLoS ONE, 13(8),e0201437. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201437

Leave a comment