2 Spirited People of the 1st Nations

2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations (2SPFN) is one of the longest-standing Indigenous Two-Spirit organizations in Canada, with locations in downtown Toronto and East York. Founded to support Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ community members, the organization emerged from efforts to reclaim Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality that predate European colonization. 

At its 1992 Annual General Meeting, the organization formally adopted the name 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations to honour ancestral teachings and affirm Indigenous identities. Drawing on teachings shared by Elders, the organization recognizes Two-Spirit people as individuals who have historically held important social, cultural, spiritual, and healing roles within many Indigenous nations. These teachings challenge colonial narratives that attempted to erase Indigenous gender diversity and sever Two-Spirit people from their communities and histories. 

Today, 2SPFN provides advocacy, health services, cultural programming, and community support for First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Two-Spirit peoples. The organization works to address the ongoing impacts of colonial violence, racism, homophobia, transphobia, HIV, hepatitis C, and other health inequities while fostering physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. 

For many community members, 2SPFN has served as a place of gathering, kinship, activism, and cultural resurgence. It remains an important site within Toronto's Indigenous and Two-Spirit community, supporting self-determination and creating space for Two-Spirit people to live with pride in their identities, cultures, and nations. (https://2spirits.org/mission-and-vision/)