In 1990, Elder Myra Laramee, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, introduced the term “two-spirit” during the Third Annual Intertribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference held in Winnipeg, Canada. This term acknowledges the gender-nonconforming and LGBTQ+ Indigenous ancestors who have been around since pre-colonial times and continue to exist..
Over 100 attendees filed into the First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana on Monday night to hear Chief Henry Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota Nation deliver a lecture about sustainable housing programs for Indigenous nations. The event was co-sponsored by the First Mennonite Church and the American Indian Studies Program. Red Cloud was recently featured.