Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day

The overarching objective of Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day is to raise community awareness and education of Two-Spirit people in regions where there are scheduled celebrations of the (re)integration of Two-Spirit people within their respective Nations, peoples, and communities. Through public demonstrations, proclamations, and community celebrations, Two-Spirit people will be acknowledged and supported as they reclaim their roles and spaces they have always occupied as Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ people.

This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in alignment with the spring equinox.

Spring equinox was chosen for the significance and symbolism it holds for Two-Spirit people and communities. It is one of only two days of the year where there is an equal balance of the hours of light and dark, and represents the liminal space between the cold dark winter and warm bright summer. Two-Spirit people have experienced one of the longest, darkest, and coldest journeys; this day signals a time of renewal, rebirth, equity, brightness, warmth, and love. The halfway mark between the shortest and longest days of the year, the spring equinox is also considered to be a time of profound change and celebration of new beginnings. This is a position that was uniquely held by Two-Spirit people and communities, as Two-Spirit people were able to navigate many environments and spaces effortlessly and were often expected to serve as the go-betweens for their people.

Also, for many Indigenous peoples, spring equinox is a time to shift from oral-based knowledge sharing and storytelling to applied land and/or activity-based knowledge sharing. It is a time to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather and the return of animals and plants. Nations also recognize this as the time to gather, work, and make decisions that affect the community as a whole. This includes who got to go where, what had to be done, how adversarial peoples and Nations were to be handled, what new resources were available, and how these resources were to be gathered and stored in preparation for winter.

Similarly, Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day is a time to build upon community awareness and education of Two-Spirit people, ways, and traditions, and create a space for the celebration and (re)integration of Two-Spirit people within their respective Nations, peoples, and communities.

Two-Spirit leader and long-time community organizer, Harlan Pruden (nehiyô/First Nations Cree), was providing support and guidance to the Two-Spirit Program team at Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC). Harlan suggested and shared with the Two-Spirit team the initial briefing and framing document that was used to organize the first Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day. This was done in response to meet the needs of community members who were asking for more opportunities to connect and a recurring space that would recognize and celebrate the radiance and diversity of Two-Spirit identities, expressions, and experience. The first Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day took place online on March 21, 2022, and featured two hours of teachings from Two-Spirit Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and grassroots community voices, as well as a colourful expression of Two-Spirit—from drag to song to drumming. Proclamations were also made by Indigenous leaders and the City of Vancouver. For its second edition, on March 20, 2023, the Two-Spirit Team held a “Bannock and Tea Event” on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, currently known as Vancouver. The five-hour event included presentations and teachings, cultural performances, and the distribution of Medicine Bundles. Proclamations were once again made from Indigenous leaders and the City of Vancouver, and, for the first time, the province of BC.

Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day is an annual day of joy and festivity that is intended for, and centres, all our Two-Spirit and Indigenous queer and trans relatives. All activities should be organized and led by Two-Spirit and Indigenous persons, but allies, co-conspirators, families, and friends, are welcome to attend and provide support.

We are inviting and encouraging Two-Spirit organizations, leaders, scholars, advocates, activists, Elders, and community members across Turtle Island to join us in the proclamation of the spring equinox as Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day. We also encourage folks to host local events, demonstrations, and celebrations in solidarity with our event on March 19, 2024. Our long-term goal is to have this day recognized in many other cities and provinces and hopefully on a national level in the coming years.

Community members and organizations who decide to host their own events are encouraged to share them with the Two-Spirit Program team to spread the word. To get in touch,
please email [email protected] or [email protected].

Your event can take any shape that makes sense to you and your community. For some, it might be an afternoon of teachings and workshops. For others, it might be an evening party with performances. Or it can be a combination of both! Anything that uplifts and brings greater awareness to Two-Spirit, trans and non-binary Indigenous people and communities is welcome.

For some ideas, check out this report on our 2023 event, which aired on APTN News.

This year’s theme—advocated for by Two-Spirit community members—is “Bringing sexuality back into our Medicine Wheel.” Exploring Indigenous approaches to wellness, the Medicine Wheel is a universal tool understood by many Indigenous Nations throughout Turtle Island. Building off this model that is used to strive toward balance between emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wellness, we will explore what it means to bring sexual wellness back into the Medicine Wheel as a key aspect of our overall balance and health.

The Two-Spirit Team has created a Social Media Toolkit with sample texts written for social media accounts, as well as emails or newsletters. These texts can be used freely or be modified to spread awareness about this day and encourage people to learn more and participate.

Not necessarily, although it can take time to receive a response from governmental offices. Most cities or provinces have online request forms that require non-profit organizations to fill out and submit to receive an official proclamation. To get a sense of the language you might be required to use, feel free to reference the language in the proclamation that was advocated for by the Two-Spirit Program team at CBRC.

In terms of official announcements, please note that the Two-Spirit team is pursuing the creation of a “Statement of Consensus” for participating Two-Spirit and Indigenous organizations to collectively sign and proclaim the spring equinox as Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Celebration and Awareness Day. This will be done as an act to assert our own sovereignty over the procedures and traditions of colonial organizations.

The Two-Spirit Program is an Indigenous-led program at CBRC, and has been active in the Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ community for the past four years. During this time, the team has hosted numerous events, including the annual Two-Spirit Symposium. Through this active and meaningful community engagement, the Two-Spirit team has recognized that more work and effort is needed to confront shame-based colonial narratives on queer sexuality that results in 2S/LGBTQQIA+ experiences of homophobia, transphobia, and various forms of stigma and discrimination. The Two-Spirit journey of reclamation and resurgence includes raising awareness and showing care and support for the diverse sexualities of our Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ communities.

Find out more about the Two-Spirit team at CBRC and its initiatives here.