The San Jose Sharks touted the existence of "third … or even fourth and fifth genders" in non-Western cultures on Twitter, sparking questions after critics pointed out one ancient culture the hockey team was referencing participated in human sacrifice.
"Worldwide, gender diversity is seen far differently than that in the Western World or as you may know it. Most of us are familiar with the male, female, and transgender labels. But in other cultures, the existence of "the third gender" or even fourth and fifth genders is common:" the hockey team wrote on Twitter Saturday.
"The muxe gender is a respected third gender in Zapotec cultures in Oaxaca, Mexico that has existed for centuries," the Twitter thread added, citing the book "Living in Modern America" by Sara Salam and the Inter American Development Bank. "Gunaa are those who were born as men but who identify as women & are attracted to men. The Nguii are those who were born as men and are attracted to other men."
"The San Jose Sharks want us to take cultural advice from an ancient Mexican civilization that participated in child sacrifice," tweeted Greg Price.
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The Zapotec civilization was an ancient population living in southern Mexico that is believe to have participated in human sacrifice, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The San Jose Sharks hosted its "Pride Night" Saturday and shared on Twitter that throughout the night they would be sharing information and facts about LQBTQIA+ topics.
The team's thread mentioned the Ninauposkitzipxpe who were "honored as a third gender in the North Peigan tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy in northern Montana and Southern Alberta, Canada."
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"Roughly translated, it means ‘manly-hearted woman,’ and is defined as a biological female who did not necessarily dress in a masculine mode, but was unrestricted by the social constraints placed on other women in the Blackfoot society," the thread continued.
"In some Native American cultures, the umbrella term to describe a third gender is ‘two-spirit,’" the statement added. "In South Asia, it’s hijras. In Thailand, it’s kathoeys. In Ethiopia, it’s ashtime. In Polynesia, it’s fa’afafine. And many more."
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The team's tweet threads drew criticism and questions on twitter.
"This is some ultra-weird s--- for a hockey team to be tweeting about, bro," conservative author John Hawkins tweeted in response.
"Some of those other cultures think if you dance it will bring rain. Are we going to try to normalize that too? Stop this. This is fanatical. Regurgitating radical left-wing talking points about other ‘cultures’ doesn't change biology," Washington Examiner journalist Christopher Tremoglie tweeted.
