How a Two-Spirit Couple is Breaking Barriers


How a Two-Spirit Couple is Breaking Barriers

How a Two-Spirit Couple is Breaking Barriers in their Native American Community



Welcome back to matter of fact, May is mental health awareness month. It’s had that designation since 1949 and mental health organizations across the country call it a time to build resilience. Resilience is often fragile for members of the L. G. B. T. Q. Community. Mental health struggles can emerge as a result of traumatic experiences. The trauma of discrimination, trauma of harassment, trauma of rejection, experts say resilience is dependent on radical self acceptance. A young to spirit couple from Nevada Sean and Adrian say radical acceptance has helped them break barriers in their native american community. They’re competitive sweetheart dancers taking part in a celebration previously reserved for traditional couples at native paolo’s hears their story. We are not the typical sweetheart pair that you would see out in the arena or dancing anywhere. Um we are the first same sex couple to go out there and compete with other couples. I am Adrian, I am to spirit, I am also Shishani Banik Northern you in san Carlos Apache, I’m Sean I am Navajo, I am an artist and this is my partner Adrian when I was younger, I can’t think of a queer person publicly that represented me or my lineage or my my culture and I never saw that in a space that which we’re doing today. We see our dancing as a way to honor our heritage and who we are. So sweetheart is really being out there in that arena and showing your love and compassion for one another. We as a to spare a couple of faced a lot of challenges being out there and just being open with ourselves and our identity. We pushed for that acceptance. We really fought for that space to be out there and amongst people and it made our voices stronger and our presence stronger were always there to encourage and support everyone else that is trying to be vocal. And I think it’s more important than ever for us as native americans or indigenous people to speak up about our identities and the issues that matter to us, chokes me up to talk about it because we um, yeah, We hear so many times of our two Spirit brothers and sisters um leaving this world and leaving this world in a way that we don’t want them to leave. It’s really the power that the love that we get from other people and especially other two spirit relatives and friends that keep pushing us for the, I know that us being to spirit in being very public has created the conversation for a lot of, a lot of native homes So they may not talk about it as they see us dancing, but there’s a conversation to be had when they get in the car or on the right home. And often it’s very positive. In the last few decades we’ve seen a much bigger acceptance within our native american communities of our two spirit people and seeing that people standing up for them, making spaces and protecting them, which is nice to see and very helpful for us that a lot of tribes and individual nations start recognizing their LGBT plus queer members and you know, their rights and um their identities. We’ve learned that we can change the opinion almost of what people may think to spirit is and then when they see us and how we carry ourselves and represent the community, be proud, be true. Keep dancing. The painting of Adrian and Sean was done by native american artists. Derek no Sun Brown. He’s a Shoshone, bannock, Plymouth and a Shinobi ancestry.
