Two Spirits Documentary and Discussion

Who is the intended audience?: 
Open to all
Workshop Topic: 
Legal
Relationships
Social Change/Activism
Spirituality
Telling Our Stories
Trans Parenting
Youth/Teen
Do you want to restrict the attendance of this workshop to a specific group?: 
Open
Description: 

TWO SPIRITS is an award winning documentary which interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at a time when the world wasn’t simply divided into male and female and many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders. Fred Martinez was nádleehí, a male-bodied person with a feminine nature, a special gift according to his ancient Navajo culture. But the place where two discriminations meet is a dangerous place to live, and Fred became one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at sixteen. Between tradition and controversy, sex and spirit, and freedom and fear, lives the truth—the bravest choice you can make is to be yourself. There will be an interactive discussion after the film.

Conference Year: 
2012
Time slot: 
2 June 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Room: 
103A
First Presenter
Janis Stacy
Janis Stacy is of mixed Native blood heritage. Her academic work includes a degree in Electronic Engineering and 25 years working in the Semiconductor industry. Janis is a long time advocate of civil rights and inclusion in a broad number of areas. She has supported a variety of organizations and participated with a number of efforts involving Native American, Racial, Gender and LGBT issues.
Second Presenter
Sheldon Raymore
Sheldon Raymore (Lakota - Sioux) is an artist, designer, motivational speaker, and member of the Northeast Two-Spirit Society. His Heyoka clothing brands mission brings jobs to his Cheyenne River Rezervation in South Dakota via garment production and distribution. Much of his work promotes Education and Cultural Preservation about Native American issues. He also serves on board for the Museum of Indian Culture in Allentown, PA. Currently he resides in New York City where he works in the fashion industry.
Third Presenter
Harlan Pruden
Harlan Pruden is a member of the Cree Nation and an enrolled member of the Goodfish Lake Band on the Saddle Lake Indian Reservation in Alberta, Canada. Harlan is the Assistant Director of Special Projects at the Empire State Development Corporation, a State Agency. Within Harlan's current position, Harlan works to ensure that minority and women owned business enterprises have equal contracting opportunities with the State of New York. Harlan is a co-founder of the NorthEast Two Spirit Society in New York City and works to revitalize traditional values, culture, and ceremonies of NYC’s two-spirit community. Harlan also is a co-chair of the National Native HIV/AIDS Coalition, one of the first national efforts within the HIV/AIDS field to include all of the two-spirit organizations and groups in the United States. Additionally, Harlan was Director of a SAMHSA Recovery Community Support Program - SpeakOUT: LGBT Voices for Recovery, a program of the LGBT Community Center in NYC. As the Director, Harlan oversaw a national program designed to increase awareness of the issues that confront LGBT people struggling to recover from alcohol and substance abuse. In April this year, Harlan was appointed to Manhattan Community Board 12 and is currently the only Native on a NYC community board.