The Nerdy Pagan

Transgaming

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:41:28 -0500

katiemidway: One of the biggest ways people my age interact is through the world of video games....

thepeoplesrecord: Going beyond the Western gender binary -...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:28:05 -0500

Going beyond the Western gender binary - unlearning our backward cultural conditioning

In Western colonial society (which dominates many aspects of the globalized, capitalist world today) we operate under the presumption that there are only two genders, male and female. But gender is a social construction. One’s options for what gender they identify with are shaped by the culture they are born into. Biological factors are most-often the primary driving forces that choose among the available socially-constructed gender categories.

Cultures around the world have different ways of talking about, thinking about, and identifying gender. It’s often a challenge for (particularly cis-sexual) Westerns to think about other ways gender can be socially constructed. Westerns have the false equivalency of gender and sex drilled into their eternal psyche from the time they are very young, and re-enforced through examples popular culture. There is no biological reality to gender. Many Westerners have the bizarre belief that one’s XY-sex-determination should also inform one’s gender identity, a socially constructed role in society.

In some cultures, there is no distinction made between gender and sexual orientation and the same can be said for sexual orientation - our culture socially-constructs the options and our biology helps us identify which socially-constructed option feels most ‘right’ and best resonates with us.

I’ve attached some photos to offer some examples of non-colonial, non-Western construction of gender. They’ve all been uploaded onto our Facebook page photostream in case you’d like to ‘like’ or ‘share’ them there. There are literally hundreds of ‘third-gender’ identifying peoples around the world. The eight I’ve chosen are mostly examples I remember from some of my anthropology courses but if you google ‘third genders’ you can find many lists and examples.

Who cares? Why it matters.

The most obvious reason to care about the way our culture has constructed gender and sexual orientation is to deepen one’s capacity for solidarity with people who identify as transgender, transsexual, and others whose gender or sexual identity exists outside of binary Western culture.

But there are other reasons as well. Western culture’s binary nature often creates non-sensical, problematic binary identity constructions that are inherently problematic. For example, I believe that Western masculinity (dominance, aggression, lack of communication, lack of emotional expression, etc) is inherently problematic. I believe that to be the reason why most acts of large-scale-violence and terror are committed by men (see: 100% of the mass school shootings in the United States), and I believe it fosters a degree of internal misery within people who heavily adopt these particular ‘masculine’ traits.

In the age of information, and the age of global connectivity, there is no longer any reason (particularly for young people) to feel isolated or restricted to Western definitions of gender, sexual orientation and identity in general. I think the social ramifications of a generation where more and more people begin to identify outside of the gender binary would be tremendous, and I think we should all consider how we can unlearn our cultural conditioning to embrace other, perhaps less exploitative and dominating identities.

Background information on the identities depicted in the above images:

Hijras:

Hijras are male-body-born, feminine-gender-identifying people who live in South Asia (mostly in India & Nepal). Many Hijras live in well-defined, organized, all-Hijra communities, led by a guru.

Although many Hijras identify as Muslim, many practice a form of syncretism that draws on multiple religions; seeing themselves to be neither men nor women, Hijras practice rituals for both men and women.

Hijras belong to a special caste. They are usually devotees of the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata, Lord Shiva, or both.

Nandi female husbands:

Among the Nandi in Western Kenya, one social identity option for women is to become a female husband, and thus a man in society’s eyes. Female husbands are expected to become men and take on all of the social and cultural responsibilities of a man, including finding a wife to marry and passing on property to the next generation through marriage. Female husbands may have lived their lives as women and may even be married to a man, but once she becomes a female-husband, she is expected to be a man. Women married to female-husbands may have sex with single men uninterested in commitment in order to become pregnant, but the female-husband (who is often an older woman, often a widow) will father the child of said pregnancy and treat the child like her own.

Two-spirited people

Two-Spirit is an umbrella term sometimes used for what was once commonly known as ‘berdaches’, Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations communities. The term usually indicates a person whose body simultaneously manifests both a masculine and a feminine spirit. Male and female two-spirits have been “documented in over 130 tribes, in every region of North America.”

