Is there any interesting research or studies regarding what ancient people or cultures pre monotheism did in regards to gender or sexuality?
I have old friends who take the Joe Rogan tribal view of like eating meat all the time and I just want to challenge them about the whole alpha male thing.
There is a class of people among the indigenous Zapotec in Oaxaca called muxes. Calling them a “third gender” is reductive, but the practice predates Spanish colonization and, since the mid-20th century, is associated with people assigned male at birth taking on feminine aesthetics and social roles around adolescence. The root website for this pdf could have more info for you
http://www.2spirits.com/TrascendiendoEnglishversion.pdf
I spent some time in Juchitán de Zaragoza and met a few people who called themselves muxes, amazing experience. Highly recommend the Casa de la Cultura as well as mercado 5 de septiembre near the central park/zocalo. The Oaxacan Isthmus food is spectacular as well.