the 20th International Spiritual Gathering of GLBT Natives 2008

A Campaign for Native GLBT Funding Justice

Target:
Organized GLBT Philanthropy
Sponsored by: 

Two recent national philanthropy reports have released information indicating that Gay Funders contributed $37 million in one year to GLBT organizations across the United States.  Native American Two Spirit People, the poorest of all the GLBT communities, received only 4 small grants of about $2,500.  The average grant to gay organizations nationally is $16,000 a year.  Gay funders have a mission to serve all equally, but it's time for a summit with the Two Spirit People here in our ancestral domains to help the funders achieve their mission.  Two Spirit People have significant spiritual and ceremonial roles in our Native cultures, and Gay Philanthropy has a significant role to play in realizing a vision of funding-justice and social justice with our people.

Two recent national philanthropy reports have released information indicating that Gay Funders contributed $37 million in one year to GLBT organizations across the United States.  Native American Two Spirit People, the poorest of all the GLBT communities, received only 4 small grants of about $2,500.  The average grant to gay organizations nationally is $16,000 a year.  Gay funders have a mission to serve all equally, but it's time for a summit with the Two Spirit People here in our ancestral domains to help the funders achieve their mission.  Two Spirit People have significant spiritual and ceremonial roles in our Native cultures, and Gay Philanthropy has a significant role to play in realizing a vision of funding-justice and social justice with our people.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED
represent or support the appeal of the First People GLBT spiritual communities throughout Turtle Island.  Gay Philanthropy has a mission of social and economic justice, and Two Spirit Native People have ancient spiritual and social roles in our Native cultures as healers and dreamers.  We have goals in common and we admonish the funders in the spirit of healing to hear the voices of our people and join hands with us as humanity faces a future in great need of healing.
We know that organized philanthropy is capable of treating everyone equally and we thank you for bringing a speedy end to any apparent inequality in GLBT Funding!
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We signed the "A Campaign for Native GLBT Funding Justice" petition!
# 607:
7:58 am PDT, Jun 5, Kate Duvall, Illinois
# 606:
3:17 pm PDT, May 23, Name not displayed, Colorado
# 605:
10:03 am PDT, May 17, Stormoak Lonewind, Massachusetts
# 604:
8:15 pm PDT, May 11, Rane Richardson, New Mexico
# 603:
11:59 am PDT, Apr 30, Tina Naugle, Colorado
I attended the excellent presentation by Denver Two-Spirit at the Rocky Mtn. Regional PFLAG Conference last September in Boulder, CO. Many scenes from the movie about Fred Martinez were heartbreaking, but I think the movie will ultimately carry a very strong message about love, tolerance, and honor. I admit I have some baggage from my wasichu heritage, but I try not to let it get in the way of my work for forest health, advocacy for LGBT civil rights, and support for Native American culture and autonomy. Around 1880, my great-grandmother watched some of the last survivors of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes from the doorsteps of the Twenty-Mile House in Parker, where her father was the Postmaster. This was after Sand Creek, but the fact my family could even settle there was a result of that massacre in 1864. I don't feel personally guilty for the injustices and hardships endured by Native Americans since 1492, but I do feel responsible for helping in any way I can at this point to promote programs that support Native Americans, and especially Native GLBT's. In May, I will be asking the Evergreen PFLAG Board, of which I am the co-president, to donate $50 to the Campaign for Native GLBT Funding Justice. We have donated in the past to Denver Two-Spirit and the Fred Martinez Project, but I want us to be involved in this initiative. Thanks for all your good work, Tina Naugle
# 602:
4:50 am PDT, Apr 27, Kenneth Andersen, Norway
# 601:
9:43 am PDT, Apr 18, Thom Davis, Illinois
# 600:
8:36 am PDT, Apr 18, Albert McLeod, Canada
Appropriate resources must go to the most vulnerable.
# 599:
8:14 pm PDT, Apr 17, Sharon Collins, Minnesota
# 598:
8:58 pm PDT, Apr 15, Lionel Houston, Canada
hey ppl, i can't believe this is still going on. are we still unaware that we are all in this together. we are faced with troubled times and should be working together, instead ppl continue to choose to exclude or dehumanize ppl. THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE IS LOVE....GET ON BOARD PPL.
# 597:
3:38 pm PDT, Apr 14, Name not displayed, Illinois
# 596:
1:01 pm PDT, Apr 14, Regina Laselute, New Mexico
# 595:
3:23 am PDT, Apr 14, Jon Corlett, Florida
# 594:
10:26 pm PDT, Apr 13, Lyle Gerard, New Mexico
