Blackpool Allies
A free, relaxed social evening twice a month for LGBT+ people and anyone who supports them, at the Horizon centre on Dickson Road.
Two-Spirit people
What Two-Spirit means, where it comes from, and the Canadian MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ term.
Two-Spirit (often written 2S) is a term used by some Indigenous people in North America to describe a spiritual and cultural identity that can include gender, sexuality and a traditional role in their community. It belongs to those cultures. Non-Indigenous people should not use it to describe themselves.
Where the term comes from
The English term Two-Spirit was adopted at an Indigenous lesbian and gay gathering in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1990, as a pan-Indigenous alternative to older, often offensive anthropologists' words. Many nations also have their own words in their own languages for people with these roles, and their meanings differ from nation to nation.
In the acronyms
You'll see 2S in longer acronyms used in Canada and the United States:
- 2SLGBTQI+: used by the Government of Canada and many Canadian organisations, putting Two-Spirit first.
- LGBTQQIP2SAA: an educational variant (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, Two-Spirit, androgynous, asexual).
- MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+: from Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Its final report, Reclaiming Power and Place, published in June 2019, extended its findings to Two-Spirit and LGBTQQIA+ people, because Indigenous Two-Spirit and queer people face many of the same dangers.
Two-Spirit people visiting Blackpool
There is no Two-Spirit community or group in Blackpool, and we have not found one elsewhere in the UK. Two-Spirit visitors are welcome across the Rainbow Quarter, and the town's LGBTQ+ and trans services are open to you:
Lancashire LGBT
The county's LGBTQ+ charity, offering counselling, one-to-one support, gender outreach and social activities, including services in Blackpool.
Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline
A free national listening and information line, by phone, chat and email, staffed by LGBTQIA+ volunteers.
If you are a Two-Spirit person living in the UK and would like a group or contact listed here, please get in touch.
Why this page exists
Blackpool's Rainbow Quarter is for everyone under the rainbow, and the acronyms people use around the world include Two-Spirit. This page explains the term respectfully so that UK visitors understand it, rather than borrowing it.
Sources
- Newsweek: MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ explained
- LGBTQ and All: what LGBTQQIP2SAA means
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, final report
More
Trans and gender identity: more pages
TransgenderPeer groups, the gender outreach drop-in, the Phoenix Clinic, trans-friendly stays, history and UK law.Trans menLancashire Lads, trans-masc support online, the Phoenix Clinic, welcoming venues and history.Trans womenTransInclusion and Renaissance, the Phoenix Clinic, trans-friendly stays and nights out.Non-binaryWhat non-binary means, local groups and clinics, unisex spaces and your rights in the UK.Gender-fluidWhat gender-fluid means, practical tips, groups that welcome you and your rights.AgenderWhat agender means, how it differs from asexual, and the groups and spaces open to you.BigenderWhat bigender means, how it differs from gender-fluid and bisexual, and who welcomes you.AndrogynousAndrogyny as identity and as style, Blackpool's gender-bending stage history, and welcoming places.Gender-nonconformingWhat gender-nonconforming means, how it differs from trans, practical tips and support.Third gender and cultural identitiesHijra, fa'afafine, muxe and more: third genders around the world, UK law, and faith and culture support.Every identityThe full list, the long acronyms and UK law.