Today, PFLAG National announced the launch of two new meeting spaces created by and for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous people and their relatives. PFLAG Connects: Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle is a new monthly virtual meeting space, and PFLAG Native Metro Phoenix is the newly relaunched chapter for Indigenous community members that first opened in 2011. These two new offerings are the work of a Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council convened by the PFLAG National Board of Directors from fiscal year 2024 through the end of fiscal year 2026 (Sept. 30, 2026). The inaugural meetings of both the Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle and PFLAG Native Metro Phoenix will take place on Oct. 7.
“Meeting the needs of our Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous relatives and their families requires deeply immersive work. I am proud to help PFLAG National strengthen its service and partnership with the addition of the Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle to the PFLAG Connects: Communities program,” said Sarah EchoHawk, Vice Chair of the PFLAG National Board and convener of the Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council.
Years of evidence-based public health research conducted by the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Family Acceptance Project, The Trevor Project, and others have demonstrated that Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous people are at high risk for family rejection and other harm.
“There is no doubt that PFLAG, which works to ensure every LGBTQ+ person can be safe, empowered and loved, desires to help reduce these disparities, but ‘if you build it, they will come’ only works in the movies. To be of service to Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ families and relatives, PFLAG had to humbly move back, listen and learn from elders and leaders what their needs are, and earn a place in the circle by continuing that commitment and ongoing learning,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG National.
For more than a decade, the PFLAG National Board of Directors has prioritized meeting the expressed needs of diverse communities. The work began with addressing racial inequities by investing in minority-owned depository institutions, including Bay Bank, founded in 1995 by the Oneida Nation and a group of five local businessmen, and since 2000, solely owned by the Oneida Nation. The work continued with the formation of the Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council.
Members of the PFLAG National Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council
- Sarah EchoHawk (she/her), Pawnee, Vice Chair of the PFLAG National Board of Directors and convener of the PFLAG National Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council
- Sheila Lopez (she/her/ella/asdzáán), Diné (Navajo) and Naakaii (Mexican), founder of PFLAG Native Metro Phoenix and the Arizona Two-Spirit Powwow
- Elton Naswood (he/him), Navajo, inaugural Executive Director of the Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Center for Equity. Elton was also featured in PFLAG National’s Shorty Award and Webby Award-nominated docu-series I Changed My Mind.
- Sarah Adams, (she/her), citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Two-Spirit advocate for Indigenous culture, education and rights
- Alison Black (she/her), Cheyenne and Arapaho (Cheyenne), Youth Leadership and Training Coordinator for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
- Shelly Dreadfulwater (she/her), Cherokee Nation citizen, educator, and community advocate with 20+ years of experience supporting students, families, and Indigenous communities
- Se-ah-dom Edmo (she/her), Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Yakama
- Judith LeBlanc (she/her), Caddo, executive director of Native Organizers Alliance (NOA)
- Erik Stegman (he/him), Assiniboine (Carry the Kettle First Nation), Chief Executive Officer of Native Americans in Philanthropy
- Dr. Malia Villegas (she/her), Sugpiaq/Alutiiq (Alaska Native), and an enrolled member of the Native Village of Afognak in Alaska, where she also serves on the Tribal Council
In addition to creating the new monthly Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle meeting, the eighth addition to the suite of PFLAG Connects: Communities meetings, the Council has provided guidance to PFLAG chapters and members to partner meaningfully with local tribal organizations and show up in allyship. They are also creating the forthcoming PFLAG National publication, “Being a Good Relative: A Guide to Supporting Two-Spirit & Indigenous LGBTQ+ People,”which will be released as part of the Straight for Equality program’s suite of ally guides and resources.
Sheila Lopez, a longtime PFLAG volunteer leader, was a founding member of the Two-Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council. Lopez was the recipient of the 2025 PFLAG National Starr Award and founded PFLAG Native Metro Phoenix. In 2011, it was the first chapter to specifically serve Indigenous families, and following a hiatus after the COVID-19 pandemic, the chapter relaunches Oct. 7th.
“Native people and the 2SLGBTQ+ community should not be an afterthought—we should be included from the beginning. I have challenged leaders and organizations to truly show up and invest in our communities, and I am grateful that PFLAG National has done just that. I never expected those conversations and connections to lead to the creation of an Indigenous Council, but I am hopeful this Council will ensure Indigenous voices are heard, respected, and included,” said Sheila Lopez (she/her/ella/asdzáán), who is Diné (Navajo) and Naakaii (Mexican) from Winslow, Ariz. Lopez will be a facilitator of the Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle meetings.
The new Circle also builds on the leadership of advocates like Elton Naswood, inaugural Executive Director of the Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Center for Equity, who was featured in PFLAG National’s Shorty Award and Webby Award-nominated docu-series I Changed My Mind. Raised on the Navajo Nation, Naswood has dedicated his career to reducing stigma around gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS while fostering culturally grounded spaces for education, healing, and belonging.
“I’ve seen how powerful it is when our stories are met with understanding instead of stigma,” said Elton Naswood. “The PFLAG Connects: Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle will be a place for relatives to learn from one another, celebrate our identities, and a space where Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ people know they belong.”
PFLAG Connects: Two-Spirit & Indigenous Circle will offer regular opportunities for relatives to gather virtually, build relationships, share resources and support one another while grounded in PFLAG’s 53-year legacy of leading with love. The inaugural meeting on Oct. 7 will honor the Advisory Council’s contributions while welcoming participants into the Circle and the next chapter of PFLAG’s work.
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