Travesti
In South America (with a large presence in Brazil), a travesti is a person who was assigned male at birth who has a feminine gender identity and is primarily sexually attracted to masculine men. Therefore, sometimes the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation is not made. Travestis have been described as a third gender, but not all see themselves this way.Travestis often will begin taking female hormones and injecting silicone to enlargen their backsides as boys and continue the process into womanhood.

The work of cultural Anthropologist Don Kulick (a gay male by Western definitions) in Brazil demonstrated that gender construction in Brazil is binary (like Western gender construction), but unlike Western gender construction, instead of having a male-female binary, there is a male-notmale.

In this particular construction of gender:

Males include: men who have sex with women, men who have sex with Travestis but are never on the receiving end of anal sex, men who have sex with men but are never on the receiving end of anal sex.

Not-males include: women, men who receive anal sex from ‘male’ gay men or from Travestis.

Fa’afafine

Fa’afafine are the gender liminal, or third-gendered people of Samoa. A recognized and integral part of traditional Samoan culture, fa’afafine, born biologically male, embody both male and female gender traits. Their gendered behavior typically ranges from extravagantly feminine to mundanely masculine

Waria

Waria is a traditional third general role found in modern Indonesia. Additionally, the Bugis culture of Sulawesi (one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia) has been described as having three sexes (male, female and intersex) as well as five genders with distinct social roles.

Six Genders of old Israel
In the old Kingdom of Israel (1020–931 BCE) there were six officially recognized genders:

Zachar: male

Nekeveh: female

Androgynos: both male and female

Tumtum: gender neutral/without definite gender

Aylonit: female-to-male transgender people

Saris: male-to-female transgender people (often inaccurately translated as “eunuch”)

Kathoey (often called ‘ladyboys’)
Australian scholar of sexual politics in Thailand Peter Jackson’s work indicates that the term “kathoey” was used in pre-modern times to refer to intersexual people, and that the usage changed in the middle of the twentieth century to cover cross-dressing males, to create what is now a gender identity unique to Thailand. Thailand also has three identities related to female-bodied people: Tom, Dee, and heterosexual woman.

-Robert

thepeoplesrecord: Going beyond the Western gender binary -...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:27:54 -0500

thepeoplesrecord:

Going beyond the Western gender binary - unlearning our backward cultural conditioning

In Western colonial society (which dominates many aspects of the globalized, capitalist world today) we operate under the presumption that there are only two genders, male and female. But gender is a social construction. One’s options for what gender they identify with are shaped by the culture they are born into. Biological factors are most-often the primary driving forces that choose among the available socially-constructed gender categories.

Cultures around the world have different ways of talking about, thinking about, and identifying gender. It’s often a challenge for (particularly cis-sexual) Westerns to think about other ways gender can be socially constructed. Westerns have the false equivalency of gender and sex drilled into their eternal psyche from the time they are very young, and re-enforced through examples popular culture. There is no biological reality to gender. Many Westerners have the bizarre belief that one’s XY-sex-determination should also inform one’s gender identity, a socially constructed role in society.

In some cultures, there is no distinction made between gender and sexual orientation and the same can be said for sexual orientation - our culture socially-constructs the options and our biology helps us identify which socially-constructed option feels most ‘right’ and best resonates with us.

I’ve attached some photos to offer some examples of non-colonial, non-Western construction of gender. They’ve all been uploaded onto our Facebook page photostream in case you’d like to ‘like’ or ‘share’ them there. There are literally hundreds of ‘third-gender’ identifying peoples around the world. The eight I’ve chosen are mostly examples I remember from some of my anthropology courses but if you google ‘third genders’ you can find many lists and examples.

Who cares? Why it matters.

The most obvious reason to care about the way our culture has constructed gender and sexual orientation is to deepen one’s capacity for solidarity with people who identify as transgender, transsexual, and others whose gender or sexual identity exists outside of binary Western culture.

