Souksavanh T. Keovorabouth, Diné
Yá'át'ééh (Hello),
Shí éí Souksavanh T. Keovorabouth yinishyé. Kinyaa'áanii nishłi. Nááts’ózí Bashishchiin. ‘Áshįįhi Dashicheii. Nááts’ózí dashinalí. I am of Towering House Clan, born for the Slanted Eye People, my maternal grandfather is of Salt People, and my paternal grandfather is of the Slanted Eye People.
I am an enrolled member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation and second-generation Laotian. I come from a lineage of survivors of the Navajo Long Walk, Native Boarding Schools, Relocation, Indian Placement Program, and Urbanization. Chinle, Arizona, USA is home but I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. I identify as Queer, Two-Spirit, and Nadleeh and use They/Them or All Pronouns. I have listed publications, awards, and prior speaking engagements below.
Two-Spirit Queer Historian on Book of Queer Documentary series on Discovery+ - Coming Pride 2022
Looking forward to working with you,
Ahéhee' (Thank you)
Speaking Topics: Indigenous and Two-Spirit Identity, Indigenous Urbanization, Queer Masculinities, multiracialism, Intergenerational Healing, Black and Brown Inclusion, Mental Health, Queer/Indigenous Futurisms, and so much more . . . . . Let's talk :D
Education:
Ph.D. Student & Ph.D. Candidate
I'm a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Queer Studies (Concentration Area is Indigenous Urban Studies) and a certificate in Geographic Information Sciences and I'm also a Cotutelle Ph.D. Candidate at Macquarie University in Indigenous Studies in Sydney, Australia. My current research is on Urbanization and Two-Spirit identity.
Masters of Arts
I earned my Masters degree in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona in 2019. My thesis titled: "Two-Spirit Identity Among Tribal Communities: The Effects of Intergenerational Trauma on Queer Native Young Adult Well-being," looked at overall well-being and intergenerational trauma of Queer Indigenous people in the USA.
Bachelors of Science & Bachelors of Arts
I received a dual Bachelors degree from the University of Arizona in Sustainable Built Environments and American Indian Studies in 2017. My undergraduate research relied on understanding accessibility to Native American centers, such as the Tucson Indian Center, for Indigenous people in urban areas.
Publications:
Keovorabouth, Souksavanh T. “Chinledí.” Martin Lake Journal: Winner of Silver Birch Award. March 2021
Keovorabouth, Souksavanh T. “K’é Ch’iyáán.” Martin Lake Journal. March 2021.
Keovorabouth, Souksavanh T. “Wakanda Forever.” Northwest Portland Indian Health Board Blog. January 2021.
Awards:
International Cotutelle Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship | Macquarie University | June 25, 2021
The Cobell Scholarship | Indigenous Education, Inc. | May 5, 2021
Silver Birch Poetry Prize for Indigenous Voices Award | Martin Lake Journal | March 25, 2021
Fulbright Fellowship | Semi-Finalist | Fulbright Program | January 29, 2021
Paths (Re)membered Project Poetry Contest Winner | Northwest Portland Indian Health Board | January 2021
Indigenous Stewards Poetry Contest | Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center | September 2020
Special Higher Education Program Fellowship | American Indian Graduate Center | September 2020 – June 2021
American Indian Education Fund Scholarship | American Indian Education Fund |September 2020 – June 2021
Jeanne Dost, Margaret Lumpkin, and Jo Anne Trow Founders Scholarship | Oregon State University Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | September 2020 – June 2021
Ford Foundation Fellowship | Ford Foundation | 2020 – 2021
Provost’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship | Oregon State University Graduate School | September 2019 – July 2020
Previous Speaking Engagements:
(Re)Imagining/(Re)Creating Spaces for Intergenerational Healing: A Queer and Two-Spirit Pathway to a Healthy Well-Being | Indigiwellbeing: University of Arizona College of Public Health | Virtual | January 20, 2022
Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+/Queer Indigenous Inclusion | PFLAG SW Washington | Virtual | January 11, 2022
Hozhó, the Beauty Way: (Re)Connecting with Nadleeh and Diné Two-Spirit Masculinities for Intergenerational Healing | ACPA: Coalition on Men and Masculinity | Webinar | December 14, 2021
Conversation Café: Gender is a Colonial Construct | University of Alaska, Anchorage | Anchorage, Alaska | November 3, 2021
Native American and Indigenous Two-Spirit/Queer Identity | Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence (AZCASE) | Phoenix, Arizona | October 23, 2021
Indigenae Podcast: Coming of Age, Sex, and Pleasure Episode | John Hopkins Center for American Indian Health | virtual | October 13, 2021
Land Acknowledgement and Suicide Prevention | Suicide Presentation Panel |Online | September 30, 2021
Land Acknowledgements in Relation to Mental Health & Suicide Prevention | 2021 Suicide Prevention Summit: Seeking Healing During COVID-19 for the Black and Native American Communities | Online | July 14, 2021
“LGBT+ College Student Experience.” Career Readiness Series | Amplified Nevada Native Youth | Online | July 1, 2021
“Diné Representation and Queer Critiques as Diné LGBTQ+ scholars: A Critical Dialogue About Occupying Spaces in Academia.” Queering the Academy | Online | June 30, 2021
“Youth in Action: Conversations About our Future.” Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian | Washington DC | June 17, 2021
“Youth Advisors – Liberated Queer Indigenous Relationships.” Paths (Re)Membered Project| Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board | Portland, Oregon | February 28, 2021
“Lessons in Leadership: Masculinity within Leadership.” Community Engagement and Leadership | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | February 18, 2021
“Queer Indigenous Futurism.” The Paths (Re)membered Project through the Northwest Portland Indian Health Board | Instagram Live | January 21, 2021
Teaching Experience:
E-Campus - WGSS 414: Systems of Oppression in Women’s Lives | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Department of Language, Culture, and Society |
September 2021 – December 2021
E-Campus - WGSS 340: Gender and Science | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Department of Language, Culture, and Society |
September 2021 – December 2021
E-Campus - WGSS 325: Disney, Race, Gender, and Empire | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Department of Language, Culture, and Society |
March 2021 – June 2021
E-Campus - WGSS 360: Men and Masculinities in a Global Context | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Department of Language, Culture, and Society | January 2021 – March 2021
WGSS 360: Men and Masculinities in a Global Context | Oregon State University| Corvallis, Oregon | Department of Language, Culture, and Society | September 2020 – December 2020