Tumwater City Mayor Debbie Sullivan signed a proclamation on Tuesday, June 6, recognizing this month as LGBTQIA2S+ Community Pride Month.
For the first time in the city’s history, this year’s proclamation recognizes two-spirit people, represented by “2S” in LGBTQIA2S+, with the rest of the term standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities.
Two-spirit, though defined differently by tribal nations, is a term used by some indigenous North Americans who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits.
Natalie Coblentz, president of the non-profit Capital City Pride, was at the proclamation to thank the city council for the recognition.
“With an abundance of gratitude for the tremendous honor, I'm absolutely tickled pink standing here before you representing a community that celebrates love and acceptance and unapologetic self-expression,” Coblentz said.
Coblentz also talked about the Capital City Pride March on July 1 which would start at the Tivoli Foundation in the Capitol Campus and end at Percival Landing.
Tumwater’s Pride Month proclamation recalls the city’s historical actions toward recognizing the rights of queer people.
The proclamation mentioned that in 1993, the city included provisions in its unfair housing practices laws protecting people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In 1997, the city also became the smallest city in the country to grant domestic partnership benefits to its employees. The city has since granted the same benefits to all its residents.
Pride Month is usually celebrated in June to celebrate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which is held as a tipping point in the gay rights movement of the country.
EDITORS NOTE: To read about Two Spirit people from the indigenous perspective and source, here is an article from the Indian Country Today archives.
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Southsoundguy
How many more letters will get packed in there?
Thursday, June 8, 2023 Report this
FordPrefect
“Two-spirit, though defined differently by tribal nations, is a term used by some indigenous North Americans who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits.”
Can anyone cite this? Caveat: It must be a reference which was written by someone from WITHIN the tribal nations.
Is this an example of newspeak?
Thursday, June 8, 2023 Report this
FordPrefect
LGBTQIA2S
2 B GASLIT?
Thursday, June 8, 2023 Report this
Joehardy
When will MAP get added to the ever increasing acronyms of nonsense?
Thursday, June 8, 2023 Report this
WayTooOld
Thank you for this, especially the link to the Indian Country Today article at editor’s note. It’s fascinating how different cultures react to the varieties of human expression. What is denigrated in one can be venerated by another.
Friday, June 9, 2023 Report this
Kruz81
Thanks for wasting tax money, and time on this insanity. Great honor? How, natives used this term way before the outcasts stole it.
Friday, June 9, 2023 Report this
AugieH
"Two-spirit, though defined differently by tribal nations, is a term used by some indigenous North Americans who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits."
Does that mean, like, the genotype XY?
Friday, June 9, 2023 Report this