Asia's isle of five separate genders
The #Bugis people of #SouthSulawesi are a powerful ethnic group remarkable for its recognition of five separate genders. But the future of their unique culture looks bleak.
By Daniel Stables
12th April 2021
Excerpts: "Davies explained that in Bugis society, #makkunrai and #oroani correspond to Western concepts of cis female and cis male. #Calalai are born with female bodies but take on traditionally male gender roles; they may wear shirts and trousers, smoke cigarettes, wear their hair short and work manual jobs. #Calabai are born with male bodies but take on female gender roles, wearing dresses and makeup and growing their hair long. 'Many calabai work in beauty salons,' said Neni, a calabai from the village of Segiri, north of Makassar. 'We also help to plan weddings and perform at wedding ceremonies.'
[...]
"The fifth Bugis gender is #bissu, which is considered neither male nor female but representative of the totality of the gender spectrum. Bissu, like calabai and calalai, display their identity through dress: they often wear flowers, a traditionally feminine symbol, but carry the keris dagger associated with men. Many bissu are born intersex, but the term has implications beyond biology. While Bugis gender is often described as a spectrum, bissu are deemed to be above this classification: spiritual beings who are not halfway between male and female, but rather embody the power of both at once."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20210411-asias-isle-of-five-separate-genders
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/COc2v
#FiveGenders #Gender #GBLTQ #Indonesia #Genders #BugisCulture
