Learning ModuleHow do Indigenous cultures honour queerness and gender diversity?

Gender difference, queerness, and identifying as "nonbinary" are often framed as modern concepts. However, in many traditional and often ancient Indigenous languages, there have always been specific terms for people whose gender can’t be defined as either fully male or female, or who were attracted to people of the same sex. The English umbrella term “Two-Spirit” was coined in 1990 to honour the wide variety of Indigenous individuals who embody both masculine and feminine spirits (or another form of gender/sexual uniqueness).

What might be the power in reclaiming traditional Indigenous labels for queer and gender nonbinary identities? How can a greater awareness of these terms help Two-Spirit people to feel seen and accepted? How does artistic expression like music and fashion help to revitalize or bring back Indigenous cultural traditions, and how does that art also contribute to current-day activism against homophobia and transphobia?

In this learning module, you will explore how many Indigenous cultures acknowledged and honoured queer and gender diverse peoples for countless generations and how reviving these traditions can help to strengthen the broader queer rights movement.

In languages introduced through colonization, such as English and French, speech has evolved to include more inclusive labels to represent diverse identities. Terms such as gender non-binary (or NB/enby) in English, or neutral personal pronouns like iel/iels in French, are used to describe identities that do not fit within a strict male–female binary.

Before European colonization of what is now called North America, Indigenous Peoples across the continent known as Turtle Island used a variety of specific terms to describe:

• people whose gender was outside of a male-female binary
• who were attracted to people of the same sex

Research has shown historical references to same-sex attraction and gender diversity in 88 out of the 99 Indigenous Nations studied.

Many of the traditional Indigenous terms for gender diversity contrast sharply with Western colonial views on the gender binary. While most Western colonial societies enforced a gendered hierarchy based on their understanding of a male-female binary, many Indigenous Nations recognized three or four distinct genders with fluid responsibilities. The meaning of these traditional terms highlights how these societies prioritize social and spiritual roles over biological sex.

Although the English umbrella term Two-Spirit has a relatively modern usage, the existing 130 terms in various ancient Indigenous languages reflect how gender identities or sexual orientations have existed throughout history and continue to exist outside Western, heteronormative gender binaries.

The following list includes some examples of Indigenous terms and their meanings related to queer and gender‑diverse individuals. Consider how some of these historical terms describe a person’s roles and responsibilities rather than just their sexual orientation.

While there is significant diversity in terminology across Indigenous languages, the roles of individuals vary depending on the community they belong to.  In some cases, some Nations may not have acknowledged the existence of queerness and transness.

However, many others had accepted and even exalted these individuals as healers, teachers, caregivers, and visionaries. Often holding such significant positions of power and leadership, Two-Spirit individuals were and continue to be considered an essential component to having a balanced community.

The contemporary term Two-Spirit was first introduced at the 3rd North American Native Gay & Lesbian Gathering in 1990, held in Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre conference in Manitoba. The new English umbrella term helped to create shared language for Indigenous gender and sexual diversity and strengthened connections among activists and community members across North America.

This specific intersection of gender and cultural identities has been the focal point of many contemporary advocacy efforts against homophobia, transphobia, and colonial racism.

Intersectionality is a way of understanding how various parts of a person’s identity, like race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, or faith can overlap and affect their experiences. For Two-Spirit folks, their intersectional identity is informed by their gender identity and ethnic/cultural background.

Many Two-Spirit individuals have adopted the hybrid term Indigiqueer to express personal identities as well as the makeup of their communities and focal point of their activism. 

The act of reclaiming language that predates colonization and its introduction of heteronormative gender binaries helps activists with a shared vision to:

• shift the narrative of gender diversity from a form of deviance (colonial perspective) to sacred tradition (Indigenous-inclusive perspective)
• bridge the gap between Indigenous movements and the broader queer rights movement, ensuring that race and colonial history are part of the larger conversation

Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer advocacy serves as a powerful tool for decolonization, community healing, and even policy reform. For example, adopting modern acronyms like 2SLGBTQIA+, that place "2S" (Two-Spirit) first, can help to centre Indigenous perspectives in government action plans.

Reclaiming traditional labels for nonbinary gender identities can help to spread awareness of gender diversity as an historical reality. Historical records indicate that queer and gender‑diverse individuals in many Indigenous communities held important social, cultural, or spiritual roles, including those of healers, visionaries, and mediators. These histories can help inform contemporary discussions of leadership within Indigenous communities and broader queer rights movements as well.

Since the conference in 1990, the formalization of Two-Spirit as a term and label has helped to boost visibility and drive cultural revitalization efforts across Canada’s various First Nations and Indigenous communities.

Press the following tabs to explore examples of initiatives and organizations that advocate for the revitalization and visibility of Indigenous queer and Two-Spirit identities:

You explored a short list of initiatives and visibility efforts that have been established to support Two-Spirit individuals and communities in Canada and help drive the cultural revitalization of these traditional terms.

Using a search engine of your choice, conduct some independent research to learn more about the examples provided and to identify additional examples of similar organizations or initiatives seeking to support queer Indigenous communities on the local, regional or national level.

A longstanding, powerful method of advocacy is the creation of meaningful art with a message. Art – whether visual, musical, dramatic or design – can help to raise awareness about a topic or issue by communicating a message to audiences. Art can help to foster empathy by highlighting true stories and lived experience, disrupting common assumptions about communities or identities, and even creating an emotional effect that prompts direct action for social change.

Contemporary art has been an essential component of the contemporary Two-Spirit movement to reclaim pre-colonial identities, build visibility, and foster community healing.

Press the following tabs to explore a selection of established and emerging Indigenous artists who identify as Two-Spirit and incorporate the revitalization of this identity through their art and activism.

There are many more influential Two-Spirit artists to discover. These creators come from diverse Indigenous nations and backgrounds across Canada and beyond, each contributing uniquely to the arts, culture, and advocacy.

Use your preferred search engine to explore the following artists further.

• Haley Robinson is a Cree/Filipinx Two-Spirit actor, model, drag performer and activist who has built an enthusiastic fanbase on social media after sharing their journey of reconnecting back to their cultures and biological family members.

• Cris Derksen was a contemporary cellist with Cree and Mennonite heritage who challenged traditional norms in the classical music world by blending symphonic structures with modern electronic production elements and traditional Indigenous rhythmic and vocal compositions. Just weeks after performing her newest work "Still Here" with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the renowned composer passed away tragically in a car accident in northern Alberta on May 16, 2026.

Consider the different examples you just explored of Two-Spirit artists creating across different artistic disciplines:

• How is their art and gender expression unique to them?
• What are some shared themes in their art and advocacy around cultural revitalization and Two-Spirit gender identities?

Take a moment to check your understanding by completing the following matching activity.

Task: To show your learning, you will complete a reflection based on the following guiding questions. Please note that all questions except for #3 require outside research to support your answers.

1. Based on what you learned, how do you think Indigenous understandings of gender might have influenced the political perspectives held by that Nation or community?
2. What differences can you notice between Indigenous frameworks and European ideas about gender and social roles?
3. Does this learning either challenge or support what you know about 2SLGBTQ+ history?
4. How might modern approaches to revitalizing this cultural knowledge (i.e. in artistic expression, days of visibility, organized activism) help to support broader efforts to combat homophobia or transphobia? How might such cultural revitalization also strengthen and affirm queer Indigenous identities?
5. Select one of the artists featured in the module to research in greater depth or identify another Two-Spirit artist for approval by your teacher. As you explore, seek out information about how the artist incorporates a spiritual identity into their artistic work.

You may respond to the questions in one of the following formats:

• written text
• audio recording
• video recording