The 2S Sub-Working Group
“Are Two-Spirit[ed people] understood as only marginalized or are they also understood as leaders, role models and gifted with Indigenous Teachings?
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The 2S Sub-Working Group recognizes that the absence of an intersectional lens has excluded the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members from national inquiries and commissions such as the
NIMMIWG and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.40 Further, colonialism has entailed the imposition of Western gender norms through the Indian Act, residential schools and other colonial systems. The 2S Sub-Working Group identified a need to develop a Two-Spirit specific gender-based analysis tool to ensure that the realities of our Two-Spirit and Indiqueer relatives are reflected and fully incorporated into this action plan and to address the exclusion as a missed opportunity to describe the imposition of binary gender identities onto Indigenous people.
Sylvia Maracle
Sylvia Maracle (Skonaganleh:ra), a Two-Spirit Mohawk from the Wolf Clan in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territories, has dedicated her career to Indigenous support through her longstanding involvement with Friendship Centres, notably serving as Executive Director for 41 years. She has held leadership roles in various organizations, including Native Child and Family Services of Toronto and the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto, and has been actively involved in anti-violence and housing strategies within Ontario. Maracle has contributed to national initiatives like the Aboriginal Headstart Program and was a founding co-chair of 2 Spirits in Motion, advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous communities. Her efforts have been recognized with honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from several universities. Maracle emphasizes the importance of authentic representation, governance changes, and policy support for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, driven by a vision of reclaiming space and advancing their rights and well-being.
Albert Beck
Albert has spent the past twenty-five years applying his expertise in health, social policy, and human rights to address Indigenous issues in Canada. His work spans frontline services, program and policy development, research, advisory roles, public education, and administration. He has spearheaded national initiatives focused on HIV/AIDS, the 2S-LGBTTQQIAAP community, gender-based violence, and the Sixties Scoop. Albert is deeply involved in developing the MMIWG National Action Plan, emphasizing the inclusion of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. He advocates for systemic changes to protect these communities, emphasizing their essential roles in ceremonies, decision-making, and cultural preservation. Albert's efforts aim to halt the violence against 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals and ensure their voices are heard, advocating for a future where their contributions and rights are fully recognized and respected.
Albert McLeod
Albert McLeod, a Status Indian with roots in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the Métis community of Norway House, Manitoba, has a family history intertwined with the fur trade and the Hudson’s Bay Company. After growing up in Cormorant and The Pas, he moved to Vancouver in 1979, where he joined Canada's first Two-Spirit organization, the Greater Vancouver Native Cultural Society. McLeod later helped organize Winnipeg's first Two-Spirit group, the Nichiwakan Native Gay Society, and participated in the inaugural international Two-Spirit gathering in 1988, attending nineteen out of thirty-two such gatherings since. With over thirty years as a human rights and HIV/AIDS activist, he co-founded the Two-Spirited People of Manitoba and served as director of the Manitoba Aboriginal AIDS Task Force. In 2018, the University of Winnipeg awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Laws. Now based in Winnipeg, McLeod works as a consultant focusing on Indigenous knowledge, cultural reclamation, and cross-cultural training. He reflects on the challenges faced by Two-Spirit people during his youth and his commitment to contributing to a National Action Plan, emphasizing the importance of survival and advocacy for future generations.
Paulete Poitras
Paulete “Paulie” Poitras (she/they) is the Executive Director of 2 Spirits in Motion Society (2SiMS), the national organization advancing the rights, wellness, and visibility of Two-Spirit and Indigenous 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples across Turtle Island. A Dakota/Cree leader from Muscowpetung First Nation (Treaty 4), Paulete brings deep experience in front-line advocacy, harm reduction, and community organizing. Since 2022, she has expanded national partnerships, culture- and ceremony-informed programming, and youth leadership initiatives—connecting Two-Spirit people to culture, safety, and opportunity. Grounded in ceremony and creative practice, Paulete is a sought-after speaker and advocate committed to ensuring Two-Spirit kin are safe, seen, and celebrated through meaningful, community-led change.
Suzanne Barry
Suzanne is the Manager of Community Connection and Wellness with the Wabanaki Two Spirit Alliance (W2SA), representing 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across Wabanaki territory. A proud Mi’kmaq Two-Spirit mother and grandmother based in St. George’s, NL, she brings over 20 years of trauma-informed experience as a social worker, Certified Indigenous Addiction Counsellor, and Assessment Specialist. Suzanne also runs a private counselling practice supporting Two-Spirit and Indigenous individuals and families through culturally grounded, intersectional care.
Guided by Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing), her work integrates Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, and land-based teachings with Western and complementary healing approaches. She also serves as Executive Director of Sipuk Indigenous Support Services Inc., advancing advocacy, cultural safety, and community support for Two-Spirit people and Indigenous women. Rooted in family and community, Suzanne’s leadership centers compassion, cultural integrity, and holistic healing for future generations.Mathew Fleury
Mathew Fleury is a proud Citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation and an interdisciplinary scholar advancing Indigenous health, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, substance use, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ wellness. With training in psychology, Indigenous social work, and population health sciences, he is completing a PhD at Simon Fraser University, bridging Indigenous methodologies, queer theory, and biomedical science.
Mathew leads research and evaluation at Kílala Lelum Health and Wellness Cooperative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, supporting the development of an Indigenous Wellness and Resource Hub and culturally specific clinical guidelines. He collaborates with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and contributes to community-based research initiatives. A professor in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Mathew is also co-founder of the Naut sa mawt Research Institute of Psychedelic Medicine, a member of the Two-Spirit Dry Lab, and serves nationally on the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Committee and as an Ambassador with the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.Kara Louttit
Kara Louttit (they/them) is a Senior Policy Analyst with the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), advancing urban Indigenous policy on UNDRIP implementation, MMIWG2S+ safety, justice, and languages. Omushkego/Mushkegowuk-Eeyou Cree, Two-Spirit, trans, and queer, Kara grounds their work in lived experience and ceremony while bringing rigorous analysis to federal and intergovernmental tables.
