|
Berdache is generally a
male who takes on the roles of women and who may also dress as a woman and engage in
sexual intimacy with men. Berdache also refers to a transvestite or a person given to
transvestitism. Transvestitism is the practice of wearing or desire to wear the clothes of
the opposite sex, esp. as a sexual stimulus.
More recently, the term ‘Two Spirits’, which has traditional roots, has been
preferred. This status was found in several North American First Nation's cultures and is
interpreted as a way of integrating deviant members into cohesive, small societies.
While the term berdache is sometimes used to refer to women who take on male roles
there do not appear to have been female berdache in North America and authors tend to
prefer the term ‘amazon’ to describe these women.
The terms berdache or two spirits and amazon are important parts of the anthropology of
gender and sexuality and reveal the social or cultural construction of gender.
Health Survey of Two-Spirited Native Americans - WALTERS, KARINA L. Email:
kw5@u.washington.edu
Abstract: American Indian and Alaskan Native lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and
two-spirited individuals (two spirits) are a drastically understudied and underserved
group, at risk for multiple health and mental health problems. There are no national,
quantitative, representative studies of this population on any topic. This application, in
response to PA-01-096, is for a FIRST TIME R01 by a NEW INVESTIGATOR. Building upon solid
preliminary data, it proposes three innovative and significant aims. First, we will
conduct structured survey interviews with 400 two spirits drawn from six sites across the
U.S. With these interview data, wewill test a theoretical model of stress and coping
specific to this population. Sub-aims are to (a) establish preliminary prevalence rates of
trauma and health outcomes (i.e., HIV sexual risk behaviors, alcohol and other drug use,
and mental health indicators); (b) test the direct associations between trauma and health
outcomes; (c) determine how cultural and spiritual coping factors moderate the effect of
trauma on health outcomes; and (d) examine the mediating role of substance use on the
trauma-HIV sexual risk behavior and trauma-mental health relationships. The second aim is
to test the, feasibility of an innovative non-probability sampling methodology that
combines targeted, partial network, and respondent-driven sampling procedures in order to
approximate a representative national sample of two spirits. Additionally, we will test
the feasibility of two different mechanisms (agency based vs. census based) by which we
execute this sampling method. Our results will contribute toward the refinement of a
sample strategy useful in studying other hidden and stigmatized populations. Our third and
final aim is to conduct a qualitative study involving 12 focus groups and 60 key informant
interviews in order to identify emergent themes regarding stressors and coping strategies
specific to two spirits. Through the course of this project, we aim to develop the
research infrastructure at the six community agencies comprising our participant
recruitment sites in order to facilitate future goals of designing and evaluating
interventions to address the urgent needs of two spirits. |
|