NY Times, December 7, 2008

A Lifestyle Distinct: The Muxe of Mexico

By MARC LACEY Mexico City - Mexico can be intolerant of homosexuality; it can also be quite liberal. Gay-bashing incidents are not uncommon in the countryside, where many Mexicans consider homosexuality a sin. In Mexico City, meanwhile, same-sex domestic partnerships are legally recognized - and often celebrated lavishly in government offices as if they were marriages.

But nowhere are attitudes toward sex and gender quite as elastic as in the far reaches of the southern state of Oaxaca. There, in the indigenous communities around the town of Juchitán, the world is not divided simply into gay and straight. The local Zapotec people have made room for a third category, which they call “muxes” (pronounced MOO-shays) - men who consider themselves women and live in a socially sanctioned netherworld between the two genders.

“Muxe” is a Zapotec word derived from the Spanish “mujer,” or woman; it is reserved for males who, from boyhood, have felt themselves drawn to living as a woman, anticipating roles set out for them by the community. [Read more →]

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STOP THE $3 MILLION PROPOSED CUT TO AIDS SERVICES!!

The AIDS LIFE Campaign is calling on all people living with HIV/AIDS, advocates, providers, activists and friends to do three things:

1. Take 2 minutes out of your day to make one phone call to Governor Rell;
2. Get everyone in your agency, church, community, circle of friends and home to do the same; and
3. Use your area’s World AIDS Day event to publicize these cuts and get others to make the phone call, too!!

For a full listing of Ct events see CARC’s event page.

Participate in your area’s World AIDS Event. Make signs and posters with this message. Encourage everyone to make the phone call to the [Read more →]

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