Khanith

Khanith or Khaneeth (Arabic: خنيث‎, variant transcription Xanith) is a vernacular Arabic term for both standard written Arabic mukhannath and khuntha. The Arabic word Mukhannath مخنث (literally "effeminate") refers to individuals with a gender identity that is discordant with their visible sexual organs. They are characterized as "effeminate", "not clearly male," and as people who were "born as a male" and who nevertheless feel, behave, and (in most cases) dress like a female. The Arabic word Khuntha خنثى (literally "hermaphrodite") refers to intersex people.

John Money summarizes material presented by U. Wikan in an article entitled "Man becomes woman: Transsexualism in Oman as a key to gender roles." (Man (N.S.) 12:304-319, 1977.) According to that account, the khanith is the gynecomimetic partner in a homosexual relationship. A gynecomimetic individual may retain his public status as a man, despite his departure in dress and behavior from a socio-normal male role, providing that he also gives proof of a legal marriage to a woman and proof of having consummated that marriage. The clothing of these individuals must be intermediate between that of a male and a female.

The word is also widely used as an insult in the Middle East; it is roughly equivalent to the word "faggot" in the American English vocabulary.

(See: John Money, Lovemaps, Prometheus Book, 1993. ISBN 0-87975-456-7.)

See also

• Third gender
• List of transgender-related topics