We advocate for  LGBTQ & Two Spirit folks, education, democracy & voting rights, holding elected officials accountable, reproductive rights & bodily autonomy, education, the arts, MMIW awareness, civic engagement, racial justice, and the mighty bison--for whomst we stan.

OUR STORY: In the 2021 Montana legislative session, members of our team testified against some 60 anti-LGBTQ, anti-voting, anti-pro choice, anti-bison, anti-environment, and anti-tribal sovereignty bills. We testified for a wide swath of other pro-Indigenous and democracy bills.

In the immediate days following the end of that 90-day whirlwind session, a far-right darling named Pastor Jordan Hall wrote a transphobic, racist, and libelous hit piece against me claiming that I had yelled in the face of an elderly senator until the sergeant of arms pulled me him away from me. Obviously, it never happened so it was confirmed by no one; I am extremely mousey and soft-spoken. But it put a dangerous target on my back.

I sued for libel, and for eight months Hall held rallies were he’d often call for my death and claim it was “metaphorical” while quoting biblical scripture. But two men traveled over 200 miles from Great Falls, Montana, to where I live in Billings to confront me while reiterating these claims.

Rather than face possible sanctions for all of his “metaphorical” threats which had even prompted a judge put out a memo warning me and my attorneys to take extra safety precautions, Hall took the L, filed for bankruptcy, and left the state. 

AS I WRITE THIS NOW, I am involved in yet another lawsuit against LGBTQ and Indigenous discrimination. 

I was to give an LGBTQ Two Spirit history lecture (which is to be the primary basis of this start-up non-profit) at a library. This was canceled upon reasoning of an anti-drag law allegedly being illegal because I, being of course a trans woman, would be wearing clothes not of my biological gender and talking about LGBTQ and Two Spirit history and sexuality. White supremacists took credit for getting the event canceled after a "campaign of complaints."

Such is the discrimination we face in red states on dual fronts of not only LGBTQ-phobia but racism, and such is the need for us to keep educating against such ignorance with education. And that's why we aim to keep combatting such ignorance and ugliness with education by sharing the beauty of our culture. 

IN CLOSING... 

Several years ago, there was 4 suicides in a week in Montana committed by LGBTQ teens. Their voices are not forgotten, and others like them like our very friends who've been murdered or also committed suicide, have been an impetus to keep fighting. 

For we personally knew that darkness created by colonization that'd convinced those young people there was no other way. During my first lawsuit, when libelous nonsense was being told about me, I too, felt very alone.

But maybe if they saw people so unabashedly "like us" out in public fighting for them and other marginalized folks--educating the world how Two Spirit people have existed since time immemorial and were respected for the uniqueness--they might see a light. 

And we are by no means perfect, I recently just celebrated 6 years of recovery/sobriety, which perhaps makes us relatable to those who've inhabited those cold shadows or reside there.

The flawed.  

The scrappy trailer park and rez kids.

The children of addicts.

The overlooked.

The ones with friends who became statistics.

The former addicts.

The ones who felt they couldn't be loved by fam for being queer.

The shamed.

The pained. 

The casted out.

The so-called sinner.

The queer.

The real ones.

The beautiful.

You.

~Adria L. Jawort, Executive Director