Two-Spirit

An identity used by some Indigenous North American cultures for people who fulfill a third-gender or two-gender spiritual and social role. Two-spirit is a translation of the Anishinaabemowin term "niizh manidoowag."

Two-spirit identity is specific to Indigenous peoples — it is not an umbrella term for non-Indigenous people to adopt. Before colonization, many Indigenous cultures had respected roles for people who were neither strictly men nor women. Colonialism and Christian missionaries actively suppressed these traditions.

Two-spirit people face the compounding effects of colonial violence and homophobia. Organizations like the Two-Spirit Society and two-spirit-specific health programs work to preserve and support these identities. The term emerged in 1990 at an Indigenous lesbian and gay conference in Winnipeg.