Two-Spirited Marriage

A term used in Native American tribal societies to describe a recognised union between persons of the same sex. Formerly, it was known by the somewhat derogatory French term "berdache", which in turn came from an Arabic word meaning a slave.

In the past, two-spirited men led their lives as transvestites and were given respected social statuses within their societies. Today, some homosexual Native American women also refer to themselves as being two-spirited.