Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people have always been leaders. Their leadership has existed in families, Nations, ceremonies, advocacy, education, land-based work and community care for generations. During Indigenous History Month in June, it is important to recognize not only their historic contributions, but also the powerful leadership they continue to show today.
June is also Pride Month, making this an important time to honour the experiences, identities and leadership of Two-Spirit people.
What is Two-Spirit?
Two-Spirit is an Indigenous term used by some First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Native people to describe people who carry diverse gender, sexual, spiritual and/or social identities. It comes from teachings that Two-Spirit people may carry both masculine and feminine spirits and were often respected as visionaries, healers, medicine people, teachers, artists, and important community members.
Today, the term is also connected to Indigenous people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, third/fourth gender or gender-diverse, while still being rooted in Indigenous culture, spirituality and community rather than only Western 2SLGBTQIA+ labels.
Two-Spirit people hold distinct roles within many Indigenous communities, and the term reflects Indigenous understandings of gender, sexuality, spirituality, kinship and community that existed long before colonial systems attempted to erase them.
Recognizing Two-Spirit leadership during both Indigenous History Month and Pride Month reminds us that Indigenous history, gender diversity and cultural resurgence are deeply connected. It also means recognizing belonging and the right of all Indigenous people to live fully and safely as themselves.
Too often, leadership is reduced to formal titles, public positions or visible recognition. However, Indigenous leadership has long included care, teaching, protection, organizing, language preservation, cultural guidance and relationship building. These forms of leadership support the well-being, survival and strength of communities.
Community care as leadership
Indigenous womens’ leadership has often taken place in both visible and quiet ways. It can be seen in public advocacy and movement building, but also in mentorship, caregiving, cultural teachings and holding communities together.
Indigenous girls and young people continue to carry this strength forward. They are leading in schools, families, youth groups, community organizations, cultural spaces and online platforms.
Their voices remind us that leadership does not only belong to adults or those in formal positions. Young people are already shaping conversations about identity, justice, belonging and the future.
Two-Spirit people also continue to reclaim and affirm roles disrupted by colonialism. Their leadership is grounded in identity, care, community vision and the ongoing work of creating safer and more inclusive spaces.
Justice, healing and resistance
Across generations, Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people have organized for justice and healing. It is important that Indigenous History Month does not speak about Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people only through stories of suffering. While it is necessary to acknowledge the impacts of colonialism, gender-based violence, displacement and systemic injustice, their stories are also those of brilliance, strength, protection, creativity and vision. They have not only survived. They have led, built, taught, resisted and transformed communities.
For Two-Spirit people, this leadership also includes reclaiming space within communities, institutions and public conversations. Colonialism imposed rigid gender roles and attempted to erase Indigenous understandings of gender diversity. Today, Two-Spirit people challenge those harms by affirming identity, restoring cultural knowledge and creating spaces where future generations can feel seen, valued and protected.
Honouring living leadership
The overlap of Indigenous History Month and Pride Month offers an opportunity to reflect on whose leadership is recognized and whose stories are uplifted. Honouring Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people means recognizing that their contributions are not limited to the past.
Reconciliation must include gender justice, safety and belonging for Two-Spirit and 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous people. Celebrating Pride without recognizing Indigenous histories can leave out the specific experiences of Two-Spirit people. Recognizing Indigenous History Month without uplifting Two-Spirit people can also leave important parts of Indigenous leadership, identity and resurgence unseen.
Indigenous women and Two-Spirit leadership reminds us that community care is not separate from political change. Supporting one another, protecting culture, creating safer spaces and uplifting future generations are all forms of leadership. This June, we should honour Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people not only for what they have done in the past, but for what they continue to do every day. Their leadership is living, necessary and transformative.