Two-spirit

Also: 2-spirit, 2S

A modern, pan-Indigenous English umbrella term for the gender and sexual identities held within many Native American and First Nations cultures. It is specific to Indigenous people and is not a general LGBTQ+ or relationship-style label.

1 min read · Reviewed 2026-05-24

Two-spirit is an English umbrella term, adopted at a 1990 gathering of Indigenous people, for the diverse gender and sexual roles recognised across many — though not all — Native American and First Nations cultures, long predating European contact. Each nation has its own specific traditions and words; two-spirit serves as a shared term in English rather than a replacement for them. It can encompass gender role, spiritual role, and sexual orientation together, which is why it doesn't map neatly onto Western categories.

It appears here because two-spirit people may be part of non-monogamous and LGBTQ+ communities, and the identity is included in this site's inclusive taxonomy. The crucial point of respect is that two-spirit is specific to Indigenous people: it is not a general-purpose label for any non-binary or queer person, and using it outside that context is a form of appropriation the community has explicitly asked others to avoid.

For non-Indigenous readers, the right relationship to the term is to recognise it, understand that it carries cultural and spiritual meaning particular to Native communities, and defer to those communities on its use — rather than adopting it as a personal identity label.

Where this term fits in the wider picture

Ethical non-monogamy is a network of overlapping practices, identities, and structures — and Two-spirit connects to several of them. The neighbouring terms below show how this one sits alongside the rest of the vocabulary practitioners actually use; the guide at the end is the longer-form treatment of the same territory.

Closely-related vocabulary

Polyqueer
An identity and lens at the intersection of polyamory and queerness — naming how being both non-monogamous and LGBTQ+ shapes a person's relationships, communities, and the assumptions they navigate.
Chosen family
The network of people one treats as family by deliberate choice rather than by birth or marriage — a concept originating in queer community and widely embraced by polyamorous practice.
Queerplatonic relationship (QPR)
A committed, central relationship that doesn't fit the conventional romantic-or-just-friends binary — as serious and entangled as a partnership, but not defined by romance or sex.
Polyam
The community-preferred shortening of 'polyamorous' / 'polyamory,' increasingly used in place of 'poly' to avoid colliding with Polynesian people's reclaimed use of 'Poly.'
Relationship anarchy
An approach to relationships that rejects ranked hierarchies, prescriptive escalator scripts, and the assumption that romantic relationships should be valued above platonic ones.

Continue reading

The longer treatment of this territory is in the guide What is ethical non-monogamy? A clear primer for adults thinking it through — An honest, plain-language introduction to ethical non-monogamy — what it is, what it isn't, the configurations it covers, and the questions it asks of you.

New to ethical non-monogamy? Start with the glossary for vocabulary, the structures index for the named relationship configurations practitioners actually use, and the guides for longer-form treatment of the common questions.