Member Education Sessions: Uniting Queer Voices in Solidarity

Angel C. Fabian, MD MNA (he/she/they) in ceremonial spaces known as Tlahuizpapalotl (Butterfly of Light) is the current Executive Director of BAAITS.  They are a person in recovery, an immigrant, a curanderx, Two-Spirit/IndigiQueer, Ben'Zaa (Zapotecx) manager/administrator, clinician and cultural bearer. Their life experience has enabled them to connect, advocate with/for, uplift and celebrate community members from all walks of life.  Professionally, they possess a 25+ year history of progressive direct social and clinical service, administration, supervision, management, community organizing, advocacy and policy experience across a range of settings, including foundations, community-based organizations, community health centers, public health departments, grassroots organization and community collectives.  Angel holds a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Doctorate in Medicine from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara.  For the past 20 years, connected to their journey in recovery, Angel has been able to reconnect and become an active member of their indigenous communities (Ben’Zaa (Zapotec) and Mexica).

Elton is of the Near to the Water People Clan, born for the Edge Water People Clan, his maternal grandfather’s clan is of the Mexican People, his paternal grandfather’s clan is of the Tangle People, this is how he is Navajo, Dine. He is originally from Whitehorse Lake, New Mexico, on the Navajo Reservation and resides in Denver, Colorado.

Elton is the Executive Director of Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Center for Equity, a national non-profit to address the needs for advocacy, resources, violence prevention, and healing in the 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Letkwu Moore Stanger of the Colville Confederated Tribes is a third-year student in the Native Environmental Science program at Northwest Indian College. They were in the 2023-2024 Native Youth Grantmakers Cohort and have since joined the board for the Nature Immersion Program as a board secretary in training. Their position gives them an opportunity to use the knowledge about the grant application process that they gained as a Native Youth Grantmaker. 

Currently, they are interning for the US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Soil Conservation Trainee. This experience will enable them to help growers with small operations by becoming a certified conservation planner, which they hope to use by working for their Tribe’s Natural Resource Conservation office or at a local conservation district. To advocate for the Indigenous way of life, they joined the NextGen Salmon Collective, a student-led division of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition. Their team works together to advocate to the states, tribes, and federal agencies for the removal of the Lower Snake River Dams. 

Being a part of NYG 23/24 taught them to show up and ask questions because philanthropy is complex. They are currently focused on learning how funding works in agriculture, natural resources, higher education, and philanthropy in Indian country through their work as a college student, intern, and volunteer.

Sheldon is a two-spirit man who has worked with the Montana Two-Spirit Society since summer 2022. He moved to Missoula in 2013 to go to school for psychology, focusing on learning trauma-informed care. They worked in Tribal Social Services on his home reservation as well as for Partnership for Children for over 5 years, becoming the Senior Attachment Counselor by the time of his departure. Their experience working with Native children has led him to strive to create safe spaces for two-spirit youth and adults to occupy and thrive. His passion lies with creating partnerships within the community to provide programming, opportunities, and support for the two-spirit community he serves through his work with the Montana Two Spirit Society and the Gay Health Task Force. Their other passions include taking the time to dabble in new creative hobbies such as crochet, sewing, music making, and singing whenever he gets the chance.

Shandiin was born and raised on Diné Bikeyah, filtering through many different towns on the Navajo Nation during her childhood. She currently lives on traditional Ohlone and Esselen lands, now recognized as the Monterey Bay in California.

Her community has guided her professional work, where she has focused on supporting Indigenous-led nonprofits in communication and development roles, working with grassroots organizations like Yee Há’olníi Dóo or larger legacy organizations like the Association on American Indian Affairs.

With a deep appreciation for traveling and learning from new perspectives, she is grateful to have spent three years studying in France for her Bachelor of Arts in journalism and global communications. She continues to freelance as a journalist with work published through Navajo Times, Peacock Plume, and Changing Womxn Collective.