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[[Image:Femminiello.jpg|thumb|right|190px|A photograph of a ''femminiello'' in cross-dress during the 19th century.]]
'''''Femminielli''''' or '''''femmenielli''''' (singular '''''femminiello''''', cf. Standard Italian ''femmina'', "a female," ''-ello'', masculine diminutive suffix) is a term used to refer to a population of homosexual males with markedly feminine gender expression in traditional Neapolitan culture.<ref name="Corriere">{{cite journal |last1=Fulvio |first1=Bufi |year=2009 |title=Presa Ketty, boss "femminiello" Comandava i pusher di Gomorra |journal=Corriere della Sera |issue=February 13, 2009 |pages=19 |url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/febbraio/13/Presa_Ketty_boss_femminiello_Comandava_co_8_090213017.shtml |accessdate= |quote=FEMMINIELLO E' UNA FIGURA OMOSESSUALE (..) È UNA PERSONA DALL' ASPETTO EFFEMINATO O SPESSO UN TRAVESTITO. E' RISPETTATO E GENERALMENTE IL FEMMINIELLO VIENE CONSIDERATO UNA PERSONA CHE PORTA FORTUNA. }}</ref><ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture">{{cite web|author=Jeff Matthews |title=The ''Femminiello'' in Neapolitan Culture |url=http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/femm.html |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515005531/http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/femm.html |archivedate=2011-05-15 |df= }}</ref> It may be hard to define this term within modern Western notions of "gay men" versus "trans women" since both these categories overlap to a degree in the case of ''femminielli'' (''see: [[Third gender]]''.)<ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture" /> It has been noted that this term is not derogatory and does not carry stigma, instead ''femminielli'' are traditionally believed to bring luck.<ref name="Corriere" /><ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture" /> Ironically Achille della Ragione suggests that recent surveys have shown that Neapolitans have a generally negative view of what he calls "the politically correct model of homosexuality of a hypocritical do-gooder society" (implying the mainstream Western gay culture), yet he contrasts ''femminielli'' as enjoying a favorable attitude from the part of Neapolitan society.<ref name="Ragione">{{cite web|title=I femminielli |author=Achille della Ragione |url=http://www.guidecampania.com/dellaragione/articolo3/articolo.htm#99 |quote=Il napoletano, come dimostrano recenti statistiche, non vede di buon occhio l'omosessuale più o meno dichiarato, quello politically correct, che oggi, altrove, va tanto di moda ed è apparentemente accettato da una società ipocritamente buonista. Ma da noi il femminiello può vivere quasi sempre, soprattutto nei quartieri popolari, in una atmosfera accogliente, segnata dal consenso e dal buonumore.}}</ref>

==Gender analysis==
It is reductive to insert the Neapolitan Femminiello within the macro-category of transgender or transsexual, usually adopted in Anglo-Saxon and North American contexts. The femminiello, instead, could be considered as a peculiar gender expression, despite a widespread sexual binarism. The cultural roots of this phenomenon are embedded in confer to the femminiello a cultural and even socially legitimized status. For the historical and symbolic coordinates of Naples, the identity construct of the femminiello is not superimposable to more common European and euro-centric transgender clusters.<ref>Hochdorn, Alexander, Paolo F. Cottone and Dania Vallini (2011). Gender and discursive positioning: Doing transgender in highly normative contexts. ''69th Conference of the International Council of Psychologists''. 29 July - 2 August 2011, Washington DC (USA) http://www.icpweb.org</ref>

In late 2000s many sex scandals have rocked Italy involving high-profile politicians (e.g., former President of Lazio, [[Piero Marrazzo]]) and [[transsexual|''transsexual'']] sex workers often of Latin American descent, who are usually referred to as ''transessuali'' (shortened to ''trans'') in Italian media. In 2009 the term ''femminiello'' gained some notoriety in Italian media after a Naples native ''femminiello'' Camorra mobster [[Ketty Gabriele]] (legal name Ugo Gabriele) was arrested. Gabriele had engaged in prostitution prior to becoming a capo. Gabriele has been referred to both as a ''femminiello''<ref name="Corriere" /> and ''[[Transsexual|transessuale]]'' or ''trans''<ref>http://city.corriere.it/2009/02/13/napoli/prima-cronaca/camorra-trans-vertice-clan-scissionisti-20324152476.shtml</ref><ref>http://blog.panorama.it/italia/2009/02/12/arrestata-ketty-transessuale-e-boss-a-scampia/</ref> in Italian media.

