On my last trip to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, I met a young Lakota TransWoman. She was living full time without the benefit of any medical interventions. There was no hormone therapy available on the reservation and she was unable to afford treatment elsewhere. Surgery was, to her, an impossible dream. Yet there she was, living her life as female, and was accepted as such. Not a perfect life, but so inspiring, as per my other visits to Pine Ridge. In spite of extreme poverty and its co-existing issues, the strength and perseverance of the Native people who live there is astounding.
As told by Walter Williams in The Spirit and the Flesh, the Lakota Sioux held an enlightened view of gender. Berdaches, in their culture, occupied an alternative gender role and served as mediator, not only between women and men, but also between the physical and spiritual realms. While this concept is familiar to the world of non-conforming gender, it is fascinating that Native populations were frequently so far ahead of us in this regard.
I counsel clients on a range of issues, from identity concerns to relationship issues. I see people who identify along the entire range of the gender spectrum, from cross dressers to gender queer to male & female affirmed to those pursuing a full gender transition. I also counsel families and partners/ spouses, for when one person transitions, the whole family does too.
