Two-Spirit is a term used within some Indigenous communities to reflect complex understandings of gender, sexuality, spirituality and social roles within various Indigenous cultures. The terms and roles of Two-Spirit people are specific to each Nation.

Colonization brought strict ideas about gender and gender roles. For some Indigenous people, this has interrupted our knowing that gender diversity has a long history that predates the arrival of settlers from other parts of the world.

Part of reconciliation is to learn, remember and respect Indigenous gender diversity. This respect should be extended to all gender diverse people, no matter their culture.

“One thing that really comes up when it comes to the intergenerational piece is a misconception that transness and queerness is not an Indigenous way. It’s a misconception that is a result of colonization, and it causes a resistance to any information about our teachings that predate colonization by centuries.”
— Indigenous youth on how gender diversity isn’t new or a western concept