This is something that I don’t have serious right to speak on, intend to ask others who have slightly more right to speak on it once I get up to being able to use tumblr reliably again, but needs to at least be brought up.
Two-Spirit is a term I’ve seen used in the multiple community. I believe it generally refers to two-person multiple systems, hence the “two” in “two-spirit”. Two spirits in one body.
However, this is also a term that’s used by indigenous people of the Americans. When it comes to gender, the case is pretty cut and dry. If you aren’t a native person, and this is more than just having a tiny percentage of blood, don’t use it. Just don’t. Also, while we’re on the subject, don’t wear a headdress, okay?
But when it comes to this… nngh. As I said, this isn’t something I have a right to speak on. I don’t know if two-spirit implies the “person” is a multiple system or if it’s just a gender. If it implies a multiple system, I don’t know if it’s okay for non-native systems to use it (and what about when a member is a native but the rest aren’t?). And even if it’s just a gender, I don’t know if it’s okay for multiple systems to use it. I want to ask other people and will come back when I have more info. But this is at least something that I think needs to be brought up and people need to be aware of the connotations of the term when using it or thinking about using it.
Our personal take: knowing what we know about it, and being white, we wouldn’t use “two-spirit,” even in a multiple context. (Also seeing as how there’s three of us…*cough* moving on!)
It does have a nice ring to it, so we can see where it would be tempting to apply it to a system– BUT surely with some creativity, another simple, meaningful term or phrase that is just as good at describing the situation at hand without appropriating from other cultures could be created?