There is a unique group of people in southern Mexicos Oaxaca state called “muxes.” According to a piece in Fusion, muxes are “a community of gay men who date heterosexual men while dressing as women, sometimes assuming traditional female roles within the family and society.” In the 1980s, a group of anthropologists

How many genders are there in Mexico?

Theres men and women and theres something in between, and thats who I am. Here, in the Istmo de Tehuantepec region in Mexicos southern state of Oaxaca, there are three genders: female, male and muxes.

How do you pronounce muxes?

noun, plural mu·xes [moo-sheys], mu·xe.

What gender are hijras?

Hijras are often born male but look and dress in traditionally feminine ways. Many, but not all, choose to undergo a castration ceremony, removing their male genitalia as an offering to Hindu goddess Bahuchara Mata. Other hijras are born intersex.

How are hijras different?

Hijras might be seen as the Western equivalent of transgender, but key to the distinction is the time-honored ritual of leaving ones home — or being forced out — and undergoing induction into a clan of hijras led by an elder known as a nayak or guru, at which point the new inductee is known as a chela. Gurus and

What role do hijras have in Indian culture?

Hijras were well-respected and revered in ancient India. Hijras also held religious authority and important court positions and administrative roles in Mughal era India. Believed to have the ability to bless, many would seek out Hijras for blessings during important religious ceremonies.