gendered person bissu http://homosaurus.org/v2/bissu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_in_Bugis_society#Bissu https://homosaurus.org/v3/homoit0000205 https://lgbta.fandom.com/wiki/Bissu "Bissu" has been mistranslated as "transvestite priest" in the past. This is inaccurate and derogatory. In pre-Islamic Bugis culture, bissu were seen as intermediaries between the people and the gods. Up until the 1940s, the bissu were still central to keeping ancient palace rituals alive. One of five gender categories observed in Bugis culture. A bissu must be intersex or transgender in nature, having an externally male appearance and an internal female spirit (this may be represented by ambiguous genitalia, but this is not always necessarily the case). The combination of maleness and femaleness enable a "meta-gender" identity to emerge. Finally, the potential bissu must learn the language, songs, and incantations, and have a talent for bestowing blessings to be given the title of bissu. Bissu remain celibate throughout their lives and wear relatively conservative clothing. calabai calalai Bugis Southeast Asian culturally-specific gender identity