Gender in Southwest Asia, the Middle East & North Africa

Effeminate assigned-male people documented in the earliest Islamic sources, including in Medina during the Prophet's lifetime; some served as matchmakers and entertainers.

An Omani social role for assigned-male people who occupy a recognized gender between man and woman, with their own dress code and social rules.

Young assigned-male dancers in feminine dress who performed in Ottoman courts and coffeehouses from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Turkish term for assigned-male performers in women's roles, continuous with köçek tradition and persisting in contemporary cabaret.

Eunuchs occupied a distinct gendered status across medieval Islamic empires, holding political, military, and household authority.

Documented mid-20th century: assigned-female people in the Marsh Arab community who took on masculine social roles, dressing and working as men.

Iran has legally permitted gender-affirming surgery since a 1987 fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini, producing one of the highest rates of legal transition in the world — though under fraught conditions for non-binary and gay people.

Organizations like Helem (Lebanon) and alQaws (Palestine) are reclaiming local language and history for contemporary queer and trans communities.