Gender in Kiribati

Binabinaaine or sometimes called Pinapinaaine are people who identify as a third gender that is not male nor female. In Kiribati, this term is broad and can refer to gay men, bisexual men, and transgender women.Their sex is assigned male at birth but they are seen to have female or more feminine characteristics. The word means “becoming a woman” in Gilbertese.They come from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in Kiribati and Tuvalu. The term is flexible and can be used as a noun, verb or adverb. There are multiple terms in the surrounding area for a third gender that is more feminine presenting in