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the-pi-guy said:
JohnVG said:

Really? tons? OK, tell us 5 cultures.

Exploring the history of gender expression

>Long before Cook’s arrival in Hawaii, a multiple-gender tradition existed among the Kanaka Maoli indigenous society. The mahu referred to biological males or females who inhabited a gender role somewhere between, or encompassing both, the masculine and feminine.

>In pre-colonial Andean culture, the Incas worshipped the chuqui chinchay, a dual-gendered god. Third-gender ritual attendants or shamans performed sacred rituals to honor this god.

>Anthropological research indicates well over 100 instances of diverse gender expression in Native American tribes at the time of early European contact.

>Even in the heart of Catholic Italy, in Naples, there is a centuries-old phenomenon of femminielli, those assigned male at birth who dress and behave as women. They are respected figures and traditionally believed to bring good luck; a cultural tradition that may date back to pagan rituals of crossdressing, or eunuch priests.

India (~2000 years ago): 

https://www.trp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ARSS-Vol.4-No.1-Jan-June-2015-pp.17-19.pdf

"A male child is produced by a greater quantity of male seed, a female child by the prevalence of the female; if both are equal, a third-sex child or boy and girl twins are produced; if either are weak or deficient in quantity, a failure of conception results"

It's me, or many of this "supposed cultures accepting a third genre as normal" are basically using it in Gods, on trying to explain actual known genetic problems o simply the homosexual conduct?

For exemple: A dual-genered god in an old culture is NOT a third accepted genre. Is a dual-gendered God: masculine and femenine in one. Where is the third? Some cultures did that, but is not that strange.

Indians trying to explain 2000 years ago the hermafroditism, or an ambiguos genitalia, is not a third genre, is just Indians trying to understand why 0,02% of new born humans have that problem, and in any way can be considered a new genre because is absolutely residual and it does not represent any change in the human reproduction system. Is just a genetic problem that is present and known in humans (as in another mammals) like other genetic-base problems well known, as for example, Siamese twins (also historically adored in some cultures as some special beings or even Gods, and don't tell me they are a third genre).
There is also the Klinefelter syndrome, or 47,XXY cromosome. A genetic syndrome that has to be tested to be diagnosed. That's NONE a third genre. 
As any other kind of malformations and/or genetic problems during the conception or pregnancy, has to be treated as genetic problems during the gestation.

The Naples case... seems to me just an homosexuality "recognition" by that city... in the best case. Homosexuality can be persecuted (or celebrated) in some places, but it is NOT a sexual genre: is just a sexual preference by individual beings, even in animals. It is well known since ancient times (for example in the Old Greece), and many many cultures knew and in some cases recognized its existence (denying it is stupid, as it is stupid trying to treat and change those people in its personal sexual impulse preferences). BUT in any case you cannot consider those individuals as a third genre. They are obviously not. They are male or female. Just that. If you want to speak about "eunucs"... well, they are just castrated males, normally by medieval political and personal reasons inside a monarch's court (common in arab world, but also present in other places like China or Europe). Italians used to castrate pre-puber young male children (normally children from poor families) and called them "castrati", to use them as opera "female voice" singers until XIX century. Why? because italians for some stupid reason forbid women to sang in the opera. Naples was, precisely, one of the cities were castrati existed. That "tradition" is in fact, very related to Catholic church tastes, a very important religion in Italy as thay have the catholic headquarters (the Vatican) since the old roman times.  Castrati and other eunucs are, in no way, a good thing to celebrate and much less to see as a third genre.

The Hawaian case, and native american cases... I have no idea about them, maybe Hawai is similar to Indian case, don't know. The native americans believing in more than 100 genres... needs to be very well explained if is true, because it has to be some good explanation about that and "what they understand as a genre". 100 genres in humans are just insane and difficult to defend in a serious way.


So, in the end, I only see maybe 1 (or 2 at max) cultures trying to defend seriously more than 2 genres in normal human live, there. The vast majority, accepting only 2, for physical obvious reasons.

Last edited by JohnVG - on 14 December 2024