muxe

For hundreds of years, families in the matriarchal society of Juchitan, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, have celebrated the birth of girls more than the birth of boys. Thus, a mother often decides to put her infant boy in girl’s clothing, and "never let him out again." This son grows up to become a “muxe.” (Pronounced `Musha`), which means a third gender in the local Zapotec dialect.

The muxes of Juchitan are widely accepted and participate in daily life. They are not condemned to, and do not choose to limit themselves to the nightlife, as it is often the case with transvestites. On the contrary they are considered hard workers that will forever stay by their mothers side, taking care for their families operating as mothers without children of their own. In fact the world of muxe in Juchitan generally seems rather de-sexualized "It would be crazy to switch my mother for a boyfriend, wouldn’t it." Says Streiya. This is a story of a magical and complex relationship between a mother and her son. It touches on the question whether nature or nurture are the cause of this extraordinary third gender.