The 2011 Fall Season of Gender 101, and a great resource: A Map Of Gender-Diverse Cultures Across The World

School's back in session, and in a couple of weeks we'll be starting our Fall run of Gender 101, continuing our series of video episodes where we discuss gender with our Gender-Queer friend Benji! (To catch up on episodes #1 through #10, check out the links in the right-hand column of this blog. Or go here.)

This week, check out this cool resource, a map of Gender-Diverse Cultures across the world. It's inspiring to see how challenging the binary vision of gender that is predominant in our Western culture has a rich and varied history! There are SO many that I didn't know about.... like the Chuckchi of Siberia, the Femminiello of Italy and even the Bugi people of southern Sulawesi (Indonesia), who

"...recognize three sexes (male, female, intersex) and five genders: men, women, calabai, calalai, and bissu. Calabai are biological males who embody a feminine gender identity. Calalai are biological females who embody a male gender identity. Bissu are considered a "transcendent gender," either encompassing all genders or none at all. The bissu serve ritual roles in Bugi culture and are sometimes equated with priests."

It's a fascinating resource, and a great starting point for learning more about gender. Thanks to Benji for sharing this with me, so I could share it with you.

Namaste,
Lee