IDENTITY
QWO-LI DRISKILL
As someone who identifies as Two-Spirit/Queer, Qwo-Li
Driskill embraces the idea of living between genders. The
Native American concept Two-Spirit, as Driskill explains,
“is an umbrella word in English that is inclusive of people
in native communities and traditions that fall outside of
European gender binaries.” This fluidity can be reflected in
“They can call me sir. They
can call me ma’am. Both
and neither are true.”
Photo by Skye Fitzgerald
a person’s appearance, style of dress, modes of work, and
forms of expression. It extends to language, as well. “I prefer
gender-neutral pronouns,” explains Driskill, whose pronouns
of choice are s/he and hir. “There’s no way anyone’s going to
get it correct. They can call me Sir. They can call me Ma’am.
Both and neither are true.”
Driskill was born and raised in a Cherokee family within a
predominantly white, straight community in rural Colorado.
Perceived as male by society, Driskill never felt that s/he fit
into traditional gender boxes. S/he learned more about the
concept of Two-Spirit in college, which ultimately gave hir
the language needed to go beyond gender binaries.
Driskill came out as gay after hir freshman year in college,
a choice that was difficult “internally, emotionally. I made the
decision to come out so that I didn’t kill myself.” As Driskill’s
gender vocabulary expanded, s/he went from identifying as gay
to queer and transgender, and found that visibly living outside
societal gender norms often left others unsure of how to react.
Once on a plane, a flight attendant tried to wake the longhaired Driskill by saying “ma’am” – until the sight of Driskill’s
facial hair threw a curveball.
“[The attendant] got really flustered,” s/he recalls. “That
kind of stuff happens at grocery stores, too. If you don’t fit
into something they can pin down, they don’t really know
what to say, because gender language is so much a part of
people’s day-to-day conditioning.”
Driskill graduated from Antioch University Seattle with
an MA in Whole Systems Design in 2001 and is currently
developing the Queer Studies curriculum for the Women,
Gender, and Sexuality Studies graduate program at Oregon
State University. S/he knows that what for hir is simply a
way of life comes across as a bold statement to others.
“This ‘coming out’ moment gets talked about so much as
sort of an essential part of people’s identities,” s/he reflects.
“I understand that, but being Two-Spirit to me wasn’t a
coming out. It was just part of who I am and how I’m
going to present myself in the world.”
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