Gender Across Cultures: Tradition, Identity and Evolution

    We who don't identify with the Euro-Christian gender normative ideal in the U.S. number near 3 million.  Just under 1%!  That makes us a minority.  Will the Supreme Court rule in our favor later this month?  Or ever?  Excuse me if I don't hold my breath.  The bulk of western society is wrapped up in the belief that transgenderism is "ungodly" or mentally ill.  Neither of which can be shown to be true, however, it's hard to break from societal stigma and try to see things from a different point of view.  But, just because something doesn't seem natural to you doesn't mean it isn't.  It only means that you're incapable of understanding something so complex.

    Consider this:  Indigenous peoples from various societies around the world... societies more in tune with nature... have known of genders other than just the two accepted by the west.  Let's take a look at some of these:

1. Hijras (South Asia) - In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, hijras are recognized as a third gender with a long history in Hindu religious traditions.  They often play ceremonial roles at weddings and births, though they have also faced societal stigma.
2. Fa'afafine (Samoa) - The Samoan culture recognizes the fa'afafine, individuals assigned male at birth who embody both masculine and feminine traits.  They are widely accepted and often take on caregiving roles within families.
3. Muxes (Mexico) - Among the Zapotec people of Oaxaca, muxes are individuals assigned male at birth who embrace feminine identities.  They are celebrated in local festivals and hold respected positions in their communities.
4. Bugis genders (Indonesia) - The Bugis people recognize five genders:  Makkunrai (feminine women), oroane (masculine men), calabais (feminine men), calalais (masculine women), and bissu (a spiritual gender that embodies both masculine and feminine traits).
5. Western perspectives - In many western nations, gender identity has historically been viewed through a binary lens, but perspectives are evolving.  While some societies embrace gender diversity, others remain divided on legal and social recognition.

    Our society is just one of many.  It's not necessarily right, nor is it necessarily wrong.  Although the masculine male and the feminine female are considered the norm in our society, we need to be brave enough to view and consider other possibilities.  The fact that I'm from the western society really means nothing, considering that I identify mostly with the calabais of the Indonesian Bugis people and the Muxes of the Mexican Zapotec people, and slightly with the fa'afafine of the Samoan culture.

    All that transgender people want is the recognition and the respect that all people should get.  But, minds and hearts remain closed.  Some who have loved ones who are transgender refuse to honor the gender identities and needs of their loved ones because they care more about their stigmas than they do their loved ones.  Because of this, they drive their loved ones away.  Some will unknowingly cause a loved one such anguish that they will commit suicide or, at the very least, attempt to.  Is it so important to cling to ideology that we cause our loved ones, or perhaps even ourselves, to take such desperate an action?