Being generic here, but the concept of Hijra is not controversial or unaccepted across SE asia, correct? Or at least to the best of my knowledge (Cambodia and Burma).
I tend to pose just having such uncontested language goes a long way for gender roles (and conformance) not being such a puritanical binary like it is in the American anglosphere.
The hijra are on South Asia or the Indian subcontinent. I don’t know exactly what their social status is but it might differ from one part of South Asia to another.
I don’t know much about Burma and Cambodia so I can’t comment. Barring Malaysia and Indonesia, since they are Muslim-majority countries, the lgbt community in Philippines and Thailand is widespread and less stigmatised. We all know how accepting Thailand is of lgbt, and in Philippines many gays and lesbians are tolerated, but not accepted due to Catholic reasons for still refusing same sex marriage. However, before the Spanish colonisation of Philippines, gay men or bakla were conferred a special status as clerics in religious occasions, similar to hijra in South Asia and third spirit among Native Americans. Despite the Christian influence, the tolerance of lgbt in Philippines is still intact.
I tend to pose just having such uncontested language goes a long way for gender roles (and conformance) not being such a puritanical binary like it is in the American anglosphere.
Austronesian languages are not gendered. There is no he or she. Probably the closest translation of singular pronouns to English from Austronesian languages is “they”, which may sound awkward to gendered language speakers.
Being generic here, but the concept of Hijra is not controversial or unaccepted across SE asia, correct? Or at least to the best of my knowledge (Cambodia and Burma).
I tend to pose just having such uncontested language goes a long way for gender roles (and conformance) not being such a puritanical binary like it is in the American anglosphere.
The hijra are on South Asia or the Indian subcontinent. I don’t know exactly what their social status is but it might differ from one part of South Asia to another.
I don’t know much about Burma and Cambodia so I can’t comment. Barring Malaysia and Indonesia, since they are Muslim-majority countries, the lgbt community in Philippines and Thailand is widespread and less stigmatised. We all know how accepting Thailand is of lgbt, and in Philippines many gays and lesbians are tolerated, but not accepted due to Catholic reasons for still refusing same sex marriage. However, before the Spanish colonisation of Philippines, gay men or bakla were conferred a special status as clerics in religious occasions, similar to hijra in South Asia and third spirit among Native Americans. Despite the Christian influence, the tolerance of lgbt in Philippines is still intact.
Austronesian languages are not gendered. There is no he or she. Probably the closest translation of singular pronouns to English from Austronesian languages is “they”, which may sound awkward to gendered language speakers.