title: Why was the berdache ridiculed?
abstract: Several anthropological explanation of why North American Indian berdaches were riduculed are considered and rejected in favor of the proposal that berdaches were laughed at largely in the context of traditional joking relationships. Consequently, reports that Indians ridiculed berdaches need not be interpreted as evidence that they held negative views of homosexuality.
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D003469:Culture; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007179:Incest; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D013609:Taboo; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic