AZALEA GALE JULIAN

Cagayan State University

THIRD GENDER
• It is a broad term used to identify people of
various cultures whose gender identity is
other than male/female.
• Unique to their culture
Some THIRD GENDER categories:
• “Fa’afafine” of Samoa
• “Hijra” of India and Pakistan
• “Two Spirit” of the Native North Americans
• “Cross gendered” of Inuit
Fa’afafine of Samoa
• “In the way of the woman”
• Neither participant in male-to-male sexual
acts are considered homosexual
• They are inherently rooted in family
Hijra of India and Pakistan
• Hjr (Semitic Arabic) = “Leaving one’s tribe”
• Hindi to English transalation = “Eunuch” or
“Hermaphrodite”
• They wear female clothing and renounce their
sexual desires by sacrificial emasculation
(nirwaan)
Berdache/Two-Spirit
• The term applies to those
who were believed to possess
masculine and feminine
spirits
• Spiritual people
• They often take the clothing
and work of both men and
women
“Cross-Gendered” of Inuit
• Legend of the “Strange Man”
• The Itijjuaq Myth
• Both stories focused heavily
on the role of higher spirits
and ancestors who protect
those who do not fall within
the categories of a man or
woman.