“Women and 2spirits”: On the Marginalization of Transgender Indigenous People in Activist Rhetoric

Abstract

The phrase “women and 2spirits” has become increasingly popular in Indigenous gender-related activism, often noted through the expansion of the hashtag for missing and murdered Indigenous people to #MMIWG2. This article uses the phrase as a jumping-off point to think about how transgender Indigenous people remain marginalized even in feminist, queer, and Indigenous activist spaces. Emphasizing the scholarship of Indigenous trans women, the article argues that rhetorical exclusion has tangible negative impacts on transgender Indigenous people. The writing and activism of such individuals offers solutions that center decolonial love and interpersonal care work as sites for transforming gender relations in Indigenous communities.