Webpage Highlights the Experiences of Native Youth Who Identify as Two-Spirit or LGBTQ+ 

OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Resource Center has launched a Two-Spirit (2S) and Native LGBTQ+ resources webpage to help raise awareness about “the many struggles, challenges, and triumphs” of Native youth, with a special emphasis on those who identify as Two-Spirit. The page includes links to videos and other resources designed for youth, parents and caregivers of youth who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, educators and facilitators, professionals who work in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and healthcare professionals. 

A video created for the webpage explains the origins of the term “Two-Spirit,” stressing that it refers to a gender uniquely recognized by Native American cultures. “The term Two-Spirit is a Native concept created by Native people and should only be used by Native individuals who identify as Native LGBTQ+ or Two-Spirit,” the recording states. The term was coined in 1990 but refers to a culturally and spiritually distinct gender—housing both a masculine and a feminine spirit—that has been recognized for centuries by Native American nations.