Ashtime is a term used in Maae culture that describes an AMAB individual who dresses as a woman, performs feminine tasks, cares 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/