# 593:
11:30 am PDT, Apr 13, Christine Broughten, Minnesota
Please support these groups. We all have a lot to learn from them.
# 592:
8:55 pm PDT, Apr 12, Ryan Barton, Arizona
# 591:
8:47 pm PDT, Apr 12, RJ Smith, Colorado
# 589:
2:40 pm PDT, Apr 12, Melanie Schmucker, Minnesota
As Native people, our Two Spirited brothers and sisters are a beautiful and sacred gift.
# 588:
9:39 am PDT, Apr 12, Darren Taylor, California
the continued fight for the recognition of Native Americans is one i strongly believe is the last stand for against the genocidal practice of the systems of the both the US and Canadian governments. I have long believed that we are the invisible to many of the LGBT organizations and are continually dismissed by those organizations POV we are here we exist and we will fight to be recognized by you
# 587:
9:33 am PDT, Apr 12, Debanuj DasGupta, Ohio
The need to fund Two Spirit communities across the world is urgent and the time is now.,
# 586:
7:30 pm PDT, Apr 11, Larry Kibby, Nevada
# 585:
7:11 pm PDT, Apr 11, Bryan Kills Crow, Utah
# 584:
6:36 pm PDT, Apr 11, Hortensia MacLeod, Minnesota
# 583:
6:31 pm PDT, Apr 11, Maria Trevizo, Washington
In the spirit of generosity and equality, please find it in your hearts to do the right thing. This grant is a good start to make right centuries of marginalization against Native Americans and of course the Two Spirit community. If denied again this a double hit of non-recognition.
# 582:
5:58 pm PDT, Apr 11, Morgan Brooke, Minnesota
Hey people! Either you are for equal rights or you are not. As GLBT individuals and communities gain more and more in power in the system (and you WILL) remember it is about principles not winning. Start with fairness for our Two-Spirit People-then all Native people then perhaps even women. Hooray for Iowa! Minnesota will be shamed until we are the next state!
# 581:
3:56 pm PDT, Apr 11, Gregory Pleak, Minnesota
# 580:
9:52 am PDT, Apr 8, Allegra Powell, Colorado
# 579:
7:48 pm PDT, Apr 3, Jazi B!!!, California
please sign my petition http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/glbts-have-rights-too
# 578:
2:55 am PDT, Mar 31, Steve Williams, United Kingdom
# 577:
8:10 am PDT, Mar 25, Charlene Marr, Pennsylvania
My Ex wife who is my close friend now that I am also a female is full native people and my three children also are as the blood line runs through the mother. I am a transexual female and am so glad I am. I am finally at peace with myself after 50 years of being forced to live as a male with a female spirit.
# 576:
7:58 pm PDT, Mar 24, Michelle Shepard, Wisconsin
# 575:
12:28 am PDT, Mar 24, Doug Sibley, California
# 574:
9:51 am PDT, Mar 10, John Geiger, Pennsylvania
# 573:
9:59 am PST, Feb 26, Nicole Whyte, Canada
# 572:
12:50 pm PST, Feb 24, Margarito Gabriel Martinez, Arizona
# 571:
6:58 pm PST, Feb 11, Nikki Parker, Virginia
# 570:
9:49 pm PST, Feb 9, Lea Carland, California
# 569:
7:02 am PST, Feb 9, Daniel Harris, Maryland
# 568:
12:33 am PST, Feb 9, Hamlet Mateo, California
A country without equality betrays a faulty democracy.
# 567:
6:03 pm PST, Feb 8, Michael Myers, New Jersey
# 566:
1:33 pm PST, Feb 8, Name not displayed, New Mexico
Do not forget about the LGBT Native people! We ARE NOT invisible, we are here and STAYING!
# 565:
12:51 pm PST, Feb 8, Gilberto Sepulveda, Washington
# 564:
11:59 am PST, Feb 8, Stormy Johnston, Kansas
As is said among the nations, honor for one is honor for all. So it's time to add honor to those who walk the Two-Spirit Path.
# 563:
10:00 am PST, Feb 8, Kevin Bailes, Wisconsin
# 562:
8:35 am PST, Feb 8, Stephen Bacurin, California
# 561:
7:24 am PST, Jan 14, Name not displayed, Minnesota
# 560:
5:06 pm PST, Jan 6, Tobi Golightly, New Mexico
I find it interesting that so many people in the LGBT community appropriate the term "two-spirit," but give so little recognition to Native Americans from where the term comes. It is about time we make LGBT funding more equitable.
# 559:
10:17 am PST, Jan 5, Sarah Switzer, Canada
# 558:
9:53 am PST, Jan 5, Cecelia LaPointe, Michigan
As someone who is two-spirited I ask for funding and justice now!
# 557:
9:44 am PST, Jan 5, Jessica Yee, Canada
Funding and justice now!
# 556:
5:27 pm PST, Jan 1, Jennifer Gardner, Florida
# 555:
9:07 am PST, Dec 24, Hillary Culver, Kentucky
# 554:
11:56 am PST, Dec 1, Jeffrey Norvet, California
Ignorance is no excuse for oppression. We must act today to make sure that the badly underserved GLBT community in our Native american communites are properly funded.
# 553:
11:48 pm PST, Nov 16, Lorin King, Texas
# 552:
4:04 pm PDT, Oct 29, Jill Switzer, Nevada
# 551:
12:29 pm PDT, Oct 29, Lianna Babeli, Minnesota
We should support every community with GLBTs worldwide and nation-wide, regardless of their ethnicity. Every person deserves a chance and the Native American community certainly deserves this chance. Support them and allow them the peace and happiness they deserve
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