Our next LGBTQIA+ History Month Top Pick, Paula Gunn Allen, comes from our talented Media Outreach Director Kendal LeFlore.
As a queer Native American woman, I find myself personally inspired by Laguna Pueblo author Paula Gunn Allen, whose work altered Native discourse and helped shape feminism as a whole. Identifying as a ‘serial bisexual’, Allen offered an extremely important, unique perspective into the 20th Century at a time when literature and academia was all too focused on shutting out diverse voices. In her queer feminist Native manifesto, The Sacred Hoop, she unravelled the misappropriated perceptions of Native America, revealing that tribal cultures have always been female-led, inherently queer societies.
Her literature, poetry, and research reclaim indigeneity and show that not only is a world of peaceful, spiritual coexistence possible - it was already a pre-colonial reality in many tribes. Her anthologies of Native voices are an important piece of indigenous history, with many of her works considered primary texts in Native Studies, and her novels continue to resonate with young queer, mixed race Natives like myself. Allen’s writing never fails to inspire, as it weaves tribal cultures, stories, and traditions as old as the earth itself back into modern, everyday life.
"She has shown me that my heritage and my sexuality should be celebrated and empowered."
She has shown me that my heritage and my sexuality should be celebrated and empowered, as two interwoven, mutually reinforcing aspects of my identity. Truly, she is an icon for all three generations - past, present, and future.
Article Written By Kendal LeFlore
(She/Her)