‘Third gender’ model becomes Vogue cover star

Is there really a third gender? Estrella Vazquez says her appearance in Vogue is a ‘huge moment’, just weeks after a stunning photo exhibition spotlighted Tahiti’s genderless Mahu community. "Everyone is seeing this cover...It almost makes me want to cry," gushes 37-year-old Estrella Vazquez, her eyes gleaming behind her long, dark eyelashes. Vazquez is a member of Mexico's indigenousEthnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA. muxe (pronounced "moo-she") community - biologically male, members of the group dress and otherwise live as women. Next month, she will become the first third gender model to appear in Vogue Mexico and British Vogue when she stars in a cover shoot with a dozen muxes in traditional dress. Transgender rights may be a contentious issue in Western societies but, all around the world, indigenous tribes have recognised, accepted and reveredHighly respected.  a third gender since time immemorial. Last month, photographer Namsa Leuba's striking portraits of Tahiti's Māhū attracted international attention when they were exhibited in London. Not restricted by Western labels like bisexual, gay or transgender, the Māhū are recognised as transcending the traditional female-male divide. "Māhū all have the manhood of a man and all the sensitivity of a woman. They have existed since the beginning of time and they have always been part of PolynesianPolynesia (Ancient Greek for many islands) describes the remote Pacific Islands between Hawaii in the north, Easter Island in the east and New Zealand in the west.  society and culture," Leuba explains. Like muxes in Mexico, the Māhū often take on leadership roles in their community. They are seen as spiritual guardians. "Māhū have this other sense that men or women don't have," says the Swiss-Guinean photographer. She describes it as "a mixture of empathy, intuition, generosity and creativity". But, too often, Western gender roles have encroached on the status they enjoy in tribal villages. When ChristianA believer in Christianity, a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. settlersPeople who came from another country to create a new town – or settlement. Lots of Christian pilgrims sailed across from England in the 1600s. arrived in Tahiti, they captured and imprisoned the Māhū. In modern Mexico, muxes who remain in indigenous villages can enjoy a small enclave of freedom in a country where an LGBT person is murdered every three to four days. Those who move to larger towns and cities often face discrimination and violence. But attitudes towards gender are starting to shift on a global level. A year ago, Germany became the first country in Europe to give a "third gender" option on birth certificates for intersexPeople born with both female and male reproductive anatomy. babies. Back in 2014, India's Supreme Court legally recognised transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). people as a third gender, in a victory for the country's two million-strong trans population. Is it time to recognise the third gender around the world? Boys will be girls But why stop there? asks a third group. Why is it any better to force a vast spectrum of gender into three categories instead of two? Intersex, trans, Māhū and non-binarySomeone who does not identify as a boy or a girl. people all have their own unique identities that shouldn't be lumped into an "other" group. Let's stop categorising gender, and see everyone for who they are. No, insist some. Men and women are fundamentally, biologically different and the law recognises that reality. Modern human society has developed by dividing labour and social roles between the sexes. We shouldn't mess with the formula. That's nonsense, reply others. Third gender groups are part of an ancient tradition that marries male and female energies. The male-female binary is a false invention that erases these beautiful, powerful people. It is time to embrace the third gender. KeywordsIndigenous - Ethnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA.