Content note: this piece briefly mentions colonial violence, boarding and residential schools, and suicide statistics. Support resources are listed near the end.
You've probably seen the "2S" at the start of 2SLGBTQIA+, but what does Two-Spirit mean? The short answer: it depends on who you ask and which Nation they come from. That's not a cop-out. It's the whole point.
As an Indigenous-, queer- and woman-owned shop, this one's close to home (our founder, Malu, shares her own story below). So here's our no-shame primer on the two spirit meaning, where the term came from, and how to be a good relative (or partner) to Two-Spirit people, in bed and out of it.
What Does Two-Spirit Mean, Exactly?
Two-Spirit is a modern, pan-Indigenous umbrella term used by some Indigenous people of Turtle Island (North America) whose genders, sexualities, roles or spiritual identities don't fit neatly into colonial boxes. It's often described as holding both a masculine and a feminine spirit, though people define it in their own ways.
Key point: Two-Spirit is about gender, community role and spirituality, not just attraction. Cree scholar Harlan Pruden describes it as an organizing tool rooted in an Indigenous framework, one whose meaning shifts from Nation to Nation. It is not simply "Native plus gay." Some Two-Spirit people also identify as trans, nonbinary, lesbian or gay; some don't. And many Indigenous LGBTQ+ people don't use the term at all.
Where Did the Term Come From?
The English phrase is newer than you'd think. It was proposed in 1990 at the third annual Intertribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It's a translation of the Anishinaabemowin phrase niizh manidoowag; Elder Myra Laramee is credited with bringing the concept forward and activist Albert McLeod with proposing the term.
Why a new word? Because the old one was garbage. Colonizers and anthropologists used "berdache," now considered outdated and offensive. Indigenous organizers wanted language from their own communities, not from the people studying (and policing) them.
Older Than English: Nation-Specific Identities
The umbrella is from 1990, but the people under it go back much further. Many Nations have their own words and roles for gender-diverse people, such as nádleehí (Diné), winkte (Lakota), lhamana (Zuni) and agokwe (Anishinaabe). Mi'kmaw scholar Margaret Robinson stresses that these identities are culturally specific and don't translate neatly into settler categories like "trans" or "gay."
Colonization worked hard to erase them. Missions, boarding and residential schools, language bans and forced Christianization pushed a rigid binary onto communities, and some traditions went quiet. Reclaiming those words is part of decolonizing: taking back the right to define your own body and gender. Body sovereignty, basically. We're big fans.
Can Anyone Call Themselves Two-Spirit?
Short answer: no. Two-Spirit belongs to Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. If that's not you, including if you're Indigenous to somewhere else, use words from your own culture or ones that fit you (queer, nonbinary, genderfluid) and leave this one to the communities it belongs to.
This isn't gatekeeping for fun. Pruden notes that in one 2015 survey, 62% of the 156 people who picked "Two-Spirit" weren't Indigenous, muddying research meant to help Two-Spirit people.
Beyond Turtle Island: A Note From Malu
Here's where I come in. My name is Lindsay Tsuru Manawamakamaeokula Maluokapuʻuwai Sakugawa Kido, and I'm a brown, queer, Indigenous, nonbinary woman. I descend from the Kanaka Maoli and Uchinaanchu (Okinawan) peoples, and I'm also part Japanese.
I am from the Ahupuaʻa of Hālawa in the Moku of ʻEwa on the Island of Oʻahu, as well as the Ahupuaʻa of ʻŌmaʻopio in the Moku of Kula on the Island of Maui, and my ʻohana has strong ties to Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu. These days I live in Las Vegas, on the ʻāina of the Southern Paiute.
(If that felt like a long introduction, it's on purpose. In Kanaka Maoli and many other Indigenous cultures, you introduce yourself through your places and your people, because where you come from and who you come from say more about you than a job title ever could.)
So while I live on Turtle Island now, Two-Spirit isn't a term from my cultures, because my people aren't from here. And that's the point: Indigenous peoples aren't one monolith with a shared glossary.
I grew up in a Christian household (I'm not Christian anymore) where none of this was talked about. I didn't see much queer culture, and when it came up, it was often dismissed as wrong. My parents are supportive, and I'm grateful for that. But stigma and judgment from others are still real, and I know many of you have felt them too.
Kanaka Maoli: Māhū
In Hawaiʻi, the word many people reach for is māhū. Papa Ola Lōkahi's māhū toolkit describes it as embodying both kāne (man) and wahine (woman) energies, and notes that before colonization, māhū were respected as healers and caretakers. Missionary Christianity and Western ideas about sex and gender brought stigma, and by the mid-1900s the word had become a slur. Today, communities are reclaiming it.
