{"id":141,"date":"2019-08-30T17:47:52","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T17:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-lgbtq-studies\/?post_type=chapter&p=141"},"modified":"2020-03-09T14:29:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T14:29:32","slug":"europe","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-lgbtq-studies\/chapter\/europe\/","title":{"raw":"Europe","rendered":"Europe"},"content":{"raw":"[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"176\"]\"\" Portrait of A. de Pardadeda, a femminiello[\/caption]\r\n\r\nInterestingly, although binary formations of sexuality and gender are widely characterized as Western, European, Euro-American, and\/or American, there are multiple instances of third gender or non-binary gender formations across European cultures. For example, in Italy\u2019s traditional Neapolitan culture there is the femminiello,<\/strong> an assigned-male-at-birth population of homosexuals with gender variant expression that hold a traditional position in Neapolitan cultural festivities and are generally understood as boons to the community with particular lineages (youngest male child, etc.) These individuals have specific roles in religious parades, are often asked to hold newborn infants, and participate in games such as bingo and raffles (the tombola). Moreover, recent studies suggest that contemporary Neapolitan culture is more accepting of femminielli<\/strong> than mainstream LGBTQ+ notions of sexuality and gender (della Ragione, 2009).\u00a0 This assignation is associated with the longstanding references to gender ambiguity (androgyny) and intersex individuals in Italian custom, going back to ancient myths about Hermaphroditus (the intersex \u201cson\u201d of Aphrodite and Hermes) and Tiresias. The cult of Hermaphroditus can be traced back to ancient Cypriot rites in which men and women exchanged clothing before the statue of a bearded Aphrodite.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"259\"]\"illustration A man and a woman in deshabille swapping clothes.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAdditionally, Rictor Norton\u2019s historical work on 18th and 19th century England\u2019s molly-houses<\/strong>, a term for meeting places for gay men, then pejoratively called \u201cmollies\u201d\u2014although it is unclear whether this was also a self-designator.\u00a0 Rictor describes how socializing and same-sex sexual and romantic bonds could take place there, as well as crossdressing activities such as faux-wedding rituals between men and mock births.\u00a0 This complicates Foucault\u2019s suggestion that the public categorizing and punishment of the homosexual and homosexuality did not begin until later. These venues were illegal at the time, and homosexuality of any kind was a capital offense in England until the late 19th century.\u00a0 Thus, as Norton argues, regular raids were performed by police on molly-houses and the homosexuals who participated in them were recognizable social types\r\n
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Watch<\/h3>\r\n

BBC 4 Series Queers\u00a0<\/em>preview<\/h2>\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R8H0ADF8RWU\r\n\r\nView more clips from the BBC series exploring LGBT histories in the UK.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
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Portrait of A. de Pardadeda, a femminiello<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Interestingly, although binary formations of sexuality and gender are widely characterized as Western, European, Euro-American, and\/or American, there are multiple instances of third gender or non-binary gender formations across European cultures. For example, in Italy\u2019s traditional Neapolitan culture there is the femminiello,<\/strong> an assigned-male-at-birth population of homosexuals with gender variant expression that hold a traditional position in Neapolitan cultural festivities and are generally understood as boons to the community with particular lineages (youngest male child, etc.) These individuals have specific roles in religious parades, are often asked to hold newborn infants, and participate in games such as bingo and raffles (the tombola). Moreover, recent studies suggest that contemporary Neapolitan culture is more accepting of femminielli<\/strong> than mainstream LGBTQ+ notions of sexuality and gender (della Ragione, 2009).\u00a0 This assignation is associated with the longstanding references to gender ambiguity (androgyny) and intersex individuals in Italian custom, going back to ancient myths about Hermaphroditus (the intersex \u201cson\u201d of Aphrodite and Hermes) and Tiresias. The cult of Hermaphroditus can be traced back to ancient Cypriot rites in which men and women exchanged clothing before the statue of a bearded Aphrodite.<\/p>\n

\"illustration<\/p>\n

A man and a woman in deshabille swapping clothes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Additionally, Rictor Norton\u2019s historical work on 18th and 19th century England\u2019s molly-houses<\/strong>, a term for meeting places for gay men, then pejoratively called \u201cmollies\u201d\u2014although it is unclear whether this was also a self-designator.\u00a0 Rictor describes how socializing and same-sex sexual and romantic bonds could take place there, as well as crossdressing activities such as faux-wedding rituals between men and mock births.\u00a0 This complicates Foucault\u2019s suggestion that the public categorizing and punishment of the homosexual and homosexuality did not begin until later. These venues were illegal at the time, and homosexuality of any kind was a capital offense in England until the late 19th century.\u00a0 Thus, as Norton argues, regular raids were performed by police on molly-houses and the homosexuals who participated in them were recognizable social types<\/p>\n

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Watch<\/h3>\n

BBC 4 Series Queers\u00a0<\/em>preview<\/h2>\n