Nonbinary identities worldwide

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The European society is, in general, very binarist. However, there are a lot of cultures that, traditionally, have had more than two genders.

Bugis society

Puang Matoa, a bissu.

The Bugis people are one of the three biggest ethnic groups located in South Sulawesi (Indonesia). They recognise five genders: makkunrai, oroané, bissu, calabai, and calalai. Makkunrai and oroané are the equivalents of cisgender men and women. Calabai is similar to trans women; they are assigned male at birth but take female gender roles and their gender expression is similar to that of cis women. Calalai, on the other hand, is the equivalent to trans men; they are assigned female at birth, but dress and present as cis men.

Bissu is a gender identity similar to multigender: they are seen as a combination of all genders. Usually they are also intersex, but not necessarily. Bissu people handle the roles of a shaman or a priest.

A group of Hijra in Bangladesh.

Hijra

In Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, Hijras are assigned male at birth that take on the traditional roles of women, and they are recognised as a third gender by the government. Traditionally, they act as a spiritual bargainer, and they go to houses with newborns to bless them. Some of the hijras undergo a ritual, the nirwaan, to remove their penis, scrotum and testicles.

Although they are officially recognised, the discrimination against them is still widespread.

The muxe Lukas Avendano

Muxe

In Zapotec cultures (Oaxaca, southern Mexico), a muxe is an assigned male at birth person that has a feminine gender expression and role. They are usually seen as a third gender. It seems that muxes are more accepted in Oaxaca than homosexual men or trans women in other parts of the country. According to a study of the 1970s, 6% of males of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec were muxes.

Every year, a festival called Vela de las intrépidas ("The Vigil of the Intrepid" in Spanish) is handled in Oaxaca, where thousands of muxes meet. Even some Catholic priests participate in it, which shows how well accepted muxes are.

Two-spirited pride marchers at San Francisco Pride 2014.

Two-spirit

In Native North American societies, two-spirit or berdache is the name of a third gender. Two-spirit people can do activities typically associated with their gender assigned at birth, or they can do activities associated with the opposite one. Usually, assigned female at birth two-spirit people have sexual relations or marriages with females only.

Two-spirit is just a general term in English, and most Indigenous communities have a word in their own languages to express this concept. That's why the definition of two-spirit can differ between communities.

Nong Thoom, one of the most famous kathoeys.

Kathoey

In Thailand, kathoey refers to trans women or effeminate gay men. However, a lot of people perceive kathoeys as a third gender. Many kathoeys work in traditionally female occupations such as in shops or restaurants, but also in factories. They can also works in cabarets and as sex workers.

Kathoeys are more accepted and visible in than Thai culture than transgender people in other countries. However, there's no legal recognition for kathoeys or transgender people in general, and the discrimination in employment is usual.

Waria

In Indonesia, waria refers to a third gender. Because the discrimination they face, most warias only have the option to work as sex workers. However, there's a yearly festival with a beauty competition for warias.