L. Frank - The Outwords Archive

L. Frank poses in front of the Paltewat mural by artist Don Gray commemorating the Cahuilla tribe, Indio, California, 2014. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Richard Bugbee and L. Frank in front of a police car, Washington, DC. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank’s dog, Steve, posing as Rita Hayworth, Tuolumne Rancheria, California. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank in the canoe yard at pó home, 2022. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank in the canoe yard, Tongva language on the chalkboard, 2023. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank built a traditional Tongva plank canoe, the 2nd canoe of its kind in 250 years, Santa Rosa, CA, approx. 2014. Courtesy of L. Frank.

People lifting the canoe, 2014. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank’s friend V sanding the canoe in the canoe yard, Santa Rosa, CA, 2023. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Stone anchor and stone canoe effigy made by L. Frank, Hearst Museum Collections. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of Kimberley Stevenot of the Miwok Tribe, with two of Rico Miranda’s kids from the Oholone Tribe, at a Native gathering. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of Buffalo Barbie at the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) Powwow, early 2020s. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of Stephen Young coming into the two spirit powwow circle, San Francisco, California, approx. 2021. L. Frank adds, “everyone stands for him as he dances alone around the circle, we honor him.” Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of a two spirit Coyote woman from the Oholone tribe, Yerba Buena Park, San Francisco, California. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of Marna Deitch, West Hollywood, 2020. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Mari Posa and Ruth Villasenor at the Dyke March, San Francisco, California. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Photo of the Dyke March at the 2020 Pride march where L. Frank performed the opening prayer, West Hollywood, California, 2020. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Portrait of Adam on the set of “The Roof”, a short film about his coming out, Disney Ranch, Santa Clara, 2023. “The Roof” is set to debut on the second season of “Launchpad” on Disney Plus. Photo by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

L. Frank voices Aawkut, a ghost in the form of Raven in episode four of “City of Ghosts” on Netflix, 2023. Photo courtesy of L. Frank.

“Mountain Top Ravens” silkscreen by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

“Night Wins” illustration by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

“Austin’s Wedding Blessings for All” pen drawing with computer color by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

“Coyote Opts out of the Choir” acrylic painting by L. Frank, who shares that “Coyote is leaving the Church, leaving oppression.” Courtesy of L. Frank.

“Living Languages” lino cut by L. Frank. Courtesy of L. Frank.

Editor’s Note: L. Frank’s pronoun is pó, calling us to practice Native language to convey two-spirit and Native identity nuances the English language cannot.

Frank was born on July 30, 1952 in Santa Monica, California, and grew up around the Los Angeles basin. Although L. Frank’s family of origin had Spanish, Hispanic, and Native Californian Indian roots, most of pó family chose to emphasize their Caucasian ancestry. As a child, when L. Frank insisted on staying true to the family’s Tongva, Ajachmem, and Rarámuri roots, pó family called pó a “dirty little Indian” and ostracized pó.

Throughout elementary school, L. Frank felt like an outsider in pó own hometown. When attending schools in more affluent areas, pó was often the only non-white child; other kids bullied pó, beating pó up for being the gardener or maid’s kid. To make matters worse, L. Frank had undiagnosed hyperlexia and autism; this led to difficulty with traditional learning styles, and frequent discipline from teachers. Nothing was safe, smooth, or easy.

During high school, L. Frank heard about a group of Native American activists reclaiming Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay as a demonstration against broken treaties. Pó and some high school friends headed north to try and join the occupation, but were caught by their parents before they could reach the island. To this day, pó remembers the unprecedented event as a powerful awakening. In later decades, pó took many journeys to join Native sovereignty protests, including giving a speech and prayer at Standing Rock Reservation to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.

After high school, L. Frank studied art and photography at several institutions including the Otis Parsons Institute of Art Design. Upon graduation, pó enlisted in the Air National Guard. A self-described “pot-smoking hippie lesbian”, L. Frank not only became a squad leader of queer service members, but also roguishly provoked higher and higher-ranking leaders by publicly questioning the military’s homophobic policies.

Over the course of pó career as an artist and activist, L. Frank has infused all pó work with this same free, passionate spirit. pó book about living with undiagnosed learning disabilities has inspired many Native mothers to connect their children to L. Frank. In the 1990s, pó co-founded the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS), which assists seven California tribes in the preservation and teaching of their languages. Pó also created the Acorn Soup Graphic Contribution, an initiative to preserve and create tribal art. In pó own work, pó often draws cartoons featuring the trickster Coyote, as well as star maps, to convey both the lightheartedness and deep nuances of Native lived experiences. L. Frank also collaborated on First Families, a book featuring stories and photographs of Native elders from tribes across California, highlighting the determined resilience of this population in the face of generations of trauma and loss.

On pó own body, pó proudly bears tattoos in Native art styles and traditions. In this way, and so many others, L. Frank gracefully and fiercely interweaves Native and queer activism and artistry.

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