Title: 10 Societies That Recognize More Than Two Genders - Listverse
Headings: 10 Societies That Recognize More Than Two Genders
10 Societies That Recognize More Than Two Genders
10 The Hijra Of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, And Nepal
9 The Muxes Of Mexico
8 The Xaniths Of Oman
7 The Bugis Tribe Of Indonesia Recognizes Five Genders
6 The Two-Spirit People Of North America
5 The Six Genders Of Classical Judaism
4 The Fa’afafines Of Samoa
3 The Sekratas Of Madagascar
2 The Guevedoces Of The Dominican Republic
1 The Warias Of Indonesia

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6 The Two-Spirit People Of North America
Photo credit: The Guardian
“Two-spirit” is a catchall word for intersex, half-male and half-female, female male, and male female in Native American culture. Generally, anyone belonging to one gender but believed to have the characteristics of the other gender is considered to be a two-spirit. They often do work associated with both genders and are usually considered a good omen. Male females marry women, while female males marry men. Many of us would consider this to be homosexuality, but Native Americans do not. Female males used to be called berdache. The Spanish colonists that first arrived in the Americas labeled them homosexuals, leading to discrimination against them at the time. The discrimination continued when Christian missionaries got involved at the beginning of the 20th century, causing many berdaches to commit suicide. Berdaches resurfaced in the 1960s when Native American and gay activism gained a foothold in the US.