More than jt the “gay Indians”

THE SURPRISG HISTORY OF GAY MARRIAGE THE NAVAJO NATN

For Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer Pri Month, Dennis Zotigh, a cultural specialist at the Natnal Mm of the Amerin Indian, ved Native iends to tell how their tradnal culture saw s LGBTQ members. A Chirihua Apache iend replied, “Now, Dennis, this is a human qutn, not [jt] Native.” We agree. But we also appreciate hearg what Native Amerins have learned, renstcted, or been unable to renstct about this part of our shared history and experience. * native americans gay *

In Evans plays the betiful storyteller Thomas Builds-the-Fire, who provis the heart of the film (the greatt acplishment is that Adams keeps dienc' attentns rapt, even scen wh stars Adam Beach and Irene Bedard), now 46, reteamed wh Signals filmmaker Sherman Alexie 2002 to star the gay Native Amerin film The Bs of Fancydancg.

Borrs: the Navajo Pulls a CharlottvilleBut unlike those the 50 stat, Native Amerins who support gay marriage—a aln of LGBT Navajo, their alli, and even the leadg ndidate nng for the Navajo princy—have history on their Navajos have a rich, documented history of acceptg and even honorg people that intified wh different genrs and sexual fact, as recently as 10 years ago, same-sex unns were regnized by the Navajos. “We were regnizg same-sex unns between a man and a man and a woman and a woman long before whe people me on to this land, ” Alray Nelson, lead anizer at the Coaln for Navajo Equaly, a lol muny group workg to end the ban on gay marriage, told changed 2005, when, followg the footsteps of the U. Two-spir dividuals who intify wh male and female spirs make some of the same pots Nelson mak: before lonizatn Native Amerins honored those that didn’t f to the tradnal genr the activists are succsful and ph the Navajo Natn to lift the ban on gay marriage, uld have a sweepg effect.

In class, we briefly discsed homosexualy among Native Amerins and how was tradnally celebrated. As we know, this mentaly is very different when pared to the lonial whe Amerin homophobia (for Christian reasons, of urse). Personally, I have never unrstood what the hype is about homosexualy.

NATIVE AMERIN YEARNS FOR OLD VIEWS OF GAYS, LBIANS

But as we know, many Christians thk homosexualy is a big al; they thk ’s a s, evil, and unnatural.

TWO-SPIR PEOPLE: GAYS ACCEPTED BY NATIVE AMERINS

In sum, I’ve never agreed wh the whe Christian Amerin view of homosexualy. If anythg, I thk homosexualy is ol: a viewpot siar to many Native Amerin trib.

The “Berdache” (Native Amerin homosexuals) were thought to live “outsi the world” and be of “two spirs”. In fact, homosexualy was enuraged to the pot where was nsired normal for men to have gay sex, even if they weren’t actually homosexual. And if the wiv of men were homosexuals or had affairs wh the same sex, the hbands were nsired highly honorable.

Homosexuals were thought of as beg more tuive, nurturg, wise, and skilled.

Gay children were highly teemed and valued; parents would often try to teach homosexualy to their children wh hop that the child would bee homosexual, or bee “Berdache”. However, forced whe Amerin assiatn has taken s toll on the views of homosexualy Native muni.

More than jt the “gay Indians” | The Gayly

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THE SURPRISG HISTORY OF GAY MARRIAGE THE NAVAJO NATN

NATIVE AMERIN YEARNS FOR OLD VIEWS OF GAYS, LBIANS

TWO-SPIR PEOPLE: GAYS ACCEPTED BY NATIVE AMERINS