At NAFC, they represent urban Indigenous perspectives at national convenings and lead policy dialogues with regions and member Centres. Previously, Kara worked on the front lines of justice and remembrance as a Gladue Services worker with the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre and as an organizer with Walking With Our Sisters, the national commemorative installation honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people.Jordy Ironstar
Jordy Ironstar (they/them) is a Two-Spirit Nakoda Oyadé and member of Carry the Kettle First Nation, with family roots in the Saulteaux and Prettysheild lineages of their grandfather Arnold Saulteaux and the Ironstar and O’watch lineages of their grandmother Verna Ironstar. Based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Jordy works with the 2 Spirits in Motion Society and is co-founder of the 2 Spirits Alliance of Saskatchewan.
For nearly a decade, Jordy has led grassroots organizing, advocacy, and education for 2S/LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous communities. Their work examines the social determinants of health through the cultural lens of Nakón-wįcóȟ’ąge (the Nakoda way of life). Since 2023, Jordy has served as Saskatchewan representative on the MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Committee and, since 2025, has supported its research sub-committee. Across regional, provincial, and national tables, Jordy advances community-informed solutions for First Nations peoples.
Ashleigh Cardinal
Ashleigh Cardinal (she/they) is a Two-Spirit Nehiyaw (Cree) artist, educator, and community advocate from Whitefish Lake First Nation #128 (Treaty 6), now based in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton). Their work weaves cultural revitalization, harm reduction, and abundance-based community development to create safer, more welcoming spaces for 2S/Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ peoples. A longtime leader with the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society (E2S) and former Co-Chair of its Board, Ashleigh is also a multidisciplinary artist and traditional hand-poke tattoo practitioner focused on healing, identity, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. Grounded in ceremony and reciprocity, they mentor emerging leaders and design culture-informed workshops that turn commitment into meaningful community action.
Maxine Issiqut Angoo
Maxine Issiqut Angoo (she/her) is an Inuk community leader from Whale Cove, Nunavut, now based on Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg). She is the founding member and Executive Director of Tunngasugit Inuit Resource Centre, advancing culture-centred programs, youth engagement, and supports for urban Inuit families. A proud Inuk cultural educator, Maxine shares Inuit games, language, and traditions and is frequently called on to advise institutions on Inuit well-being and partnership.
She has also contributed to the Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq as a project manager, connecting northern stories to the Visible Vault digital platform. Maxine serves on national and regional committees focused on Inuit suicide prevention and 2SLGBTQQIA+ advocacy. Across her work, she is grounded in Inuit knowledge, kinship, and self-determination.Jo-Marie Einish
Jo-Marie Einish (they/them) is a Cree-Naskapi Two-Spirit artist, storyteller, and entrepreneur from Whapmagoostui First Nation and the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach. Their work blends handmade, Indigenized products—soaps, candles, and wax melts—with community education rooted in 2SLGBTQQIA+ advocacy and Cree/Naskapi teachings.
A frequent speaker and facilitator, Jo-Marie has presented on Two-Spirit identity at gatherings and campuses and led creative workshops internationally, including at the Riddu Riđđu festival. In 2025, they received CNACA’s Artist Entrepreneur Award for merging Two-Spirit advocacy with a thriving creative business. As part of Two-Spirits of Eeyou Istchee, Jo-Marie advances visibility, safety, and celebration for 2S/Indigiqueer people, centering Indigenous joy, resilience, and community care in all they do.
Martin Morberg
Martin Morberg is a Two-Spirit Northern Tutchone and Tlingit man from the remote community of Mayo, Yukon Territory. He is a member of the Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. “It’s my goal to empower the lives and voices of Two-Spirit and Indigenous people affected by HIV and addictions while contributing to the visibility of these communities.” Much of Martin’s work and activism is rooted in community and grassroots initiatives and he acknowledges that many Indigenous leaders and community members have guided and supported him in growing into the activist he is today. He hopes to pay this knowledge and support forward to Indigenous communities and Two-Spirit people and contribute to the meaningful work and reclamation of Two-Spirit culture and identity. Martin is the Two-Spirit Program Coordinator at the Community-Based Research Centre.Methadology
American civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw first used the term “intersectionality” in the late 1980s. While there are different definitions of “intersectionality,” for Indigenous Peoples, definitions have evolved to reflect their unique learnings and experiences. In its broadest terms, intersectionality takes into account the impact of diverse factors such as race, class, sex, gender, residency, geography, ability and age as they apply to an individual or group. It also helps to develop a broader understanding of complex systems of discrimination and disadvantage. This understanding can support the development of policies tailored to the needs of those who experience discrimination. The combination of different systems of oppression against Indigenous women and girls, including the particular issues faced by 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in some Indigenous communities, can show us how systems, institutions, and individual actions further target individuals in other areas, including homelessness, poverty, and other circumstances that increase the dangers they may face.37 The relationship between Intersectionality and Indigeneity has also been documented by Sarah Hunt (Kwagiulth, Kwakwaka’wakw Nation) in a dialogue held in April 2012, on Coast Salish Territories. Hunt documents that Indigenous knowledge allows for diverse forms of knowledge to be valued, including the wisdom of elders, dreams and spiritual guides; relations that extend beyond humans to include other animals, the land, water and all living things. Indigenous languages are embedded with concepts reflecting the interconnectedness of all things. Some of these concepts translated into English include ‘all my relations’, ‘weaving the strands, and a web of community relations’.