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Two Spirit
Also written: Two-Spirit, Two Spirit
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At a glance
Source-by-source
“Two-Spirit is an umbrella pan-Native American term. It describes gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. … keep in mind that Two-Spirit is not for non-Native people. You can't appropriate our culture because our identities as Two-Spirits on Turtle Island have always been.”
RET presents Two-Spirit as a pan-Native American umbrella term spanning gender identity, expression, and sexual orientation, coined in 1990 in Winnipeg but rooted in identities that predate LGBTQ terminology. The entry is explicit that Two-Spirit is not available to non-Native people — applying it to oneself outside Native community is cultural appropriation.
“An Indigenous person in North America believed to possess a mixture of masculine and feminine spirits. … Its use and meaning can vary by tribe and individual. Use only in broad references or if an individual uses it. … Do not use the adjective two-spirited, which can carry disrespectful connotations.”
NLGJA defines two-spirit as an Indigenous North American identity that is not directly synonymous with any community under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, though two-spirits may also consider themselves LGBTQ+. Its rule mirrors the corpus: use only in broad references or when an individual uses it — and never the adjective 'two-spirited.' NLGJA styles the term lowercase and hyphenated, diverging from other sources' capitalization.
2026 · entry updated 2023-08-25 VERIFIED-ARCHIVED
“A term used by some trans and queer people that broadly encompasses Indigenous identity and spirituality, always capitalized. … When an Indigenous person uses this label for themself, ask how they define it and include appropriate context about their tribal or national identity.”
TJA defines Two-Spirit as an always-capitalized term encompassing Indigenous identity and spirituality whose meaning varies across tribal and cultural contexts. The guidance for writers: when an Indigenous person self-identifies this way, ask how they define it and supply context about their specific tribal or national identity.
Synthesis
A Native-only identity term — every source agrees the boundary is who can use it, not whether it’s valid. Two-Spirit is a pan-Native umbrella term spanning gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, adopted at a 1990 gathering in Winnipeg — the culmination of a series of inter-tribal conferences — as an English-language container for identities that long predate LGBTQ terminology in many tribal traditions. All three sources state the same two rules. First, the term belongs to Native people: Racial Equity Tools states flatly that “Two-Spirit is not for non-Native people” and names non-Native use as cultural appropriation. Second, its meaning is not uniform — it varies by tribe, nation, and individual, so the Trans Journalists Association tells writers to ask a self-identified Two-Spirit person how they define it and to include their specific tribal or national identity.
The term is also not a synonym for gay, transgender, or any single community under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. NLGJA is explicit that two-spirit is “not directly synonymous” with those communities, even though Two-Spirit people may also identify as LGBTQ+. The acronym extensions that include it (LGBTQIA2S+) treat it as its own category, not a regional flavor of an existing one.
The sources diverge on styling. TJA says always capitalized; Racial Equity Tools capitalizes throughout; NLGJA styles it lowercase and hyphenated except in proper names. Capitalization is the majority position in this corpus and aligns with the capitalization-as-respect convention for Indigenous identifiers, but writers following AP-adjacent journalism style will encounter the lowercase form. All sources agree on one styling rule: never the adjective “two-spirited.”
Audience notes
- Non-Native writers and organizations. Use the term only to describe people who use it themselves — never as a general synonym for LGBTQ+ Native people, and never for non-Native people. When in doubt, name the person’s own identity language.
- Journalists and editors. Ask the individual what Two-Spirit means to them and identify their tribe or nation. Style: capitalize (majority of this corpus) or follow your house guide; avoid “two-spirited” in all styles.
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