SOLEDAD: WELCOME BACK TO AMATTER — TO “MATTER OF FACT.” MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. IT HAS HAD THAT DESIGNATION SINCE 1949, AND MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CALL IT A TIME TO BUILD RESILIENCE. RESILIENCE IS OFTEN FRAGILE. FOR MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES CAN EMERGE AS A RESULT OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES. THE TRAUMA OF DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND REJECTION. EXPERTS SAY RESILIENCE IS DEPENDENT ON RADICAL SELF- ACCEPTANCE. A YOUNG TWO-SPIRIT COUPLE FROM NEVADA, SEAN AND ADRIAN, SAY RADICAL ACCEPTANCE HAS HELPED THEM BREAK BARRIERS IN THEIR NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY. THEY ARE COMPETITIVE SWEETHEART DANCERS, TAKING PART IN A CELEBRATION PREVIOUSLY RESERVED FOR TRADITIONAL COUPLES AT NATIVE POW-WOWS. HERE’S THEIR STOR >> WE ARE NOT THE TYPICAL SWEETHEART PAIR THAT YOU WOULD SEE OUT IN THE ARENA OR DANCING ANYWHERE. WE ARE THE FIRST SAME SEX COUPLE TO GO OUT THERE AND COMPETE WI OTHER COUPLE ADRIAN: I AM ADRIAN, I AM TWO SPIRIT. I’M ALSO SHOSHONE-BANNOCK, NORTHERN UTE AND SAN CARLOS APACHE. SEAN: I AM SEAN AND I AM NAVAJO. I AM AN ARTIST AND THIS IS MY PARTNER ADRIAN ADRIAN: WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I CAN’T THINK OF A QUEER PERSON PUBLICLY THAT REPRESENTED ME, MY LINEAGE, OR MY CULTURE, AND NEVER SAW THAT IN A SPACE, THAT WHICH WE ARE DOING TODAY. WE SEE DANCING AS A WAY TO HONOR OUR HERITAGE AND WHO WE AR SO, SWEETHEARTS IS REALLY BEING OUT IN THAT ARENA AND SHOWING YOUR LOVE AND COMPASSION FOR ONE ANOTHER. SEAN: WE AS A TWO-SPIRIT COUPLE HAVE FACED A LOT OF CHALLENGES BEING OUT THERE AND JUST BEING OPEN WITH OURSELVES AND OUR IDENTITY. WE PUSHED FOR THE ACCEPTANCE AND REALLY FOUGHT FOR THAT SPACE TO BE OUT THERE AND AMONGST PEOPLE, AND IT MADE OUR VOICES STRONGER AND OUR PRESENCE STRONGE ADRIAN: WE’RE ALWAYS THERE TO ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT EVERYONE ELSE THAT IS TRYING TO BE VOCA — VOCAL. SEAN: AND I THINK IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR US AS NATIVE AMERICAN OR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP ABOUT O IDENTITIES AND THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO US. ADRIAN: IT CHOKES ME UP TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE HEAR SO MANY TIMES OF OUR TWO SPIRIT BROTHERS AND SISTERS LEAVING THIS WORLD, AND LEAVING THIS WORLD IN A WAY THAT WE DON’T WANT THEM TO LEAVE. SEAN: IT’S REALLY THE POWER AND THE LOVE THAT WE GET FROM OTHER PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY OTHER TWO SPIRIT RELATIVES AND FRIENDS THAT KEEP PUSHING US FORWARD. ADRIAN: I KNOW THAT US BEING TWO SPIRIT AND BEING VERY PUBLIC HAS CREATED THE CONVERSATION FOR A LOT OF NATIVE HOMES, SO THEY MAY NOT TALK ABOUT IT AS THEY SEE US DANCING, BUT THERE’S A CONVERSATION TO BE HAD WHEN TH GET IN THE CAR, OR ON THE RIDE HOME, AND OFTEN IT’S VERY POSITIVE. SEAN: IN THE LAST FEW DECADES, WE’VE SEEN A MUCH BIGGER ACCEPTANCE WITHIN OUR NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES OF OUR TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE. AND SEEING THAT PEOPLE ARE STANDING UP FOR THEM, MAKING SPACES, AND PROTECTING THEM, WHICH IS NICE TO SEE AND VERY HOPEFUL FOR US THAT A LOT OF TRIBES AND INDIVIDUAL NATIONS STA RECOGNIZING THEIR LGBT PLUS QUEER MEMBERS AND THEIR RIGHT AND THEIR IDENTITIES. ADRIAN: WE’VE LEARNED THAT WE CAN CHANGE THE OPINION ALMOST WHAT PEOPLE MAY THINK TWO SPIRIT IS AND THEN WHEN THEY SEE US AND HOW WE CARRY OURSELVES AND HOW WE REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY. SEAN: BE PROUD. BE TRUE. KEEP DANCING. SOLEDAD: THE PAINTING OF ADRIAN AND SEAN WAS DONE BY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST DEREK NO-SUN BROWN.

How a Two-Spirit Couple is Breaking Barriers in their Native American Community

A young two-spirit couple in Nevada is redefining cultural norms in their Native American community. Adrian Stevens and Sean Snyder are competitive sweetheart dancers, taking part in a celebration previously reserved for heterosexual couples at Native pow-wows. They share their story of radical self-acceptance.

A young two-spirit couple in Nevada is redefining cultural norms in their Native American community. Adrian Stevens and Sean Snyder are competitive sweetheart dancers, taking part in a celebration previously reserved for heterosexual couples at Native pow-wows. They share their story of radical self-acceptance.


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