Gay American Indians

The initial purpose of the group was described by Randy Burns (co-founder) as a "safe place to socialize and share." The founders wanted a space to address the intersectionality of their identities. GAI Members advocated for the use of the term "two-spirit" as an alternative to the term "berdache" because they viewed the latter as problematic due to the term's origins. The group also worked in the 1980s with Will Roscoe, a scholar, to produce a book about the meaning of "berdache."[3] The GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco holds some of the papers from this collaboration; the abstract states that GAI was "the first gay American Indian liberation organization, founded in July 1975."[4] The Bay Area Reporter credits GAI was the "first organization for queer Natives in the country." [5]

Members of the GAI often gathered socially at Esta Noche, a San Francisco gay bar. Subsequently, a later Bay Area group formed, the Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS).[6] Burns is quoted that one of the "main reasons" GAI was founded was as a social alternative to the discrimination in the Castro district.[5]

In 1985, a member of GAI died of AIDS, and in 1987 the organization founded the Indian AIDS Project. Co-founder Randy Burns commented in 2015 that 82 members of GAI had died of AIDS.[5]

Records from GAI are held by the GLBT Historical Society.[7]