Long before colonization deemed them an abomination, non-binary/trans people were highly respected within many Indigenous tribes across the Americas. Collectively referred to as two spirits, they were not only celebrated for their uniqueness but considered essential to ceremonies and tribes’ very spiritualities. Unfortunately, trans people today more often live under a dark cloud of prejudice. Adrian Jawort leads a conversation about what American society can learn from Indigenous peoples about acceptance and respect of two spirits people. Jawort talks about the history of two-spirit people in Montana and present-day two-spirit experiences in order to create a path forward for all LGBTQ2S folks.

Adrian L. Jawort is a Billings-based Northern Cheyenne journalist and fiction writer, and current political director and lobbyist for Indigenous Vote.

Funding for the Montana Conversations program is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.

For more information or to receive a Zoom invitation, please call 406-723-3361.