Lily Gladstone Is Not Two-Spirit. They Just Use Rolling Pronouns

Quispe López
·2 min read

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Under the Bridge star Lily Gladstone took to X on Thursday to clarify and educate people about the intersection of their indigeneity and queerness. Gladstone, who is Blackfeet and Nimíipuu, told People during a December 2023 interview they use she/they pronouns. Some people online took that to mean the actor is Two-Spirit, which she is not.

“As a Two-Spirit person, where and when did Lily Gladstone say they were part of our community?,” Yuè Begay, a Diné Two-Spirit organizer and advocate, wrote on X. “Y’all took some words they said and 🏳️ academic’d it to mean Two Spirit.”

“She’s absolutely right. I wasn’t aware of this but I found what she’s talking about and it bothers me too,” Gladstone wrote, resharing Begay’s post. “Two Spirit is not a catch all term for 🌈; it’s way more specific […] I’m not Two Spirit: I use nonbinary pronouns.”

For those who are unfamiliar, Two-Spirit is not a term that is interchangeable with nonbinary. It is an umbrella term that specifically refers to Indigenous gender variant people who hold specific roles in their communities across Turtle Island (North America) and Abya Yala (South America).

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Prior to colonization, gender-variant people were often revered in their communities, commonly responsible for maintaining sacred traditions — but centuries of European imperialism and persecution forced many Two-Spirit people to carry out their duties in secret. The term Two-Spirit was coined in the 1990s by Native activists as a way to describe these specific identities and roles under one banner, from Diné Nádleehí to Quechua Qariwarmi. The phrase itself is a translation of an Anishinaabemowin term “niizh manidoowag,” which directly translates to “two spirits.”

Because Two-Spirit refers to specific cultural roles within Native communities, it is not the same as being Indigenous and trans, or Indigenous and nonbinary, or Indigenous and queer. While Two-Spirit people can also be trans, queer, or nonbinary, being Two-Spirit is its own category of identity. It’s also important to note, non-Native people cannot be Two-Spirit, as it is a culturally specific identity.

Just because Gladstone is Indigenous and uses rolling pronouns does not mean they are Two-Spirit. That Gladstone had to correct this to the public is an important reminder to never assume someone’s identity.

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Originally Appeared on them.

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