MUXHES. VALUING ALL OUR VOICES
In the Zapotec communities of Southern Mexico, reciprocity and acceptance are two vital values that enable the survival and well-being of the Muxes and the communities in which they live. Muxes are biologically men who identify as women. In the matriarchal societies where they live, mothers demand the right of her Muxe children to be respected in the community, so when a child identifies as Muxe the whole community supports that child.
Muxes play a pivotal role in the preservation of their culture and greatly contribute to the arts and the local economy. In Juchitan, leaders of this community have created a Municipal Group for Public Policy for Sexual Diversity. Contrary to a capitalist economic system, these communities are based on collectivist principles where all members share their profits and where all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, are respected.
PHOTOS
ABOUT MEXICO
The name Mexico, in the ancient Nahuatl language, means ‘place of the Mexica’. Others suggest it means "Hare of the Aloes." Mexico is second largest economy in Latin America, and it is currently experiencing rapid urbanization. However, the gains of this economy have not been equally distributed—the needs of Mexico’s poorer residents often go unmet due to limited government capacity to provide city services, combat drug trafficking, ensure citizens’ security, and manage the flow of migration into the United States.
FACTS
- • Population: 125, 004,000
- • 53.2% of the population lives in poverty.
- • Muxes are people who are born as men, identify as women, and are attracted to men.
- • Often considered a third gender, Muxes have been living openly across the region since the 1950s.
- • ‘Muxe’ is a Zapotec word derived from the Spanish word ‘mujer’ (woman).
- • The Muxes of Juchitan, Oaxaca, have created the first Municipal Group for Public Policy for Sexual Diversity to promote tolerance and respect for all people.