05/06/2026
In our next door neighbor state-
Meet Arnold Dahl-Wooley — and the organization he built from the ground up for our Two-Spirit kids and families.
We want to introduce you to someone doing beautiful, life-saving work in northern Minnesota.
Arnold J. Dahl-Wooley is an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and a nationally recognized public speaker who has spent over 20 years showing up for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ youth — especially in rural communities where resources can feel impossible to find.
Arnold grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation without the resources or safe spaces he needed. He spent years pretending to be someone he wasn’t — and he never forgot how exhausting that was. So he decided to do something about it.
His advocacy explores the sacred roles Two-Spirit individuals held before colonization, the devastating impacts of colonialism on Indigenous identities, and the ongoing journey to reclaim and celebrate those roles in contemporary society.
In October 2024, after years of working out of borrowed spaces and community centers, Arnold opened Two Spirit Advocacy in Bemidji, Minnesota — the first resource center of its kind in the area. The organization is focused on su***de prevention, anti-bullying, and cultural inclusion.
The center includes an inclusive library with books representing LGBTQ2S+ people and people of color, a “Wall of Fame” featuring LGBTQ2S+ celebrities and politicians, and a database connecting people to vetted, safe services throughout Minnesota and neighboring states.
Two Spirit Advocacy also hosts ceremonies — including coming-of-age ceremonies for Two-Spirit youth — to help restore the cultural aspects of Two-Spirit identity that were disrupted by colonization.
In 2025, Twin Cities Pride named Arnold their BIPOC Leader of the Year, recognizing his decades of work as a leading voice for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ visibility. His response? “It’s surreal, because in my mind I’m still that little rez kid. But I have something to say, and that’s why I was called there.”
Arnold was also part of making history in 2013, when he and his husband became the first same-sex couple whose marriage was officially sanctioned by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
To all the mama bears with Two-Spirit or Indigenous LGBTQ+ children — this man sees your kids. His whole life’s work is making sure they know they belong.
Link to their website in the comments.
📘 Find them on Facebook: “Two Spirit Celebration”