The third gender is an umbrella term for any gender that is neither male or female. Alternative genders are a hot topic within western media right now which invites critics to believe the third gender is just a current trend. But where has the third gender come from?
It actually goes back centuries with there even being references in ancient greek mythology! In the myth of Plato's Symposium, the male-male descended from the sun, the female-female descended from the earth and the male-female came from the moon. The male-female descendent is said to represent those of a third gender.
The Third Gender in Asian Countries
In South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh the term Hijra is given to describe someone who is intersex or transgender. Hijra originated from the anicent Kama Sutra where there is reference to the third gender in quotes like "those disguised as males, and those that are disguised as females". Hijras are now legally recognised and in India are given the option to choose a third gender on all official documents including passports.
In Indonesia, the Bugis society recongise five genders which all must coexist harmoniously. The genders are: makkunrai (cisgender women), oroané (cisgender men), bissu (gender neutral), calabai (transgender women) and calalai (transgender men).
Fa’afafine are a group of people in Samoa who are born male but embody both masculine and feminine gender traits. This third gender has been a recognised part of Samoa’s culture since the early 20th century with around 1-5% of Samoans identifying as fa’afafine.
The Third Gender in Western Culture
In August 2017, Canada joined Australia, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and Ireland in allowing their citizens to choose 'X' as a gender option on passports. In Germany, a non-binary person recently won a court case to have their gender marker deleted from their ID.
