Ep. 283: Two Spirit & Sacred: Arnold Dahl-Wooley on Indigenous Queer Identity

In this deeply moving episode, Zach sits down with Arnold Dahl-Wooley — a nationally recognized Two Spirit public speaker, advocate, and founder of Two Spirit Advocacy in Minnesota — for a conversation about identity, culture, and survival. Arnold opens by defining "Two Spirit" for listeners unfamiliar with the term: a sacred identity within Native American culture referring to those within the LGBTQ+ population who are seen as embodying more than one gender, historically honored as leaders, healers, and teachers. He traces how colonization stripped that sacredness away, and explains why the term is culturally specific — not a label for non-Indigenous people to claim, even as its teachings of sacredness and self-worth are for everyone. The conversation moves through Arnold's own journey of hiding his authentic self as a kid to protect himself, into 25+ years of public speaking and founding Two Spirit Advocacy — the only organization of its kind in Minnesota — offering crisis outreach, healthcare connections, ceremony, drum-making classes, and community nights. Zach and Arnold also go deep on spirituality: what happens to Two Spirit people after death in Ojibwe tradition, spirit guides and spirit names, and how continuation (not reincarnation) shapes Arnold's worldview. The episode turns serious as they discuss the MMIW/MMIR crisis, the pain of being "erased twice" through misgendering and disappearance, and what real allyship and visibility can do to save lives. Arnold closes with a message to the wider LGBTQ+ community: Two Spirit people are part of the alphabet too, and walking together — sharing culture instead of appropriating it — is how healing happens. Arnold also shares his 27-year love story with his husband, and reflects on what it means to live loudly and authentically after years of hiding. Learn more: twospiritadvocacy.com Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.