RESISTING ERASURE: Montana Two Spirit Society Holds Ground

Steven Barrios, Co-Founder and Board Chair, at 2025 World Pride. (Photo courtesy of Montana Two Spirit Society)

Montana Two Spirit Society is a Missoula-based nonprofit with deep roots in the state and a legacy that spans more than three decades.

Rooted In Tradition and History

Founded in 1996 by David Herrera—Mestizo and adopted Blackfeet—and Steven Barrios of the Pikuni Blackfeet Nation, the organization brings together the regional Two-Spirit community to promote health, wellness, and spiritual wellbeing.

Montana is home to a sizable Indigenous population, with American Indian and Alaska Native people comprising the state’s second largest racial group.

There are seven federally recognized reservations: Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, and Rocky Boy’s. The Little Shell Chippewa Tribe is also federally recognized but “landless” due to historical conflicts with the U.S. government.

David Herrera, Co-Founder and Executive Director, at the Montana Two Spirit Society office. (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)

From HIV Activism to Indigenous Organizing

Originally from South Texas, David Herrera did extensive HIV/AIDS work while attending college. After graduating, he moved to Montana and began presenting on AIDS awareness just as the state was reporting its first cases.

David’s unique perspective on the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially within LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities, led to a partnership with a statewide LGBTQ+ organization to create Montana’s first Native Two-Spirit gathering in 1995.

Montana Two Spirit Society was founded the following year, with its Annual Gathering becoming a cornerstone of its work. In the early 2000s, the organization began to expand its vision. “We realized we could be doing a lot more than just an annual event,’” said David.

The organization continued to grow their impact and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2017. Today, David serves as the Executive Director, and Steven is Board Chair and coordinator of the Wisdom Keepers program.

Montana Two Spirit Society’s shared space with The Center in Missoula, MT. (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)

Resilience In A Red State

Last year, Montana Two Spirit Society moved into a new collaborative space with The Center. The location includes a large office and reception area, clothing closet, HIV testing room, gallery wall, donated library, large kitchen, and black box theater for events.

“There’s seven staff that work here and five of us are people of color. That’s one of our strengths—because you don’t get that a lot in Missoula,” said David.

Missoula city, with over 1,200 registered nonprofits, has one of the highest nonprofit densities per capita in the country. However, Montana remains 85% white, and most of its nonprofits are white-led.

Montana also has the highest number of hate groups per capita in the U.S.

“In general, Montana Two Spirit Society is fortunate to be here in Missoula which is very progressive. That said, the rest of the state is definitely very, very red,” said David.

Montana has been experiencing a surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation, despite similar bills being ruled unconstitutional just two years ago. This spring, Montana Two Spirit Society saw a 39% decline in registrations for their Annual Gathering.

“It creates a climate of fear for our community,” said David. “Folks have told us they are choosing not to come to Montana because they don’t feel it’s safe for Two-Spirit, trans, and nonbinary people, not to mention people of color.”

On the left: Sheldon Clairmont, Community Engagement and Youth Programming coordinator. (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)

Looking Ahead With Purpose

Despite the challenges, Montana Two Spirit Society remains focused on the future. They’re planning to collaborate with The Center to serve not only the Two-Spirit community, but the broader LGBTQ+ community as well.

“We’re hoping to revitalize our food pantry program, expand our youth programming, build more capacity, and bring on a social worker to provide mental health counseling. I think that mental health counseling is going to become more and more important dealing with the trauma that this administration has caused and will continue causing.”

Montana Two Spirit Society recently transitioned from being volunteer-run to hiring staff. Sheldon Clairmont, a Two-Spirit man with a background in youth work, was brought on as the Community Engagement and Youth Programming coordinator.

Meanwhile, Steven Barrios had the great honor of receiving a Blackfeet stand-up headdress on the Blackfeet Reservation. His current Wisdom Keeper project is working with university students to develop a Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary traveling exhibit in collaboration with the Montana Historical Society.

“What I’ve tried to bring to the organization is a vision that recognizes our Indigenous histories of colonization and erasure here in Montana are deeply connected to similar experiences around the world,” David said.

“The work we do at Montana Two Spirit Society isn’t just local—it’s part of a decolonization story that resonates globally.”

Written by Sharon Ho Chang, Strategic Communications Manager

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