Review of \u3ci\u3e Two Spirit People: American Indian Lesbian Women and Gay Men\u3c/i\u3e Edited by Lester B. Brown

Lester Brown\u27s edited volume acquaints social workers with two spirits, that is, those Native Americans who are gay, lesbian, or who may adopt mixed-gender practices and roles. Although well-intended, the attempts to sensitize social workers to Natives\u27 lives are occasionally thwarted by overgeneralizations and weak analyses. In the three chapters on identity, the intricacies of culture, gender, and sexuality theory are watered down and confused. In their comparison of Lakota and Dakota practices, Little Crow, Judy Wright, and Brown conjure the odd label non-heterosexual gender identity and collapse gender into sexuality. Mary Ann Jacobs and Lester Brown\u27s piece often homogenizes the American Indian, although the authors\u27 interviews with eight Native American lesbians and gays demonstrate a rich diversity of identities and experiences