Before the European settlers arrived, Native American nations included, indeed they welcomed, their lesbian, gay, and gender-queer people.
We know this is true because not only do many Native nations today still recognize and honor their LGBTQ people, but there are literally thousands of words in Native languages that acknowledge various gender identities and sexual orientations in both neutral and positive lights. Also, LGBTQ deities/spiritual beings are featured in many ancient, sacred Creation stories and in traditional teaching stories. That's a lot of evidence across centuries of time and from nations all over Turtle Island! Furthermore, we know for certain that the European settler military leaders and religious leaders also knew that LGBTQ Native Americans held esteemed roles in their nations because they deliberately sought them out for attack and "conversion," even murder.
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