A Tribe Called Queer

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A Tribe Called Queer
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1.11.2012
BY JON ROTH
1. NO ASIANS!
In the Native American

community, two spirits can be
better than one.
2. A TRIBE CALLED QUEER
Illustration by Simon Pemberton

Gay couples cant marry in Washington. But
near Seattle, tucked away off the Puget
Sound, theres a sovereign nation whose
citizens can marry whoever they choose.
Theyre called the Suquamish, and they
were there before Washington was a
president, much less a state.
3. NEW YORK'S FINEST

4. SWOON ALERT: BEAR GRYLLS IN DOCKERS'
SPRING 2012 CAMPAIGN
5. A TRIBE CALLED QUEER
6. TREND ALERT: COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET
The Suquamish enjoy the right to same-sex

marriage, thanks to Heather Purser, a 29year-old lesbian tribal member who grew up
near the reservation. Shed already tried to
come out of the closet twice during her
childhood, and retreated both times before
she arrived at Western Washington University and started attending LGBT events. I saw that I could be safe
there, she says. I decided I wanted to have that feeling back home, too.
Purser began speaking with her tribe about same-sex marriage in 2007. A year later, she addressed the tribal
council, which cautiously encouraged her cause. She did her research: contacting a tribe that had recently
passed a similar law, requesting copies of their ordinance, reviewing it with an attorney, and translating it into
Suquamish. After three years, she put her petition to a vote at a council meeting. Everyone said, If you do
that, itll kill your dream. We have to do this slowly, she says. Purser demanded a vote anyway. In a room of
300 people, not one dissented. In August of 2011, her dream became law.
FOLLOW US
This isnt the first victory for queer Native Americans. In 2006, the First Nations Two Spirit Collective
formed, creating a political platform for LGBT native people. In 2008, the Coquille tribe of North Bend,
Ore., became the first to allow same-sex marriage. This summer, the Suquamish became the second. Two
months later, the Oglala Sioux tribe of Pine Ridge, S.D., issued a proclamation in support of LGBT equality,
declaring it time to ignite the civil rights movement of the 21st century.
This may sound progressive, but Native Americans recognition of queer people predates Columbus. The
Navajo call them nadleeh, the Lakota say winkte, the Plains Cree use iskwekan -- there are almost as many
terms as native languages. One word you probably wont hear is berdache, a pejorative (something between a
catamite and a male prostitute) introduced by early French colonists. In 1990, a queer Native American caucus
settled on two spirit as an umbrella term to describe indigenous people of alternative gender or sexuality.
In traditional communities, gay wasnt even a category, says Dr. Karina Walters, an out member of the
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Director of Washington Universitys Indigenous Wellness
Research Institute. Quite often there were third gender statuses, sometimes up to seven, Walters notes.
These relationships werent homosexual, they were heterogendered. Two spirits often inhabited the inbetween spaces, working as medicine people and mediators between rival factions, living on the outer ring of
camp to serve as buffers from outsiders. Some two spirits were even present in Washington, D.C., during
treaty negotiations. At best, they were revered. At worst, they were tolerated, sometimes teased.
Like smallpox and whiskey, homophobia was a Western import, codified once the U.S. and Canada became
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nations. Government-run boarding schools spearheaded this reeducation: Students were given Western
names, clothes, and haircuts, along with a set of foreign values. Dylan Rose, 24, who describes himself as a mix
of Plains Cree, Scottish, Irish, and French, deeply resents the lasting cultural impact of those schools, which
flourished through the 1970s. They taught us not to be Indian, he says. Were devalued because of same-sex
relationships now, and thats not how it used to be.
Generations of ingrained homophobia and sexism have led to high rates of assault, depression, and suicide
among two-spirit youth. They often leave reservations to seek refuge in cities, though cities dont ensure safety.
I know of two-spirit people who end up homeless in cities because they had to leave the incredible bullying in
their home communities, Walters says. Rose, who spent his youth traveling through reservations in
Saskatchewan, now makes his home in Saskatoon. Purser met her girlfriend in Seattle, where she now lives.
Coya White Hat-Artichoker, a member of the First Nations Two Spirit Collective and the Lakota tribe in
South Dakota, didnt meet a queer Lakota man until she visited the Stonewall Inn.
After being forced to recant so much of their heritage, many Native Americans seem poised to reclaim their
two-spirit brothers and sisters. Two spirit was very much an urban term, says Dr. Alex Wilson, a member of
the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. But it has spread to small communities and reservations, which I think is
fabulous. In many cases, queer native people are reclaiming their roles as mediators -- Walters notes a
disproportionate amount of two spirits working as counselors, community liaisons, and activists. Rose
documents his experience as a queer indigenous person on his blog, Urban Pionqueer, where he shares his
story with anyone who will listen. Talking about who you are helps you become stronger, he says.
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This resurgence reclaims traditional values, but also recognizes that, more than five centuries since
colonization, there is no room in the Native American community for discrimination. More than a gay rights
victory, the Suquamish decision sends a strong message that everyone deserves recognition. Purser trusted
that when she put her petition to a vote. Were a community that supports its own, she says. I knew that
people would have my back.
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TRAVEL & NIGHTLIFE

NEWS & COMMENTARY

NEWS & COMMENTARY

In the Native American

2. A TRIBE CALLED QUEER

Illustration by Simon Pemberton

3. NEW YORK'S FINEST

The Suquamish enjoy the right to same-sex

A Tribe Called Queer | Out Magazine

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2012, HERE MEDIA INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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