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Beverly Little Thunder: A Legacy of Love and Activism for 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities

Beverly Little Thunder and Pam Alexander at the Annual Moondance Ceremony. Photo credit: Karen Anderson, August 2025.
Beverly Little Thunder and Pam Alexander at the Annual Moondance Ceremony. Photo credit: Krista Anderson, 2025.

“Beverly was a lifeline for me on countless occasions. The only thing bigger than her generosity and her medicine was her heart. I can still see her electric smile and feel her warm embrace. She will no doubt continue to be good medicine in our community and beyond and I will treasure my memories with her in the depths of my heart forever.”

– Tony Enos (Cherokee)

“Though I have never been blessed to be in the presence of Little Thunder in person, I feel her everywhere in modern Two-Spirit culture. Despite how she was treated in her spiritual community, she created space for others like her/us. Having been a crucial part of creating the term Two-Spirit, she has been the seed, water and sun of our diverse identities. We must acknowledge and respect her for what she has done and continues to do.” 

– Amber Hampton (Cherokee) 

“Meeting Beverly Little Thunder at multiple events, at Baaits Pow Wows, was like visiting a family member. She was always warm and receptive. It was a pleasure to perform for her and get to know her through the years.” 

– Papi Churro, Drag King (Coahuilitecan/Nahua-Otomi) 

“Beverly was the most beautiful, fierce, funny and complicated woman I have ever known. It was an honor and a privilege to be her walks beside for 28years. She made change everyday of her life, and now walks with the ancestors. To say she will be missed is an understatement.”

– Pam Alexander, Beverly’s wife of 28 years

Beverly Little Thunder, a Lakota elder and pioneering Two-Spirit activist, attends a Pride Month celebration at the White House in June 2024. She was invited as part of a small group recognizing Indigenous Two-Spirit contributions to LGBTQ+ and Native communities. Photo credit: Pam Alexander, June 2024.
Beverly Little Thunder, a Lakota elder and pioneering Two-Spirit activist, attends a Pride Month celebration at the White House in June 2024. She was invited as part of a small group recognizing Indigenous Two-Spirit contributions to LGBTQ+ and Native communities. Photo credit: Pam Alexander, June 2024.

“Our beloved Two-Spirit elder and founding board member, Beverly Little Thunder, was a cherished part of our community whose wisdom, generosity, and spirit touched each of us and strengthened the work of the Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Center (2S Center) for Equity. A proud Lakota, Beverly’s legacy of leadership, vision, and love for her people will continue to be a guiding light for our board and for all who had the honor of walking beside her. The 2S Center holds her memory in our hearts with immense gratitude and love.”

– Elton Naswood 

“Beverly was fierce. She walked brilliantly in two worlds, ceremony and the everyday, and she refused to let the doorway to Spirit be narrower than our peoples. She evolved the ceremony with courage, opening the Sundance arbor to women and Two Spirit people who had been kept outside the circle.”

– Stephanie Morningstar

“Beverly’s visions share steady, fierce teachings. Teachings that have inspired healing personal pathways. Her vision reaches far and wide.  Creating support for those in leadership roles within their own communities. Unci’s vision gathers, teaches, celebrates, nourishes and provides.  We find our spirit self within…yes spirit is all around, the dreams and visions bring to our awareness that we are Spirit.  We are Spirit.  We are Spirit. Through each of our bodies—physical, emotional, social, in cognizance we are Spirit. Beverly’s vision, her life, her teachings reminds us that we have a spirit place within, we have a spirit place in all of life, we have a home.”

– Lushanya Echeverria, Beverly’s daughter 

Beverly Little Thunder, a Lakota elder, educator, and Two-Spirit activist, dedicated her life to preserving Indigenous traditions, advocating for gender and spiritual inclusion, and mentoring new generations in the path of cultural pride and healing. Photo credit: Pam Alexander, October 2025
Beverly Little Thunder, a Lakota elder, educator, and Two-Spirit activist, dedicated her life to preserving Indigenous traditions, advocating for gender and spiritual inclusion, and mentoring new generations in the path of cultural pride and healing. Photo credit: Pam Alexander, October 2025

In response, Not in Our Honor convened a press conference at the Nuwu Art Gallery, followed by a protest outside the Super Bowl venue. Rhonda LeValdo, representing the Acoma tribe, referred to the event as the “genocide bowl” during the press briefing, highlighting the grave consequences of perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Local advocates echoed these concerns, calling for the immediate retirement of the Kansas City Chiefs’ name and logo. Their stance reflects a broader movement aimed at addressing racism in sports.

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