India’s legal system now recognizes the country’s traditional third gender, the hijras. As the map above shows, societies that recognize gender roles and sexual orientations beyond what we think of as conventional heterosexuality have been quite common in history — and this map is likely far from complete. For example, it does not mention pederasty among the warrior class of feudal Japan.
This image is used by kind permission of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
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