Ashtime is a term used in Maale culture that describes an AMAB individual who dress as woman, perform feminine tasks, cared for their own houses, and apparently had sexual relations with men. This could be homosexual/homoromantic men, transgender women who are attracted to men, transfeminine toric non-binary individuals, or similar identities.
History and discrimination
According to Donald Donham “In 1975 I was aware of only one ashtime in Maaleland, although informants asserted that more had existed in the 19th century. Indeed, part of the Maale kin’s traditional installation had consisted of a ritual ordination of an ashtime.” Nonetheless, by 1975, the Maale considered ashtime “abnormal” and looked down on them.
Resources
- https://www.scribd.com/doc/129611442/Boy-Wives-Female-Husbands-A-History-of-Homosexuality-in-Sub-Sahara-Africa
- http://blackyouthproject.com/queer-folks-existed-in-pre-colonial-africa-and-yall-can-stay-mad/
- https://www.facebook.com/MangoPodcast/posts/the-malee-people-of-southern-ethiopia-called-the-biological-males-who-dressed-be/2865206883590839/