Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country
by Brian Joseph Gilley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brian Joseph GilleyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-01
ISBN: 0803271263
Number of pages: 218
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Book Reviews of Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country
Book Review: A Male Eve Sedgwick
Summary: 4 Stars
The only reason why I'm bringing this up first is because he starts the book this way. The text begins with the author saying that he's straight. He noted that many proof-readers and Two-Spirit men themselves were skeptical of that claim, but others said his sexual orientation gives gay studies legitimacy and that he'll be viewed as "objective" unlike what would be supposed of gay researchers. I am surprised that while he goes out of his way to declare his heterosexuality, he never says anything about his whiteness. Like almost all Two-Spirit books, this one was written by a Caucasian person. (Others include Walter Williams, Lester Brown, Sabine Lang, Will Roscoe, and the list goes on.) I don't know why the author feels that his sexual orientation stands out, but his race doesn't. Some Indians, of all sexualities, have said, "Don't send us your anthropologists!" I highly doubt that Two-Spirits thought nothing of his race, but only of his sexual identity. The author really needs to freshen up on books being written about whiteness and white privilege.
The most powerful impression this book left upon me is that Two-Spiritedness concerns action and not just labeling. Previously, I thought any gay person with some Native ancestry could call themselves Two-Spirit. This book, however, talks of how a legitimate Two-Spirit person would learn of their tribe's customs and dedicate themselves to helping others in the tribe. This promotion of communal action will impress Native heterosexuals, I imagine.
This book touches upon many issues that non-Native gay men and lesbians of color face. When the book mentioned that Two Spirits often care for young people that are not their biological children, I thought of something similar stated in the book "One of the Children" about gay, African-American men. When it mentioned Two Spirits that "tone it down" among Native straights, I thought of what J.L. King said in his "Up from the Down Low" about the Black community. In "Global Divas," gay Pilipino men had drag contests and spoke a slang just as these Two Spirit men did.
This book details Native homophobia, for example, when a man said, "That mess doesn't need to be thrown in our faces" and gay white racism, for example, when a gay white man says, "If I hear one more drum!" Still, there was one scene that I thought could be seen not as prejudicially as the author imagines. The author recalls a biological woman who resented a transgendered Native dancing in female competitions. However, in "Paris Is Burning," competitors squabbled over trivial things. Remember when Dorian Corey said, "Did you see that gymnast disqualified from the Olympics because her coach was within a certain distance of her? That's shade!"? This anecdote just could have been Native shade, a person trying to win at all costs.
The author writes "non-gay" rather than "straight", and "non-Indian" rather than "white" (no other people of color are ever mentioned), so one has to read carefully. Though I purchased a new book, my page 11 was smeared, I hope other readers don't get defective copies. The author never mentions any bisexual men, though Two-Spirit author Terry Tafoya once wrote that many Two Spirits are bisexual. The author notes closeted Natives, but never says whether any of these men had wives. Bisexual activists may resent this.
Geographically, most Natives leave west of the MS River, so the focus on Oklahoma and Colorado makes sense. Still, the author teaches at a Northeastern university. It would have been nice to learn about Native, gay men from that region. Any gay Oneidas in New York? Gay Naragansett in Rhode Island? This book never says. Perhaps someone else can write a book covering that topic.
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