Ruth Villasenor of Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits to screen "Traditional Indigenous Values" at QPOC Conference

Ruth Villasenor will screen her film "Traditional Indigenous Values, a short documentary that gives an Indigenous woman’s perspective on Prop 8, being Two Spirit and the effect of Colonization. She will explore historical references of acceptance of mutliple genders, the continued effects of "manifest destiny", and current colonization of Indigenous people.

Ruth Villasenor is a Chiricahua Apache and Mexican who identifies as Two Spirit. Her two-spirit activitism includes involvement in Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS), the Native American Health Center,and Native American Outreach Director for Marriage Equality. Using her different roles, Ruth has been a vehicle for proud unity and change in her community. Through her energetic spirit and tireless efforts of helping other Natives connect to their cultural traditions and to the gay/two-spirit community, she has helped to increase acceptance of homosexuality within the native community and the greater LGBTQI community.

Bay Area American Indians Two-Spirits (BAAITS) exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people. Two-Spirit refers to the commonly shared notion among many Native American tribes that some individuals naturally possessed and manifested both a masculine and feminine spiritual qualities. American society commonly identifies Two-Spirit People as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender.

Learn more about Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits at http://www.baaits.org/