Khanith, Khaneeth, or Xanith is an identity and, in some cases, third gender from Oman culture. It describes an AMAB individual who participates in acts often associated with femininity. This includes, but is not limited to...
- Transgender women or transfeminine individuals.
- Homosexual or homoromantic men.
- Gender non-conforming men.
Culture
Khanith individuals who are transgender in some shape or form are not percieved as woman, but rather as man or khanith. Individual John Money summarizes this phenomenon as khanith individuals being the "bottom" in a AMAB with AMAB relationship.
Because of this, khanith are considered to be men by Omani standards, and are often considered an "alternative gender role." However, they are also sometimes considered as being transgender even though the khanith are still referred to by masculine names and are treated as male by the law. Because of this confusion in terminology, many people refer to the khanith as khanith alone, rather than any other terms.