Member Education Sessions: Two-Spirit & Indigenous LGBTQIA+ Experiences

Since time immemorial, many Indigenous cultures have acknowledged more than two genders and diversity of sexuality in their societies. While not all cultures celebrated this diversity, some Tribes held these individuals as sacred roles in their cultures and communities. However, European colonizers condemned any variance from a gender binary or heterosexual identity and used this as an additional reason to demonize Indigenous peoples. Today, the effects of this bias and hate continue to impact the health and safety of our Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQIA+ relatives. Our moderator, Stephine Poston(Pueblo of Sandia), and philanthropic changemakers, Erik Stegman (Carry the Kettle First Nation Nakoda), Lenny Hayes (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), and Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee Nation), discuss how philanthropy can work differently to better support our Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQIA+ relatives.

Watch the broadcast now on NAP’s YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to the NAP YouTube channel for more informative and important resources on Native communities.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:  Erik Stegman (Carry the Kettle First Nation Nakoda) (he/him) CEO, Native Americans in Philanthropy  Erik (he/him) serves as Chief Executive Officer of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national organization advocating for stronger and more meaningful investments by the philanthropic sector in Tribal communities. Previously, he served as the Executive Director for the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute. He has held positions at the Center for American Progress on their Poverty to Prosperity team, as Majority Staff Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and in the Obama administration as a Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. Erik began his career in Washington, D.C. at the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. Erik holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, an M.A. in American Indian Studies from UCLA’s Graduate Division, and a B.A. from Whittier College.

Lenny Hayes (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate)  Co-Chair, SWIWC Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Advisory Council Lenny Hayes, MA, is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the northeast corner of South Dakota. Lenny is also the owner and operator of Tate Topa Consulting, LLC, and is currently in private practice specializing in Marriage Family Therapy. Lenny has extensive training in mental and chemical health issues that impact the Two-Spirit/Native LGBTQ and Native community. Lenny has traveled nationally and locally training and presenting on the issues that impact both the Two-Spirit/Native LGBTQ individual and community. These issues include the Impact of Historical and Intergenerational Trauma on this population, violence of all forms, child welfare issues, and the Impact of Sexual Violence and Human Trafficking on Men and Boys which is a topic that is rarely discussed. Lenny is the former Missing and Murdered Two-Spirit Project Assistant for Sovereign Bodies Institute. Lenny is also a 2020 graduate of the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy Cohort 5.

REBECCA NAGLE (Cherokee Nation) (she/her) SWIWC Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Advisory Council Rebecca Nagle is a citizen of Cherokee Nation and a two-spirit/queer woman. Nagle is an award-winning journalist and activist focused on culture, Native representation in media, and policy change. Known for her podcast This Land, which focuses on issues affecting Tribal sovereignty, she is the recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize, Women’s Media Center’s Exceptional Journalism Award, numerous awards from the Native American Journalist Association, and is a 2021 Peabody Nominee. Nagle’s writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Indian Country Today (ICT), and more. As the co-founder of FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture and The Monument Quilt, Nagle has also been a leader in advocacy for the Violence Against Women Act.  Nagle lives in Tahlequah, OK where she also works in language preservation and revitalization for her Tribe. Among other leadership roles, she currently serves on the SWIWC Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Advisory Council.

MODERATOR: STEPHINE "STEPH" POSTON (Pueblo of Sandia) (she/her) President & CEO, Poston & Associates, LLC “Steph” was born and raised on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation. She worked for her Tribe for eleven years before launching Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm. Steph’s expertise includes strategic facilitation, capacity-building training, leadership development, strategic communication, and event planning. She has worked with numerous Tribes and Tribal entities in New Mexico and throughout Indian Country on public relations and marketing campaigns, sacred site protection, voter empowerment, water rights, Tribal policy development, economic development, education, and healthcare.  She is a co-founder of Native Women Lead and is the current Chairwoman of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts which hosts Indian Market.