A transgender Navajo, Teri Benally, 42, was found beaten to death in the 500 block of Maple SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico at 1am this morning. Teri is the third transgender Navajo murdered in this area since 2005. Fredrick Watson, 32, was killed June 9 this year and Ryan Shey Hoskie, 23, was found beaten to death in January 2005. Visit KRQE.com to read more about these murders.
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The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society and Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project were forcefully ejected from the annual Heritage of Pride March in New York City on June 29, 2009. To learn more about the Northeast Two-Spirit Society and the Audre Lorde Project visit http://www.ne2ss.org and http://www.alp.org. The following is the press release regarding the incident.
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The Two-Spirit Society of Denver discussed the function of Two-Spirit societies and what it means to be Two-Spirited with CTV, Colorado State University's student-run television station.
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On April 10th, President Obama nominated Larry EchoHawk as the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs awaiting approval by the Senate. EchoHawk made his mark in politics when he became the attorney general for Idaho in 1990 as the highest elected Native American to a statewide office where he served for four years.
EchoHawk is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and very proud of his Mormon faith. It begs the question what the future holds for Indian Country especially with his "former" anti-gaming stance. While Idaho's attorney general he opposed gaming as morally corrupt, but after a series of lawsuits the tribes have won in the courts. He went as far as trying to change the Idaho constitution to prevent the state from negotiating with tribes. It was only this past February that EhcoHawk stated that he regretted his actions, which is still worrisome to some gaming tribes as his nomination gets closer to the Senate.
Some claim that his actions as attorney general that opposed working with tribes was a legal obligation attached to his job as attorney general. However, in his 1994 bid for governor, EchoHawk was still against gaming feeling that gaming wasn't the right way to empower tribal nations. It makes one wonder about his new found regrets and with statements like Mr. EchoHawk made during a debate in Twin Falls, "Like many Idahoans, I am opposed to teaching homosexuality as an alternative or normal life style." It makes me wonder what may be slashed or done away with due to moral opposition.
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What does it mean to be a two-spirited person today? We know of stories of our two-spirited people in the past who were honored as sacred people. We, both men and women, were medicine people, great leaders/warriors, artists, craftsman, sexual healers/trainers, relationship counselors, caretakers of the young and elderly, the list goes one and we know it well. We came into those roles by being extraordinary people in our societies, by being patient, tolerant, seeking to honor and strengthen all our relations, not arguing to be right or trying to be in the lead. Although there's no doubt we are just as human and tend to be like everyone else, BUT many, if not all, of us two-spirit people were blessed with gifts to see beyond this dimension. It is with these gifts to see beyond the present hurts and pains, the betrayal and lies, that we must keep moving forward and seek to continue to strengthen all our relations.
Add this page to your favorite Social Networking websites
What does it mean to be a two-spirited person today? We know of stories of our two-spirited people in the past who were honored as sacred people. We, both men and women, were medicine people, great leaders/warriors, artists, craftsman, sexual healers/trainers, relationship counselors, caretakers of the young and elderly, the list goes one and we know it well. We came into those roles by being extraordinary people in our societies, by being patient, tolerant, seeking to honor and strengthen all our relations, not arguing to be right or trying to be in the lead. Although there's no doubt we are just as human and tend to be like everyone else, BUT many, if not all, of us two-spirit people were blessed with gifts to see beyond this dimension. It is with these gifts to see beyond the present hurts and pains, the betrayal and lies, that we must keep moving forward and seek to continue to strengthen all our relations.