Two Spirit Conference organizer Myk Mendez of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes in Idaho put it bluntly to attendees at a gathering of tribal citizens earlier this summer in Nevada: I want people to not kill themselves for who they are.Like all trans and gender nonconforming Americans, Mendez and other two-spirit people are grappling with the Trump administrations crusade to erase LGBTQ+ identity from the federal government and society at large. Related Education Department orders 5 school districts to immediately end trans-inclusive bathroom policies The department called trans inclusion anti-scientific illiberalism and falsely claimed cis womens safety is at stake. The twin blows of Trumps executive orders recognizingonly two sexesand eliminatingdiversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government have institutionalized discrimination against two-spirit people and trans and nonbinary Americans alike.For tribal citizens, though, the unique relationship of tribal lands with the federal government and states presents distinct challenges. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today In 2024, Congress approved $32.6 billion for funding to benefit tribal communities, including healthcare, education, law enforcement, and other assistance, according to the Government Accountability Office.Tribal leaders anticipate the Trump administrations strategy of withholding federal funds to impose its discriminatory agenda, seen in threats by the Justice and Education Departments against states and school districts that remain trans inclusive, will extend to tribal lands, as well. Tribes and tribal organizations are navigating how to support two-spirit tribal citizens without jeopardizing the relationships and resources that support their communities, Jessica Leston, a member of the Ketchikan Indian Community, told KFF Health News.Leston was one of dozens of tribal leaders, representatives and advocates gathered at the Two Spirit Conference in Elko, Nevada, in June, where Native Americans gathered in support of the LGBTQ+ community amid federal and state rollbacks of transgender protections and gender-affirming health care.They agreed that leveraging their status as sovereign nations was the way to fight back. The National Congress of American Indians had alreadypassed a resolution in 2015to encourage the creation of policies to protect two-spirit and LGBTQ+ communities, and the organizationadopted a resolutionin 2021 to support providing gender-affirming care in Indian Health Service, tribal, and urban facilities.In March, following Trumps twin executive orders denying the existence of people outside the gender binary, the National Indian Health Board issued a challenge to the administration,passing a resolutiondeclaring tribal sovereignty over issues affecting the Native American communitys health, including access to gender-affirming care.How effective that strategy will be remains to be seen. Earlier this year, an Indian Health Service websitedescribing two-spirit people was removed by the Department of Health and Human Services. While the page was restored following a court order, it now has a disclaimer at the top that declares any information on it promoting gender ideology is disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. Tribal citizens report having trouble accessing gender-affirming care, with some community members being denied hormone treatments or having their medications delayed, even in places where gender-affirming care remains legal. Panic has spread, they say, and tribal citizens have considered leaving the country.There is a chilling effect, said Itai Jeffries of the Occaneechi people from North Carolina, a health consultant who is trans, nonbinary, and two-spirit. Shoshone-Bannock tribe member Mendez said he requested hormone treatment at his local Indian Health Service clinic at the end of June and was told by his provider that the facility has had trouble receiving the medications for patients.Lenny Hayes, a two-spirit citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate in South Dakota, said the Indian Health Service clinic on his reservation isnt dispensing hormone treatment either, despite the fact it remains legal for people 18 and older. Despite those obstacles to care and Trumps spiteful treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, Hayes remains optimistic.He will never, ever wipe out our identity, no matter what he does, Hayes said.Said Shoshone-Bannocks Mendez, I want people to love their lives and grow old to tell their stories.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.