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J.D. Vance, who shot to fame as the author of the best-selling Hillbilly Elegy and is currently running as a Republican for an Ohio Senate seat, was harshly criticized after he accused New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, of "inventing" two-spirit people.
It all began when Ocasio-Cortez used her Twitter feed to respond to coverage from The Daily Mail.
The conservative outlet had mocked her for using the term "menstruating people" instead of "women."
To that, Ocasio-Cortez said:
"Not just women! Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate."
"Some women also *don't* menstruate for many reasons, including surviving cancer that required a hysterectomy."
She added that "Trans, two-spirit, and non-binary people have always existed and will always exist."
Trans, two-spirit, and non-binary people have always existed and will always exist.\n\nPeople can stay mad about that if they want, or they can grow up— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1631126526
The use of the term "two-spirit" appeared to really get under Vance's skin, and he accused progressives of "inventing" it altogether.
I\u2019m sorry but what the hell is two-spirit? Would love if progressives just stopped inventing words.https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1435674825557749763\u00a0\u2026— J.D. Vance (@J.D. Vance) 1631131489
But Vance is incorrect.
For the record, "Two-spirit" refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit.
The term has been used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people within their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender ceremonial and social role in their cultures.
According to the Indian Health Service, "The term "Two-Spirit" does not simply mean someone who is a Native American/Alaska Native and gay," adding:
"Traditionally, Native American two-spirit people were male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combined activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people."
"In most tribes, they were considered neither men nor women; they occupied a distinct, alternative gender status."
"In tribes where two-spirit males and females were referred to with the same term, this status amounted to a third gender."
"In other cases, two-spirit females were referred to with a distinct term and, therefore, constituted a fourth gender."
Vance's ignorance didn't go over well with the online community.
He was quickly schooled.
\u201cTwo-spirit\u201d refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine & a feminine spirit, and is used by some Indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity."\n\nThe term is a translation of the Anishinaabemowin term niizh manidoowag, two spirits.— Sabe Penn (@Sabe Penn) 1631133110
Two-spirit is a term used by indigenous peoples, not made up by \u201cprogressives.\u201d #ReligiousStudieshttps://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— PopCulture&Theology (@PopCulture&Theology) 1631225925
And criticized for his ignorance.
@GOP politicians be like: "I'm proudly ignorant of history, so it must be 'invented.' But also, let's ban ever hearing about it in schools with widespread overreaching 'critical race theory' censorship bans even if it is real!"https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— Hero of Weirdos (@Hero of Weirdos) 1631553568
Are you capable of empathy? Are you interested in learning from someone else\u2019s experience and perspective?— James Bow (@James Bow) 1631153940
Progressives didn\u2019t invent the word uneducated. Progressives would love it if you would educate yourself. Look it up and learn. That way, you won\u2019t be sorry. You know Google and Wiki, right? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-spirit\u00a0https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— CDBurgh (@CDBurgh) 1631536740
Well, since this fool\u2019s followers/fans are just as stupid as he is (or as stupid as he has decided to be), I doubt he will bother learning about people who identify as two-spirit.https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— Dennis (@Dennis) 1631280616
It's never a good look when someone plays ignorant in order to attract followers. Or worse, are ignorant and too lazy to even Google something they don't know.https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— Andy Scarpelli \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andy Scarpelli \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1631245642
And the rest of us would love if you stopped inventing fake outrage.https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— twrdhome (@twrdhome) 1631136329
Oh buddy. Just because you don't know a word doesn't mean that progressives invented it.https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— Dr. Connie Kassor (@Dr. Connie Kassor) 1631199818
Like, every time he Tweets, he just self-owns himself with his lack of actual knowledge. Didn't Yale teach him he doesn't know everything?https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1435695641733251077\u00a0\u2026— Sean Flaim (@Sean Flaim) 1631132121
Vance has garnered headlines in recent weeks for beating the drum of Republican talking points.
Late last month, he wrote an op-ed for The Columbus Dispatch in which he railed against Ohio State University's (OSU) vaccine mandate, calling it "an invasion of medical privacy, and a complete bait-and-switch."
Vance then proceeded to promote falsehoods about vaccination against Covid-19, suggesting that vaccines have only "been proven safe in the short term" despite all evidence to the contrary.
Before that, he criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for "condescension" after she voiced criticisms of voter-identification laws.