The History of Gender Expression

Gender is a term that most of us grow up knowing. We become familiar with it from birth, when parents dress us in gender-appropriate clothes and we pick our favorite toys from color-coded sections at the store. But what does gender really mean? Sure, there are the traditional labels of boy and girl, but is that really all gender is? How would you define it?

Regardless of your perspective, it is hard to deny that gender is a construct created by humans thousands of years ago. In recent years, it has become a complex topic entering the social and political spheres. We have also begun to see more openly gender-fluid and nonconforming people, especially among younger generations. What many people do not know is that gender nonconformity is not a new trend. There is an extensive history behind it, and gender-fluid individuals have existed far longer than most people assume. Take a look.

Mesopotamia

Since 10,000 BC, gender-nonconforming deities have existed in society. One example is the goddess Inanna, also known as Ishtar, who was androgynous and was said to have the power to change a person's gender. According to an article by EraGem, Inanna possessed masculine strength as well as feminine sexual power. As a result, some individuals who worshipped her practiced gender nonconformity, while others would take on female names and personas in order to honor Inanna and succeed in the afterlife.

Roman Britain

Fast forward to the 4th century, where we see evidence of gender-fluid individuals in Cataractonium, present-day Catterick in North Yorkshire. Archaeologists uncovered the grave of a 4th-century gallus. According to Historic England magazine, a gallus refers to a person who was assigned male at birth but later became a priestess of the goddess Cybele. Cybele, the goddess of fertile earth, wild nature, and mountains, is depicted as an exotic mystery-goddess who arrives in a lion-drawn chariot. To become a priestess and demonstrate their commitment to Cybele, galluses would self-castrate, cross-dress, and take on a woman's role in society.

India

Other notable nonconforming individuals began emerging in the early 1500s, including groups from India. In Hindu societies, people of nonbinary gender expressions have played a significant role for over 2,000 years. As stated in an article published by Harvard's Divinity School, evidence for the third gender's existence in Hindu society can be found in holy texts such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, where the Hindu hero Arjun becomes the third gender.

Additionally, Muslim rulers of the Mughal Empire, known for its religious diversity, encouraged the existence of third-gender Indians known as Hijras. Hijras refers to individuals who are often born male but dress and behave in traditionally feminine ways. Like the galluses, many Hijras choose to undergo a castration ceremony as an offering to Bahuchara Mata, the Hindu goddess of chastity and today the patron goddess of the LGBTQ+ community in India.

Hawaii and Tahiti

Also emerging in the 1500s is the Māhū community. According to Outright International, Māhū is not only a physical identity. People in the Pacific do not look at you for just your physical elements or aspects. They consider your mental, emotional, and spiritual place in life. In Hawaiian and Tahitian culture, Māhū are people who embody both male and female spirits. They were often given traditional spiritual and social roles within their communities, such as healers and keepers of cultural traditions like genealogies.

The Māhū people even had their own gender-fluid pronouns. In Hawaiian, the letters that form the vowels A, E, I, O, U translate to he, her, him, she, and it, according to Outright International. There is no sex or gender attached to this pronoun. Instead, it is a fluid expression used to refer to a specific person and their identity, rather than their sex at birth.

Conclusion

While fluid gender expressions have appeared in mythology, cultural practices, and society throughout history, they are rarely taught in history classes, leaving many people unaware that these communities ever existed. But the question still stands: what does gender really mean? To put it simply, gender is a constructed framework that aims to guide how people behave and express themselves, but not necessarily something that has to be followed.

Of course, everyone has their own definition of and ideas about gender. But you cannot deny the history that proves third genders and other gender-nonconforming identities have existed far longer than most people assume. So maybe gender is not something that needs to be defined at all. Maybe it is simply something you can express in your own way.