Name of identity:il femminiello (singular), or i femminielli (plural), meaning "the little female-men." This comes from femmina ("woman"), with -iello, which is a diminuitive term of endearment, with a masculine -o ending. This is neither derogatory nor an insult.[1][2]
Culture: Naples, Italy.[3] Specifically, they are centered in "the Spanish Quarter, the most impoverished neighborhood in the city."[1]
Era: from at least as far back as the 1500s CE, to the present[4]
Role in society: "Women's work," according to local traditional gender roles, such as looking after children, housework, and running errands. Sex work. Priests, and a source of good luck.[2]