Two caveats from Hawaiian sources: the toolkit warns that māhū doesn't translate neatly to "transgender" or "gay," and my friend J. Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, a scholar of Hawaiian moʻolelo, shows that its meaning has shifted over time. His research looks at a Hawaiian-language moʻolelo published in 1870–71 about the fierce māhū of Hāʻena, who were warriors and kapa makers and nearly took Kauaʻi. Like Two-Spirit, māhū is rooted in family, community and place, not a dictionary.
Uchinaanchu: What Was Lost
The Ryukyu Kingdom had its own spiritual traditions, including deep respect for women's spiritual power, from noro priestesses to yuta shamans, as religion scholar Monika Wacker documents. Under Satsuma domination and later Japanese rule, much of that authority was stripped away.
Uchinaanchu culture was so heavily assimilated into Japan's that a lot was lost. I don't know what gender fluidity looked like in the Ryukyu Kingdom, and I couldn't find solid research on it either. I'd rather sit with that gap than invent an answer. If you're Uchinaanchu and carry those stories, I'd love to hear them.
A quick note: I'm Kanaka Maoli and Uchinaanchu, and I don't speak for Indigenous communities other than my own. Each community holds its own knowledge and has the right to tell its own stories. What I've shared here comes from my own lived experience, from my work with many Indigenous communities who have generously shared their knowledge with me, and from published sources (listed below). If something here doesn't match what your community knows, I'd love to learn from you.
Why Visibility Is a Health Issue
Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ people carry heavy loads from colonialism, racism and anti-queer stigma. In The Trevor Project's 2023 survey, 54% of the 1,792 Indigenous LGBTQ+ young people surveyed had seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 23% had attempted it, higher than LGBTQ+ youth overall. About 28% of them identified as Two-Spirit.
But it isn't only risk. Youth in affirming homes attempted suicide less often (16% vs. 26% in non-affirming homes). For Two-Spirit elders, the National Center on Elder Abuse names community acceptance, belonging and shared ancestral histories as protective. Being seen and welcomed saves lives.
Research is still catching up: a systematic review found just 28 studies on Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQ health, mostly about HIV, and none with an explicitly strengths-based approach. The Indian Health Service updated its Two-Spirit and LGBTQI+ resources in 2024, which is a start.
Being a Good Partner (and Relative) to Two-Spirit People
- Use their words. Ask what someone calls themselves and their pronouns, then actually use them.
- Don't demand a ceremony tour. Some teachings are private to a Nation or family.
- No fetishizing. "Mystical Native lover" is a stereotype, not a compliment. Your partner is a whole person.
- Follow their lead on bodies. If your partner has dysphoria around certain body parts, ask what language and touch feel good. Our gender-affirming sex guide has practical ideas.
- Show up outside the bedroom. Support Native-led organizations and Native voting rights (see our Native Heritage Month piece).
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The Takeaway
Two-Spirit is a modern word for something very old: Indigenous people whose gender and spirit have always had a place in their communities, whatever the colonizers said. It belongs to Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island and means different things in different Nations. It's also one of many Indigenous ways of understanding gender, not a catch-all for all of them. The best way to honor it is to listen, use people's own words, and help every Two-Spirit person feel at home in their body.
If you need support: The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ young people) at 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678; the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988; and the StrongHearts Native Helpline (domestic and dating violence) at 1-844-762-8483.
This article is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for medical advice. If you're struggling with your mental health or gender-related distress, check in with a healthcare provider, ideally one who is Two-Spirit- or LGBTQ+-affirming.
Sources
- Robinson, M. (2019). Two-Spirit Identity in a Time of Gender Fluidity. Journal of Homosexuality.
- Native American Two Spirit and LGBTQ Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature (2021). Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health.
- The Trevor Project. (2023). The Mental Health and Well-Being of Indigenous LGBTQ Young People.
- National Center on Elder Abuse. (2021). A Spotlight on Two Spirit Elders and Elder Justice Facts.
- Haverkate, R. (2024). IHS Releases Updated Webpage Dedicated to Two-Spirit and LGBTQI+ Issues. Indian Health Service.
- Pruden, H. (2022). Two-Spirit in Health Research: Collecting and Working with Data in a Culturally Affirming Way(s). Presentation, Alaska Indigenous Research Program.
- Papa Ola Lōkahi. No Ka Māhūi: Kanaka LGBTQIA+ and Māhū Toolkit.
- Lorenzo-Elarco, J. H. (2026). Nā Māhū Hahau Hohoa o Hāʻena: The Fierce & Fabulous in Hawaiian Moʻolelo. Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 12.
- Wacker, M. (2003). Onarigami: Holy Women in the Twentieth Century. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 30(3–4), 339–359.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Two-Spirit.
Photo: Farouk Animashaun / Pexels
