Montana’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte became the latest to sign several new anti-transgender laws, including one that will prevent gender-affirming medical care for minors. One thing these new laws do not take into account is that the 12 federally recognized tribes in Montana have historically recognized multiple gender identities, including transgender identities. Most Indigenous peoples recognize multiple gender identities that are believed to be the result of supernatural intervention. In this regard, Montana state Rep. Donavon Hawk, a Democrat from Butte who is Crow and Lakota, said, “It surprises me that this country is only a couple hundred years old, and we are not able to function with LGBTQ people in our communities.” Indigenous communities have incorporated LGBTQ+ peoples within their societies for centuries.
Nicole Mann, a member of the Round Valley Tribes In California Discusses her Experience Being the First Native American Woman in Space. Mann stepped out of the international space station for the first time in January preparing for solar array additions planned for later this summer. She says it required a lot of teamwork and years of training and preparation. Of her experience she says, “It was Incredible!” Mann was a colonel in the US Marine Corps and did two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
