Mukhannath

Mukhannath (pl. mukhannathun) is a term used in the Sirdabi Caliphate for an individual who markedly fails to conform with that society's traditional gender roles. Although originally and often still primarily used to refer to males by birth who act or dress in a way considered feminine, its use has expanded over the years to also include females by birth who act and dress in a stereotypically masculine way, or for persons whose gender identity is more fluid generally. Mukhannathun are often associated with music, dancing, and other forms of entertainment, most likely on account of the caliphate's kuchak dancers who are typically younger men dressed as women, performing traditionally feminine styles of dance.

Although the concept of the mukhannath is widespread throughout Sirdabi lands and their existence just as widely accepted, mukhannathun are marginalized and occasionally ostracized in Sirdabi society. People who more effortlessly conform to the gender roles expected of them tend to view mukhannathun with a mixture of confusion and distrust, seeing them as people who dwell beyond the socially accepted boundaries and cross gender lines that most of society considers ordinary and inviolate. Mukhannathun are seldom actively persecuted, and in some circles kuchak dancers at least are celebrated and appreciated for their talent and beauty. But overall they are perceived as odd and transgressive, and may be the subjects of mockery and scorn.

Due to the discomfort they inspire and the prejudice often directed towards them, mukhannathun often band together to form their own small communities where they can at least find acceptance and trust among others like them, as well as from other "odd" people like non-mukhannath poets and artists. Despite the trials they face, these communities are often vibrant and even joyful places, where artistic expression is highly valued and a sense of solidarity creates strong bonds of friendship and kinship. Such communities are most often found in the larger cities of the caliphate, such as the one in the Ferenghi Quarter of the Raziyan capital of Omrazir.