b'"What do you need? How can we help you?"The panel, Often Forgotten & UnderservedPopulations: Voices of Two-Spirit & LGBTQ+ What does Two-SpiritYouth Panel, was one of many at the 2022OJJDP Tribal Youth National Conference. mean?But the impact on the community members "Two-Spirit refers to someone who isin attendance was uniquely palpable; this is Native and expresses their gendera conversation that needs to be prioritized identity or spiritual identity inand voices that need to be heard.indigenous, non-Western ways. The sessions structure was straightforward; This term can only be applied to aeach of the three youth participants - person who is Native. A Two-SpiritTahatunhahelahawi Rayan Arnold (Oneida person has specific traditional roles andNation of Wisconsin, Menominee, responsibilities within their tribe.Potawatomi, & Stockbridge-Munsee,Not all Native LGBTQ people identify asidentifies as transgender & queer), Misty Two-Spirit."Sandoval (Navajo & Seminole, identifies asfemale & lesbian) and Blue Stratig (Lake To learn more, click the link below or visitManitoba First Nation, identifies as non- the resource section at the end of thebinary) - provided their reflections on a article.series of questions including, among others:How do you identify? If you prefer to use Source: Gender-Diverse Provider 101, Northwestpronouns, which ones? How has it been Portland Area Indian Health Board.growing up as a young adult who identifiesas Two-Spirit (2S) or Native LGBTQ+? As acommunity: how can we better serve youth Between comments, as panelist Misty Sandovalwho identify as Two-Spirit (2S) or Native summarized after the Conference, Tribal YouthLGBTQ+?Resource Center Consultant Lenny Hayes wasable to give statistics during the panel thatIn turn, each of the youth spoke, sharing show the harsh reality many of these youths gostories, reflections, and suggestions with through to feel accepted and to survive intheir audience based on their personal todays society. She continued, [ourexperiences and their own learning. The perspectives on] topics such as discrimination,youth held space and held hands during the intentional inclusion, pro-nouns and genders,sessions more emotionally weighted sexual education, mental health, overall health,moments, offering a model of compassion and personal experiences were expressedand active listening for the attendees, all of during this panel. The feedback on the panelwhom remained visibly engaged and spoke for itself, as attendees wrote in theiremotionally invested for the entirety of the evaluation what many said during the Q&A 90 minutes.15'