Third Gender (Broader)

An umbrella concept for gender roles, recognized across many cultures, that exist outside the Western man/woman binary. Each third-gender role (Hijra, Māhū, Two-Spirit, Travesti, Burrnesha, Fa'afafine, Kathoey, Muxe, Bissu and others) is culturally specific, with its own history and meaning, and should not be flattened into a single category or into Western terms like transgender or non-binary.

Third-gender and gender-variant roles are documented on every inhabited continent and across thousands of years. Many were suppressed or criminalized under European colonialism, and many are now being reclaimed and legally recognized. The orphan members named in this guide (Sekrata, Bakla, Fa'afatama, Calabai, Calalai, and others) each have their own cultural context.