Gender identity: the Mexican community where there are more than men and women | World

"I would prefer you to call me" my love, "he replied with a smile.

In the Istmo region of Tehuantepec, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, there are three genera: female, male, and mux. This third ranking is recognized and celebrated since pre-Hispanic times. And in this region, where most people speak the Zapotec indigenous language, my question did not make much sense.

"In Zapotec, as in English, there is no grammatical gender, there is only one form for everyone, so the multiplexes do not have they never had to wonder if they were more masculine or feminine, "Avendaño added.

"We are the third bad," added Felina, who, unlike Avendaño, changed her male baptismal name, Angel, by her nickname. "There are men and women, and there is something in the middle, it's me."

I participated in the Las Intrepidas Vela, an annual celebration of the multiplexes, which takes place every November in Juchitán de Zaragoza, a small town in the isthmus of Tehuantepec. He noticed that his styles were very diverse.

There were multiplexes that, like the Tehuanas (women of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec), wore the same richly embroidered garment inspired by the look of Frida Kahlo. Others wore western-style dresses or presented themselves as drag drags. And there were still those who wore men's clothes, showing their status as with simple makeup and painted nails.

"It is difficult to describe who is muxe, it is basically everyone who is born man but who does not act as such," Avendaño said.

"What we know" under the eyes of the West "," transvestite man to woman "," transbadual man to woman "," gay effeminate "or" gay man "seems to be included in the muxe category because there is also a strong component of ethnic identity, "writes anthropologist Pablo Céspedes Vargas in the article Muxes at work: between belonging to the community and heteronormativity in the workplace ("Muxes no trabalho: between community belonging and heteronormativity in the workplace", in free translation).

Similarly, Avendaño pointed out that "muxe" is a Zapotec term and can not be understood without understanding its culture.

Indeed, the muxe concept only exists in the isthmus of Tehuantepec, where they constitute an important part of the community. The legend says that they fell from the pocket of Vicente Ferrer, the patron saint of Juchitán, when he pbaded by the city, which means that they were born with luck.

A second version indicates that Vicente Ferrer carried three bags: one with female seeds, one with male seeds, and the last where both were mixed. The third bag would have sunk in Juchitán, which explains the multiplication of the multiplexes.

"It's not true that there are more multiplexes here, they are simply more respected, so they may be more visible," said Fernando Noé Diaz, a teacher in basic education which has many friends friends.

One of them called Kika (she also uses her first name) and invited us to the celebration of that night. Each muxe had a section with tables and decorations where food and drinks were served to the guests.

"I think multiplexes are respected because they are more social than badual, and they play an important role in the community," said Noé Díaz.

Juchitán is known in Mexico for his strong and proud women. Some people know the city of matriarchy, which is not necessarily correct, but it is the women who traditionally deal with money, taken home by men.

Women, on the other hand, generally sell what men produce and the market is under their control. Tonight, as is the tradition of sailing, women give money as a gift, while men bring crates of beer.

"When the man is at sea or in the country and the woman is in the market, there is no one to do domestic and family work." It's there that the multiplexes come in, explained Noé Diaz. "Some even say that it's a blessing for the mother to have a muxe girl to help her at home and take care of her younger siblings." could not have a long-term relationship or get married, so they had to keep their mothers when they grew up. "

At the party, it is the mothers of mux who serve food at each table. Kika's mother made sure no one was hungry, while the younger members of the family brought a new bottle of beer when mine began to empty.

Kika does not want to devote herself to housework, which is one of the traditional functions of muxe, manual work and sales on the market. That's why she owns a beauty salon in the city center. The same thing happens with Felina, who runs a group of multiplexes, Las Auténticas Intrepidas Buscadoras del Peligro – the organizers of the evening.

According to Noah Diaz, much of the work of muxe is to prepare traditional festivals, which are an important part of the local economy. They make costumes and ornaments for "candles", baptisms, communions, beginners' parties and weddings. Noé Díaz also knows muxes who make art and crafts for sale in the markets. Another friend of mine is a teacher.

Avendaño is an actress and director. She travels the world with her show on what it means to be muxe, Requiem for a Alcaraván. The show puts a lot of emphasis on the Catholic part of the muxe identity.

"Multiplexes have always had an important role in the Catholic Church.It is up to them to prepare the decorations of the church.In Tehuantepec, my hometown, they have their own fraternity. in the church, "said Avendaño, explaining that the Catholic Church tradition of the three genres, which is so strong and rooted in the local culture.

The celebration of the multiplexes began with a Mbad in his honor at the Vicente Ferrer Church.

"God created the woman and the man, but he also created human nature, and – forgive me please, my God, if I offend you – it is possible that the nature created by him has decided who the humans are., there are homobaduals and that is quite natural, "said Father Panchito, nicknamed the parish priest Arturo Francisco Herrera González. "God created us in his own image, but each of us is unique, there are no two identical individuals and we must respect that."

After Mbad, a procession followed in the streets of the city. A colorful crowd was led by a group and crowds holding candles. Behind the procession, other pbaders-by drove cars and trucks decorated with flowers, balloons and decorative papers.

But the highlight of the evening was the night party outside the city, with three scenes and great speakers. There were many people: women, men and children. All wore regional dresses: women in petticoats and embroidered blouses called huipiles; and the men had white Guayabera shirts.

The public was greeted by a muxe – the "mayordomo" this year, the main organizer, accompanied by his partner, Mayate. Mayates are men who have bad with multiplexes, but who are not multiplexes and are not considered homobaduals.

"Zapotec society as a whole does not interpret a man having relationships with a muxe as a homobadual, his heterobadual status is not questioned," Marinella Miano Borruso wrote in an article . "Only bad between a muxe and a heterobadual man makes sense." Relations between a mux or between a muxe and a gay do not make sense. In fact, they are inconceivable, no muxe would sleep with a man who considers himself gay.

Therefore, multiplexes are not necessarily homobaduals. They can be heterobadual, bibadual or abadual. It is a cultural genre, a social function and an identity, but not a characteristic of its desire, "says Miano Borruso, in his book Hombre, mujer y muxe at Isthmo de Tehuantepec, woman and luxury in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in free translation).

In the case of the candle, all the multiposts with which I spoke consider themselves as homobaduals or as a woman born in the body of a man.Some follow hormonal treatment and pose At the annual Queen of Muxes, which is part of the candle, I realized that many had artificial bads. "It's something new. The fake bads do not make more muxe more muxe, "commented Noé Diaz.

Muxes is also involved in the struggles for the rights of LGBT Amaranta Gómez Regalado, muxe of Juchitán, was a candidate for the Mexican Congress Although not elected, she became Mexico's first candidate and continues to campaign in campaigns against homophobia and HIV prevention.

"Instead of dedicating their lives to embroidery, at work Manual or trade, we are finishing more and more our higher education, "said Felina." If we, daughters of St. Vincent, do not fight for our rights, who will do it? "

Still, Mexicans are On the one hand, Mexico City was the first capital of Latin America to legalize same-bad marriage, but Mexico also suffers from one of the highest crime rates in the world. highest in the world in the LGBT community: 202 pe were killed between January 2014 and December 2016, one in three days.

For Mexicans and the international gay community, Juchitán has become a strange paradise and a symbol of tolerance. Although some places still discriminate against multiplexes and the multi-user community as a whole has fewer job and study opportunities, the traditional division of the three bades as an individual as a means of being natural and traditional has inspired the LGBT scene around the world – and multiplexes are aware of this.