Māhū in traditional Hawaiian or Kanaka Maoli culture are third gender

Third gender

The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man nor woman, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders...

 persons with traditional roles within Kanaka Maoli society, similar to Tongan fakaleiti

Fakaleiti

A fakaleiti is a Tongan male who behaves in effeminate ways, in contrast to mainstream Tongan men, who tend to be very masculine....

 and Samoan fa'afafine

Fa'afafine

Fa'afafine may be viewed as a third gender specific to Samoan culture.Fa'afafine are biological males who have a strong feminine gender orientation, which the Samoan parents recognize quite early in childhood. Not always are they raised as female children or rather 'third gender' children...

.

In modern day Hawaii it is a commonly used slang word for transvestite and transgender

Transgender

Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....

persons.

Aikane is a traditional Kanaka Maoli term for a kane (man) who is the male lover of another kane or man.

External links

Interview with Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) Mahu: Hinaleimoana Wong *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICUFjiXSfo

A book of interest is 'O Au No Keia: Voices from Hawai'i's Mahu and Transgender Communities, by Andrew Matzner (2001).