Making the invisible—visible: A phenomenological study of the lived experiences of two-spirit women

This thesis explores the identity of two-spirit women as it relates to historical invisibility resulting from oppression. Three women were selected via snowball sampling for a series of voluntary interviews. These women ranged in age from 23 to 63 years old; two were residents of a large city, while one came from a smaller city. All the women identified as two-spirit, with two of them identifying as Metis and one as First Nations. A phenomenological approach was used while employing an in-depth interviewing process. For each participant, three interviews were conducted to gather information: the first to gather the individual's context; the second to reconstruct the woman's experiences; and the third to allow each woman to reflect on their experience and make meaning of it. The results merged into three focal points of discussion. The first pointed to an area of strategic invisibility where the participants described negotiating within their environments. Another point of discussion led to identifying the two-spirit community as a place that holds knowledge and two-spirit history. The third and final point discussed focused on two-spirit essentialism where the concept of identity is an individualized position. This new knowledge augments the field of social work by providing a thorough context of heteronormativity, racism and heteropatriarchy and its impacts on two-spirit women. Additionally this research provides supportive resources for this triply marginalized group, as this work serves as a tool of decolonization and empowerment. Visibility then becomes the newfound strength as knowledge and awareness is brought to two-spirit women, their allies, and communities.