Collection

Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits Records

Span Dates: 1990-2000s
Bulk Dates:
Volume: 1.25 linear feet

Description

Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) is a volunteer organization whose self-described mission it is “to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural, and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people.” The collection consists of bylaws, administrative and financial records, meeting minutes, grant applications, materials relating to the organization’s yearly Two-Spirit Gatherings and similar events, newsletters, fliers, early website printouts, and related materials.

Hist/Bio Note

Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) is a volunteer organization whose self-described mission it is “to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural, and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people.” A volunteer organization, it offers “culturally relevant activities for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Native Americans, their families and friends. Two-Spirit refers to the commonly shared notion among many Native American tribes that some individuals naturally possessed and manifested both a masculine and feminine spiritual qualities. American society commonly identifies Two-Spirit People as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender.”

Finding Aid

There is an online finding aid on the Online Archives of California.
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8959qgd/

Location

This collection is housed at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco.
https://www.glbthistory.org

Tags

California | San Francisco | Two Spirit | Native American Spirituality