But there are other reasons as well. Western culture’s binary nature often creates non-sensical, problematic binary identity constructions that are inherently problematic. For example, I believe that Western masculinity (dominance, aggression, lack of communication, lack of emotional expression, etc) is inherently problematic. I believe that to be the reason why most acts of large-scale-violence and terror are committed by men (see: 100% of the mass school shootings in the United States), and I believe it fosters a degree of internal misery within people who heavily adopt these particular ‘masculine’ traits.

In the age of information, and the age of global connectivity, there is no longer any reason (particularly for young people) to feel isolated or restricted to Western definitions of gender, sexual orientation and identity in general. I think the social ramifications of a generation where more and more people begin to identify outside of the gender binary would be tremendous, and I think we should all consider how we can unlearn our cultural conditioning to embrace other, perhaps less exploitative and dominating identities.

Background information on the identities depicted in the above images:

Hijras:

Hijras are male-body-born, feminine-gender-identifying people who live in South Asia (mostly in India & Nepal). Many Hijras live in well-defined, organized, all-Hijra communities, led by a guru.

Although many Hijras identify as Muslim, many practice a form of syncretism that draws on multiple religions; seeing themselves to be neither men nor women, Hijras practice rituals for both men and women.

Hijras belong to a special caste. They are usually devotees of the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata, Lord Shiva, or both.

Nandi female husbands:

Among the Nandi in Western Kenya, one social identity option for women is to become a female husband, and thus a man in society’s eyes. Female husbands are expected to become men and take on all of the social and cultural responsibilities of a man, including finding a wife to marry and passing on property to the next generation through marriage. Female husbands may have lived their lives as women and may even be married to a man, but once she becomes a female-husband, she is expected to be a man. Women married to female-husbands may have sex with single men uninterested in commitment in order to become pregnant, but the female-husband (who is often an older woman, often a widow) will father the child of said pregnancy and treat the child like her own.

Two-spirited people

Two-Spirit is an umbrella term sometimes used for what was once commonly known as ‘berdaches’, Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations communities. The term usually indicates a person whose body simultaneously manifests both a masculine and a feminine spirit. Male and female two-spirits have been “documented in over 130 tribes, in every region of North America.”

Travesti
In South America (with a large presence in Brazil), a travesti is a person who was assigned male at birth who has a feminine gender identity and is primarily sexually attracted to masculine men. Therefore, sometimes the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation is not made. Travestis have been described as a third gender, but not all see themselves this way.Travestis often will begin taking female hormones and injecting silicone to enlargen their backsides as boys and continue the process into womanhood.

The work of cultural Anthropologist Don Kulick (a gay male by Western definitions) in Brazil demonstrated that gender construction in Brazil is binary (like Western gender construction), but unlike Western gender construction, instead of having a male-female binary, there is a male-notmale.

In this particular construction of gender:

Males include: men who have sex with women, men who have sex with Travestis but are never on the receiving end of anal sex, men who have sex with men but are never on the receiving end of anal sex.

Not-males include: women, men who receive anal sex from ‘male’ gay men or from Travestis.

Fa’afafine

Fa’afafine are the gender liminal, or third-gendered people of Samoa. A recognized and integral part of traditional Samoan culture, fa’afafine, born biologically male, embody both male and female gender traits. Their gendered behavior typically ranges from extravagantly feminine to mundanely masculine

Waria

Waria is a traditional third general role found in modern Indonesia. Additionally, the Bugis culture of Sulawesi (one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia) has been described as having three sexes (male, female and intersex) as well as five genders with distinct social roles.

Six Genders of old Israel
In the old Kingdom of Israel (1020–931 BCE) there were six officially recognized genders:

Zachar: male

Nekeveh: female

Androgynos: both male and female

Tumtum: gender neutral/without definite gender

Aylonit: female-to-male transgender people

Saris: male-to-female transgender people (often inaccurately translated as “eunuch”)

Kathoey (often called ‘ladyboys’)
Australian scholar of sexual politics in Thailand Peter Jackson’s work indicates that the term “kathoey” was used in pre-modern times to refer to intersexual people, and that the usage changed in the middle of the twentieth century to cover cross-dressing males, to create what is now a gender identity unique to Thailand. Thailand also has three identities related to female-bodied people: Tom, Dee, and heterosexual woman.

