Answer Questions in 12 hours
A Place in the Middle
“In the Middle” in Other Cultures
For all of recorded history, thriving cultures throughout Polynesia and all around the world have recognized, revered and integrated individuals who were not exclusively male or female and established traditions for third, fourth, fifth or more genders.
First Nations: Two-Spirits
The first nation peoples of the American Plains, Great Lakes, Southwest, and California had a culture of respecting and valuing people they called “two-spirit.” These individuals embodied both masculine and feminine traits, merging the roles rather than taking on the opposite gender role typically assigned to their sex. Seen by others as rare and important, they functioned as healers, conveyors of oral traditions, religious and judicial leaders, and matchmakers.
Tonga: Fakaleiti
Tonga’s third gender, fakaleiti, translates to “like a woman,” and refers to biological males who dress as women and carry out tasks that are customarily done by females. Fakaleti is a gender identity, but not necessarily a sexual identity. Because they take on the identity of a traditional woman, many choose to partner with “straight” men, though there are also fakaleiti who do not sleep with men. The visibility of fakaleiti was traditionally very prevalent, and it was quite common for families to have a least one fakaleiti individual, even assigning the role to a child in families with multiple sons and no daughters. Today, fakaleiti still hold a positive reputation in Tonga and are respected for their creativity and hard work.
Samoa: Fa’afafine
Samoa’s social acceptance of fa’afafine has evolved from the tradition of raising some boys as girls. Like Tonga’s fakaleiti, these boys were not necessarily gay, or noticeably effeminate, but were brought up as fa’afafine because they were born into families that had too many boys and not enough girls to carry out gender-segregated chores. Modern fa’afafine most often choose the role for themselves and tend to identify as a third sex rather than gay or straight.
Mexico: Muxe
The muxe are generally assigned male at birth but culturally behave in non-masculine ways. They may adopt “feminine” social roles such as working in embroidery, but many also have white-collar careers in Mexico. In pre-Spanish Zapotec culture there as no word for “he/el” or “she/ella”