Muxes

In Juchitán, Mexico, muxes – children identified as male at birth, but who choose at a young age to be raised as female – are embraced as part of the community.  Being muxe is often confused with being transgender, but it is an identity specific to the Oaxaca region and the indigenous Zapoteca culture. Having a muxe person in the family has come to be seen as good luck and even a blessing. But life outside Juchitán is not always easy.  For the documentary Muxes, the director Shaul Schwarz reconnects with the characters and culture he photographed extensively from 2002-06  Key credits Director: Shaul Schwarz  Cinematography: Shaul Schwarz, Kike Arnal, Luke Boelitz  Editors: Armando Croda and Noah Payne-Frank  Production: Reel Peak Films  Executive producers for the Guardian: Charlie Phillips and Lindsay Poulton  Commissioned by the Guardian and The Filmmaker Fund  Sign up to our documentaries newsletter ► http://ift.tt/2feoDdN Subscribe to The Guardian ► http://ift.tt/16bR3Lu Support the Guardian ► http://ift.tt/2xBWIJe The Guardian ► http://ift.tt/1AFLGzy Playlists: Guardian documentaries ► http://bit.ly/GDNdocs Guardian VR ► http://bit.ly/GDNVR Guardian Features ► http://bit.ly/GDNfeatures Anywhere but Westminster ► http://bit.ly/ABWseries Anywhere but Washington ► http://bit.ly/ABWUSseries Owen Jones meets ► http://bit.ly/CorbynJones Guardian Animations & Explanations ►http://is.gd/explainers Guardian Investigations ► http://ift.tt/16bR6qK The Guardian's YouTube channels: Guardian News ► http://ift.tt/1J9JUwL Owen Jones talks ► http://bit.ly/subsowenjones Guardian Football ► http://ift.tt/1yECE17 Guardian Science and Tech ► http://ift.tt/16bR3Ly Guardian Culture ► http://ift.tt/16bR6H2