Following this true introduction to everything Diné Pride, I was reenergized and wanted to become more involved. After follow up conversations with Diné Pride’s co-founder and new executive director, Mattee Jim, Alray Nelson, I was invited to join their Diné Pride board to support program development champion and and youth engagement efforts. Diné transgender Diné leader Pride is excited to focus their 2020 efforts on youth engagement because our Navajo youth are the leaders of today. According to the 2010 Census, Navajo youth under the age of 18 account for 33 percent of our Navajo population. A 2016 survey conducted by the Diné College Policy Institute found that our Navajo LGBTQIA+ youth are eight times more likely to commit suicide than white LGBTQIA+ youth, with over 40 percent of our transgender community facing physical violence or death. Clearly, we need to create space for our young people to join important conversations—our decisions today will impact their generation, as well as generations to come. As a board, we genuinely value the voice of young leaders who are asking for more resources and support when learning about inclusion, our traditional values, and how those fundamental teachings can be incorporated into community development and engagement. When it comes to inclusion efforts and teachings about various gender identities and community roles, it is time to engage our youth and learn together. Diné Pride will put these words into action in 2020. We will be collaborating with youth leaders to plan and implement the first ever Diné LGBTQIA+ Youth Summit, where we will spend a full day learning about the history and ongoing relevance of diverse genders and gender roles through the context of Navajo teachings and storytelling. The summit will include Diné speakers, storytellers, discussions, and other interactive activities, all co-facilitated by Diné youth. The newly released resource, Indigenizing Love: A Toolkit for Native Youth to Build Inclusion, will be a critical guide for developing this summit. This guide from the Western States Center out of Portland, Oregon was created in partnership with three Native queer and Two-Spirit youth, and I had the honor of serving as the lead author. Our vision was to create a resource that Native youth could pick up and read, and use as a guide to organize and facilitate group discussions to better understand our Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQIA+ relatives through an Indigenous lens. We’re basically challenging readers to revisit their traditional values and teachings to understand love and inclusion in their communities, and to acknowledge that homophobia and transphobia is a result of colonization. Although this summit will only be one day, it is our hope that initiating youth-led discussions, with support from, and partnership with, adults, will be a jumpstart to creating action plans that support systemic and sustainable change for future Diné generations. —Josie Raphaelito MPH (Diné) is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and the Diné Pride Program Director.
of Obergefell v. Hodges that ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples? This is where Tribal sovereignty comes into play, meaning Tribal nations have the inherent authority to govern, police, and create laws for their own citizens. Furthermore, Tribal nations can make their own decisions on legalizing same-sex marriage for their citizens. I saw the organization in action when I traveled to the Navajo Nation capital (Window Rock, Arizona) in June to attend the third annual Diné Pride celebration. This year, the theme, “Sacredness Before Stonewall,” was a political statement recognizing the existence of our LGBTQIA+ communities long before the modern gay rights movement. With our creation stories, our Navajo people revered our LGBTQIA+ family members and bestowed upon them sacred roles that included being caretakers, medicine healers, matchmakers, clan leaders, and warriors. Before colonization and church missionaries, Indigenous nations honored the Two-Spirit individual and recognized unions between members of the same sex. Although there are meetings, educational booths, fundraising events, and speakers showcased throughout the year, Diné Pride has become the annual epicenter of community engagement. The festival featured guest speakers, artists, drag queen performers, and declarations of support from elected Tribal officials, community leaders, and family members. Everything was funded locally with no corporate sponsors and completely “Indigenized,” so thousands of Navajo youth who participated understood the importance of reclaiming identities, building community, and taking over political spaces. For the first time in history, the Navajo Nation and Pride flags few together while a drag show and rainbow lighting of the Tribal council chambers kicked off the weekend’s festivities. Diné Pride included a day-long symposium full of workshops, panel discussions, and storytelling that honored the work of our transgender and lesbian community. During one of the planning calls for this event, I echoed another board member’s comment about the need to raise more visibility of our queer Diné women. The board charged me with coordinating a Diné Queer Women Panel Discussion to highlight different perspectives about lived experiences regarding identity and inclusion. This conversation featured diverse perspectives from Diné women who identify as queer, gay, lesbian, or who are still figuring it out, including women who are also veterans, advocates, public health professionals, artists, and college students. This was such a rich discussion, and there is a clear need for these types of conversations, including youth focused efforts, to continue.
To learn more about Diné Pride, visit www.navajonationpride.com
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