-Robert

Loki's Bruid: offerings and devotions

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:21:45 -0500

Loki's Bruid: offerings and devotions: iocthulhu: i see a lot of people brewing Loki tea, making...

and my first thought is “it works just like in...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:37:56 -0500

and my first thought is “it works just like in oblivion!”

gaywrites: Ignorance hurts. Even if you don’t know much about...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:07:01 -0500

gaywrites:

Ignorance hurts. Even if you don’t know much about asexuality, start here to learn.

Untitled: Networking, Networking! A call to Pagans in Cape Cod, MA

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:59:49 -0500

Untitled: Networking, Networking! A call to Pagans in Cape Cod, MA: Having realized that most of the...

gambler-x: absintine: HELLO TUMBLR Let me introduce myself, my...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:25:19 -0500

i am so dumb

how

HUFFLEPUFF SWAG

please pardon my face

South Park

even more south park

and again south park

this was from some HS au

gambler-x:

absintine:

HELLO TUMBLR

Let me introduce myself, my name is Ellie and I deal with a severe anxiety disorder. I am unable to take medication because I cannot afford it. And what I have taken has either reacted badly with my system, or worsened my anxiety.

So far the only thing that has been helping me manage this through the years is my precious iPod. Early this past December, my old one stopped charging. And for Christmas and my birthday I received a shiny new 5th gen. I promptly named it Twinkie Chan and I was never seen without it. Because I can’t function without it. I wish I were kidding, it’s sad how dependant on it I am. Just accidentally leaving it at home when I go out is cause for a panic attack.

And last night, I broke it. In a car door.
I am so dumb.

Now I am typing this out to explain to you that I am a dumbass, and tell you that I knit some really awesome stuff. And you should commission me. Or not, I mean, there are a ton of other people who need the money more than I do. And you should definitely commission them or donate or whatever. But if you don’t want to. You should look over here. Yes. I will get on my knees and beg if I have to.

Do you want a Harry Potter house scarf replica? That’s nearly six feet long? I can do that. Do you want your initials in it? I can do that too. Are you a Homestuck? I could probably knit your godtier aspect into the scarf and do it in the colours of your choosing. (But I’m pretty sure I can’t actually do that. So use that as an example.) What about South Park? Those hats are my favourite. I’ll knit you any or all of them. (But not Kyle’s because that’s not knitted.) Do you have your own idea for some knitted item? Toss it at me and we can work something out. I’ve done all sorts of things.

I can knit you a hat for roughly 25 dollars. A scarf for 50+ depending on materials/length/etc.
Knitting also takes time, so it might be nearly a month before I can ship it out to you.

I WILL GET ON MY KNEES AND BEG. I REALLY WILL. SOMEONE PLEASE. And even if you’re not interested, could you please reblog this? That would be pretty swell.

Hey guys, Ellie could really use some help, so to my followers, if you could just give this a quick read, it would seriously help a ton. She makes some honestly amazing things, so if you need something to be knitted for and outfit or maybe just even a scarf, please keep her in mind ok?

Also, I'm totally pissed that I cannot romance Varric.

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:48:56 -0500

mellindahightop: yay-elves: Still. Bioware is evil. They were gonna put a thing where at the...

The Mad House: so to help everybody out there that needs pagan friends nearby, reblog and put your url with your state so you can...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:10:21 -0500

The Mad House: so to help everybody out there that needs pagan friends nearby, reblog and put your...

mellindahightop: mordred-knightofcamelot: teakhep: jelligator:...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 22:43:51 -0500

mellindahightop:

mordred-knightofcamelot:

teakhep:

jelligator:

captorass:

sassy-lesbian-mituna:

shanekri:

deckthehallswithpartsofcrowley:

nutella0mutt:

failnation:

Give it a second…

More like 15 minutes………

I don’t get it..

oh my fucking god

what

S:LK

I think I got it but I’m not sure.

I don’t get it. Fifteen minutes later I don’t get it. Someone inbox me?

