Transgender History Month 2024

In honor of August being California’s Transgender History month, I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned about the history of Indigenous understandings of gender. This understanding is rooted in tradition and continue to be living, breathing traditions and identities today.

Since I am talking about Indigenous perspectives, I want to acknowledge the Kumeyaay who have resided in the San Diego area for thousands of years before colonizers arrived.

Among North American Indigenous peoples, Two-spirit is an umbrella term coined in the 90’s and represents a variety of gender and sexual identities among. Per Harlan Prude, Two-Spirit are those who embody diverse sexualities, genders, gender roles and gender expressions, and is a community organizing tool and not an identity.

There are multiple two-spirit societies created with the mission to restore and recover the role of two-spirit people, reclaiming and restoring a place of honor, respect and dignity within an individual’s Nation.

There have been more than two genders recognized since the beginning of time. Our concepts of sex, gender and sexuality are very limited in American culture compared to the diversity of experience and expression that exist in the world.

Source: Women’s Museum and Pruden, H., 2019 Two-Spirit Conversations & Work: Subtle and at the same time radically different, Transgender: A Reference Handbook.