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Comment by C19is20 | Hacker News Reader

Explain like I'm 5?

Two Spirit is a broad, generic term for 'Queer' that existed among native peoples pre-colonialisation.

The commenter indicating that it's 'A Vancouver' thing is not quite right: it's broadly an Aboriginal issue, not just an issue of the West Coast tribes. That said, the commenter is correct in that it's more sensitive issue among the Woke Left in the Vancouver area as it's part of their social consensus lingo.

I suggest if you live in Canada, it's probably something to be aware of as this language will show up in institutions in the East as well.

Despite my reluctance around the kinds of groups running these programs, in the United States sadly there seems to be no effort at all to support Aboriginals as part of the core minorities, in lieu of other groups. And so I don't think we'll see this language on MSNBC anytime soon, though I wish there was more attention to this group as a whole.

Good explanation, I havent experienced all of Canada but did notice that indigenous representation efforts in BC at least spillover into the rest of the pacific northwest, as the various indigenous cultures there already span across the national border, and some have special rights and IDs from both nations to cross and work.

How thats evolved seems very different from (and frankly incompatible with) the US side.

Are you a biological woman that enjoys hunting? Two-Spirit.

Are you a biological man that enjoys maintaining a household? Two-Spirit.

It is an indigenous cultural construct for allowing variation in gender constructs.

So tomboys get special treatment?

that was just a simplified example. they're basically saying you don't need gender dysmorphia to occassionally act like another gender because the genders aren't binary to begin with. something more easily acceptable in a culture that never adopted the binary concept.

its more analogous to nonbinary. the rest of us that care to validate this just say nonbinary. the people that aren't trying to take hormones to pass as a different gender, but wish to be called "they" anyway

The opposite, if you think about it for a minute… (Traditionally)

It means you can ignore it unless you live in Vancouver. It isn’t related to the broader gay rights community, but masquerades as being something to be aware of, but is only relevant to the long existing cultures in that area.

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