Silly Melinda, he went down in history!

green-eyed-hunter: to whoever reblogs this, I will draw what i think you look like based on your...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:58:23 -0500

green-eyed-hunter: to whoever reblogs this, I will draw what i think you look like based on your...

you-make-it-happenxx: you-make-it-happenxx: Everyone who...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:44:51 -0500

you-make-it-happenxx:

you-make-it-happenxx:

Everyone who reblogs this post will get their URL written in this book by me!

I am actually writing them down.

roxyhartlalonde: allthempreg: princessturandot: mpreg-tony: u...

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:08:50 -0500

roxyhartlalonde:

allthempreg:

princessturandot:

mpreg-tony:

uncontrollablyspooky:

I PHYSICALLY CAN’T NOT REBLOG THIS WHEN IT COMES UP ON MY DASH

IT’S TOO COOL

It’s called Winterguard. It’s a sport. Those girls are marching band color-guard girls during the summer touring season, and during the winter they compete against other color-guard teams to music. Costumes, props, mats, everything has to be carried onto the gym floor and then taken back away and counts as part of your performance time.

So when Family Guy or other popular media makes fun of color-guard girls, it pisses me off. We are not rejected cheerleaders. We are what you see above. We kick ass. We spin rifles and flags and sabres.

reasons why i’d become a guard girl in a heartbeat.

Oooh, excellent timing ladies. My rifle is still in my closet. Ah the good ol’ days of busting your fingers and smashing your face.

oh sick! i have a sabre!

except i use it to fence.

Grew up hearing stories about my mom and aunts who were in Quasar, the first color guard group to incorporate contemporary music. I was always like yeah, yeah, when they started retelling their stories. Then, one day, my aunts came back from a team reunion with a video of their old performances. Mind Was Blown. Color guard is far more awesome than you’d think.

I'm trying to make a point to a friend. Reblog this if you'd be okay with your child coming up to you and saying "I think I was born as the wrong gender."

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:02:32 -0500

Something I’ve actually put a lot of thought into, since my SO is trans. My kids are going to...

REBLOG if you think Tumblr needs to improve its message/fanmail system, with an Outbox, so you can keep track of what's been said in a conversation.

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:56:03 -0500

daftpunk-delorean: peterwalteri: midnightroseprincess: webbyghost: isnarniainyournose: evayoblog...

Find Peace with a Contented Chao: HOLY FREE ART PROGRAMS BATMAN

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:33:34 -0500

Find Peace with a Contented Chao: HOLY FREE ART PROGRAMS BATMAN:...

iwontstandinyourway: learning-to-love-myself: nothingishappyany...

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:27:20 -0500

iwontstandinyourway:

learning-to-love-myself:

nothingishappyanymore:

If Barbie was an actual woman, she would be 5’9” tall, have a 39” bust, an 18” waist, 33” hips and a size 3 shoe.

• Barbie calls this a “full figure” and likes her weight at 110 lbs.

• At 5’9” tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia. She likely would not menstruate.

• If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

• Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.”

i’m always reblogging this.

I’ve reblogged this a million times and will ALWAYS reblog it. She is so beautiful…It’s a great message.

I always reblog this when I see it on my dash.

You cant just NOT reblog this

Does anyone remember pregnancy barbie whose magnetic baby belly could be removed so that she could instantly return to her size 18” waist self?

To prove a point to my mother

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:52:02 -0500

kikisdickservice: please reblog if you think girls with short hair are still cute But bald girls...

missworded: joetheblogger: heatherannehogan: Oh, holy...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:16:45 -0500

missworded:

joetheblogger:

heatherannehogan:

Oh, holy night.

HARK THE HERALD BATMAN SINGS

GLORY TO THE NEWBORN M.U.S.C.L.E. MAN

PEACE ON EARTH AND MERCY MILD

BATTLE-BEASTS AND VADERS RECONCILED

JOYFUL BILL AND TED, YOU RISE

JOIN THE TRIUMPH, STAR TREK GUYS

WHILE THE WYLD STALLYN PLAYS

CANON SAYS THE T-REX STAYS