THE BCE/CE dating system was first used in the 17th century and has been used since in scholarly publications read by people of all faiths and cultures in an effort to be inclusive. This system is also more accurate in that it makes no claim to date the year of Christ’s birth which no one knows.
In recent years, a persistent criticism has been leveled against the use of the BCE/CE system (Before the Common or Current Era/Common or Current Era), rather than BC/AD (Before Christ/Anno Domini or ‘Year of Our Lord’), in dating historical events. This designation, it is claimed, is nothing more than an attempt to “remove Christ from the calendar” in keeping with the “subversive” effects of political correctness.
The use of BCE/CE, opponents claim, is offensive to Christians who recognize time as dated up to, and away from, the birth of Jesus. Further, it is claimed that BCE/CE makes no sense because it refers to exactly the same event as BC/AD. Those who oppose the use of the “common era” designation also seem to feel that the use of BC/AD is actually stipulated by the Bible or in some way carries biblical authority.
On this day, 4 August 1990, the term “Two-Spirit”, for Indigenous people “who embody diverse (or non-normative) sexualities, genders, gender roles, and/or gender expressions”, was adopted at the 3rd Annual Gathering of Native American Gays and Lesbians being held near Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada.
Teacher, counselor, administrator, mentor and elder, Dr. Myra Laramee (First Nations Cree) brought the term to a sharing circle of 80 Indigenous LGBT+ people from across North America at the 1990 Gathering, and it was quickly adopted.
As Harlan Pruden, the managing editor of the Two-Spirit Journal, put it: “[Two-Spirit evokes] the time before the harshness of colonisation where many, not all, First Peoples had traditions and ways that were non-binary, where some Nations had 3, 4, 5, 6, or even 7+ different genders and these genders were not only accepted and honoured but also had distinct roles within their respective Nations. Today, we would generally refer to these individuals as Two-Spirit.”
Pictured: Two-spirit Zuni princess We’wha, New Mexico, c1886. https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1776521865866289/?type=3
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