“In many cultures, third gender people often undertake spiritual responsibilities in their communities and are seen to be more closely connected with worlds beyond earthly reality”
BY LARA IQBAL GILLING, IMAGE BY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (A STILL FROM MONKEY MAN 2024)
According to the 2023 census, there are 30,000 people living in England and Wales who identify as non-binary, and a further 18,000 identified themselves as a different gender not specified on the form. It was only two years that a question about gender identity appeared on the census for the first time.
Although it seems that the UK and much of the rest of the world have only just gotten to grips with the idea of gender diverse identities, non-binary people have existed throughout history.
It’s largely considered that the earliest recording of people transcending the gender binary comes from Mesopotamia, which is widely believed to be the first civilisation.
Interestingly, in many cultures, third gender people often undertake spiritual responsibilities in their communities and are seen to be more closely connected with worlds beyond earthly reality.
Sekrata
The Sakalava people of Madagascar have the gender sekrata. These individuals are assigned male at birth, but are raised as girls because of their feminine behaviour. As adults, they perform in ceremonies and are viewed as sacred and spiritually protected.
Hijras
Throughout South Asia, hijras exist as a third gender. They are usually assigned male at birth or intersex and have a spiritual role in Hindu societies, celebrating religious rituals like deaths and births. Some people believe that hijras can cast blessings or curses.
British colonisers criminalised hijras in 1871, but India, Nepal and Bangladesh have legally recognised third gender identities since 2014. Current prejudice against hijras can be traced back to colonial influence.
Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man is a bloody revenge action film that received praise for unexpectedly delivering hijra representation.
Ashtime
Ashtime among the Maale people of Ethiopia acted as intermediaries between men and women’s spaces. They worked for the royal court and performed domestic labour.
Two-Spirit
These people are part of Native American culture in North America. As the name would suggest, they have both male and female spirits and are therefore a unique perspective. The name for this gender has varied throughout time, but the concept is found in multiple Indigenous American cultures.
Māhū
Possessing both a male and female spirit, the māhū live in Hawaii and Tahiti. They too take on spiritual roles, and their history dates back to a cultural myth of four androgynous healers who transferred their powers to four boulders in Waikīkī, Hawaii.
Kitesha
There was a third gender among the Basongye or Bala people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, called a kitesha – or bitesha if plural. These people could be men or women, and were exempt from traditional gender-based roles.
Sekhet
In ancient Egypt, sekhet was a third gender used to refer to intersex people or those who did not conform to traditional gender roles. It was also sometimes used for gay men.
Bissu
The Bugis people of Indonesia recognise three genders which surpass the binary. The fifth Bugis gender is Bissu – these people transcend other genders and fulfil a spiritual role. They carry daggers and wear flowers, perform rites and straddle the mundane and divine worlds.
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