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Dear Relatives, I am trying to reconnect with my Choctaw culture. I’m transgender and I want to feel like a whole woman and a whole person. Do you have any advice?

Hi there, Halito relative! Yakoke for writing in – I always get a lil extra excited when I see other Choctaws reach out 🙂 Let’s see where I can support you! I definitely want to acknowledge what youv’e written, because there’s so much there – goodness. I want to give…
Answered by Cousin Asia
Topics: 2SLGBTQ, Identity, Intolerance, Mental Health, Spirituality

Hi, I have a difficulty with one of my teachers at school. She often puts down my religion by comparing it to other Abrahamic religions and talks about in in an unflattering light. In my country, my religion is the majority but in my opinion, faces a lot of bigotry, more so than the minorities. We don’t have control over our religious sites, we can’t endorse schools based on our religion, and we are often portrayed as fascist when I can guarantee that we are the furthest from that label. I want to confront my teacher and tell her how her misinformed and one sided statements are offensive, not only to me but to other students of my religion as well. However I don’t want to be seen as a bigot, or rigid in my beliefs. This is difficult since majority of my peer group are exposed to media that deliberately manipulates information to distort my religion, which is indigenous to my country and has survived both the Mughal Invasion as well as the British Empire. Can I have some advice on how to make my stance and concerns clear without being labelled as a bigot?

Hey there! Thank you for writing in and I hope you were able to find a caring adult who could help you specifically  with that question. I’ve been thinking about your question and I feel like we can break this down into two fundamental issues: first, how to deal when…
Answered by Auntie Jane
Topics: Education, Intolerance, Spirituality

I’m a 19 year old Two-Spirit who identifies as male. For me to feel comfortable I cut my hair because growing up even on my Rez girls had long hair and unless you have “Native hair” boys have short hair. I want to grow my hair but I don’t want my tribes people to start calling me female names/pronouns. Any tips?

Greetings! First off, congratulations on reaching such clarity in your gender identity. It can take people years, well into adulthood, to understand our genders given how little gender diversity we tend to be taught about at a young age. For me, I have found that the way people perceive my…
Answered by Cousin Itai
Topics: 2SLGBTQ, Identity, Intolerance, Spirituality

I recently found out I’m 1/8th Indigenous on my mom’s side and want to learn more about my tribe. When I ask my mom, she says I’m not enough blood quantum and should learn about ALL indigenous cultures rather than our specific tribe (which she won’t tell me) if I’m interested. Even when I ask for other family’s contact info, it’s a toss up on whether or not they’ll even acknowledge me because I’m trans. What do I do?

Greetings! First off, congratulations on reaching such clarity in your gender identity. It can take people years, well into adulthood, to understand our genders given how little gender diversity we tend to be taught about at a young age. While I know that some people in our society may never…
Topics: Identity, Intolerance, Life Tips, Non-Native Allies

Why are Native Americans offended by the use of school Mascots like “Indians” where it’s used as a symbol of pride, strength, good luck, and lifelong connection among alumni? No disrespect is, or was, ever intended. Some schools have had mascots like this for over 50 years and now there are efforts to destroy them and the memories and history they represent. Why?

Thanks for writing in! This is such a great and timely question. For me, it’s a matter of individual perspective. When we group people and say that all Native Americans are offended by mascots it is incorrect. When we see people as a group, it takes away from knowing that…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Activism, Intolerance, Life Tips, Non-Native Allies
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