Two-spirit

She hosts an Instagram live show with crime fiction authors and was a columnist for the Providence Journal.

Originally from northeast Oklahoma, she lives on Narangaset land in Rhode Island and is proudly Two-Spirit.

It's my pleasure to welcome Vanessa Lillie.

Vanessa, welcome to the show.

But why does it say we also want them to also identify as queer slash LGBTQ plus? Isn't the Q queer? Isn't that what it means? Isn't that what the Q stands for? Does it stand for something else? Because it seems like that's redundant.

These people don't even know what the hell they're doing, and I guarantee you most of these people couldn't name half these letters or symbols or anything, especially the Two-Spirit Guard.

What's Two-Spirit? I don't know, but I know that I'm not allowed to question it.

It's not clear how the project is funded or if tax dollars are used.

Of course, tax dollars are used.

And we were looking at like all the different types of letters like LGBTQ plus.

And we were in a conference room with this straight guy and he's like, well, what does all this mean? And we started going through and he's like, well, what's Two-Spirit? And I'm like, I don't know.

So we looked it up and I didn't know what Two-Spirit was back then.

So yeah, two-spirit has been around in the North America indigenous population forever.

So let's talk about criminalization because that's a big one.

Having a Canadian Indian Act-imposed status card is a colonial construct by Canadian policies meant to divide Indigenous peoples' inherent rights.

Indigenous Two-Spirit or the Indigenous 2SLGBTQ community and Indigenous women are at the bottom of the Canadian socioeconomic ladder because of colonial trauma, imposed poverty, racism, gendered violence, and land theft.

I'm not a social worker nor an elder, nor do I speak on behalf of all Indigenous peoples.

But I share my journey as a Dene mom navigating this colonial, misogynistic, ableist, racist world in 2026.

I think there was a person named Gwen.

I don't know them yet.

But, you know, like, this was all led by Two-Spirit or women.

That's it.

2021 brings a very different kind of athletic journey.

Diné roller skater Melissa Skeetfighterskeet begins a planned 300-mile trip across the Navajo Nation to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women, children, and Two-Spirit relatives.

Her route is planned from Window Rock to Flagstaff and back, with the distance chosen to recall the Navajo Long Walk.

She ultimately completes 192 miles of the attempt.

Why did I say that? It's terrible.

Samuel and Johanna, a two-spirit, tiny far heart.

Yeah, Two-Spirit, Tiny Fire Heart, Stassi.

And what's

your relationship to Johanna? Oh, Two-Spirit, Tiny Fire Heart.

Oh,

my God.

actually our journey.

that I was never afraid to go into spaces where, like you said, was predominantly male-dominated or never really felt unwelcomed or that I didn't belong.

So I think a lot of people don't understand Two-Spirit individuals and how we are bridge builders, we're healers.

We have a very nurturing way of looking at things and kind of being aunties and uncles to everybody's kids.

And maybe sometimes we don't have our own.

But people like her have gone on being part of Crow life in every generation since.

Today, some of them call themselves Two-Spirit, and they take their place at the same gatherings where her lodge was raised.

A Crow elder once explained it in a single breath.

Among us, the elder said, people are not wasted.

counting the friends she had outlived.

But people like her have gone on being part of Crow life in every generation since.

Today, some of them call themselves Two-Spirit.

and they take their place at the same gatherings where her lodge was raised.

Having a Canadian Indian Act imposed status card is a colonial construct by Canadian policies meant to divide Indigenous peoples' inherent rights.

Indigenous Two-Spirit or the Indigenous 2SLGBTQ plus community and Indigenous women are at the bottom of the Canadian socioeconomics ladder because of Colonial trauma, imposed poverty, gender violence, racism, land theft, and all through pen and policy.

I am not a social worker nor an elder, nor do I speak on behalf of all Indigenous peoples.

but I share my journey as a Dene mom navigating this colonial, misogynistic, ableist, racist world in 2026.

I skimmed it.

The word Indigenous did not show up anywhere in the report.

There was no mention of the TRC, no mention of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit.

And they had a section about how much they love police.

Thanks to APTN News.

The monument's design is inspired by the Thunderhead Cloud, and according to Canada's Indigenous Two-Spirit people, its storms renew the land and make things right.

Plus, a nice touch, there's thousands of mirrored tiles inside the 30-foot tall cylinder to make you think of disco balls.

Pride Daily.