However others maintain that ''i femminielli'' are decidedly ''[[Man|male]]'' despite their [[Woman|''female'']] gender role, saying that "they are ''[[Man|male]]''; they know it and everyone else knows it."<ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture" />

Achille della Ragione has written of social aspects of ''femminielli''. "[The ''femminiello''] is usually the youngest male child, 'mother's little darling,' (..) he is useful, he does chores, runs errands and watches the kids."<ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture" />

A certain incompatibility between the notions of ''femminiello'' and (often foreign-born) transsexuals can be observed, e.g., a news headline reading ''Rivolta ai quartieri Spagnoli: i femminielli cacciano le trans'' ("Revolt in the [[Quartieri Spagnoli]]: ''femminielli'' drive out the ''[[Transsexual|transsexuals]]''.")<ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture" />

==History==
{{See also|Galli|label 1=Galli, eunuch priests of the goddess Cybele}}
The constant references in many sources to the ancient rituals behind the presence of the ''femminiello'' in Naples require little comment. The links to ancient Greek mythology are numerous: for example, [[Hermaphroditus]], who possessed the beauty of the mother, Aphrodite, and the strength of the father, Hermes; or [[Tiresias]], the blind prophet of Thebes, famous for being transformed into a woman for seven years. Both of these personages and, indeed, others in many cultures in the world are presumed to possess something that others do not: the wise equilibrium that comes from knowing both worlds, masculine and feminine.<ref name="The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture"/><ref name="I femminielli - di Achille della Ragione">[http://www.guidecampania.com/dellaragione/articolo3/articolo.htm#99 I femminielli - di Achille della Ragione]</ref>

===Ceremony===
A ceremony called the ''matrimonio dei femminielli'' takes place in Torre Annunziata on Easter Monday, a parade of ''femminielli'' dressed in wedding gowns and accompanied by a "husband" travel through the streets in horse-drawn carriages.<ref>[http://www.lostrillone.tv/legginotizia.asp?idnotizia=7630&idcatnotizia=9&titolo=Pasquetta%20con%20i%20femminielli%20%20nel%20quadrilatero%20Carceri Lo Strillone: Pasquetta con i femminielli nel quadrilatero Carceri], 9 April 2012</ref>

===Tradition===
The ''femminiello'' in Campania, enjoy a relatively privileged position thanks to their participation in some traditional events, such as ''Candelora al Santuario di Montevergine'' (Candlemas at the Sanctuary of Montevergine) in Avellino<ref>[http://www.incampania.com/EN/turismo.cfm?s=4&Menu_ID=183&Sub_ID=218&Info_ID=3782 Il Santuario di Montevergine e la Candelora]</ref> or the ''Tammurriata'', a traditional dance performed at the feast of Madonna dell'Arco in Sant'Anastasia.<ref>[http://www.liceoumberto.eu/cartelle/altro/tammurriata.htm Traditional Dances - The Tummurriata]</ref>

Generally ''femminielli'' are considered good luck. For this reason, it is popular in the neighborhoods for a ''femminiello'' to hold a newborn baby, or participate in games such as bingo.<ref name="I femminielli - di Achille della Ragione"/> Above all the Tombola(Raffle) or ''Tombolata dei femminielli'',<ref>[http://www.irpinianews.it/CulturaEventi/news/?news=40799 Tombolata dei Femminielli: divertimento e tradizione ad Avellino]</ref> this is a popular game performed every year on the 2nd of February, as the conclusive part of the Candlemas at the Sanctuary of Montevergine.

==Theatre==
In a stage production called ''La Gatta Cenerentola'' (The Cat Cinderella), by Roberto De Simone, ''femmenielli'' play the roles of several important characters. Among the major scenes in this respect are the ''rosario dei femmenielli'' and ''il suicidio del femminiella''.<ref>[http://www.thefreeuniversity.net/LaGattaCenerentola/article.html La gatta Cenerentola - Roberto De Simone]</ref>

==Notes==
<References/>

==References==
* Carrano, Gennaro and Simonelli, Pino, ''Un mariage dans la baie de Naples''; ''Naples ville travestie''; special issue ''Mediterranée'', "Masques", été 1983 (numéro 18), pp. 106–116.
* [http://www.giovannidallorto.com/cultura/medit/medit.html Dall'Orto, Giovanni, ''Ricchioni, femmenelle e zamel: l'"omosessualità mediterranea"''].
* De Blasio, Abele; (1897); [http://www.giovannidallorto.com/testi/800/deblasio/deblasio.html ‘O spusarizio masculino (il matrimonio fra due uomini)], in: ''Usi e costumi dei camorristi''; Gambella, Naples. Reprint: Edizioni del Delfino, Naples 1975, pp. 153-158.
* della Ragione A. ''I Femminielli''. [http://www.guidecampania.com/dellaragione/articolo3/articolo.htm#99 On-line at Guide Campania.] (retrieved: Nov. 12, 2009)
* Malaparte, Curzio. ''La Pelle''. Vallechi editore. Florence. 1961
* Eugenio Zito, Paolo Valerio, ''Corpi sull'uscio, identità possibili. Il fenomeno dei femminielli a Napoli'', Filema, 2010

==External links==
* [http://www.radiof2.unina.it/?p=1970 Mythology of femminielli in Naples]
* [http://www.napoligaypress.it/?p=3867 Back to flourish the old Neapolitan femmenella]
* [http://digilander.libero.it/achillelauro/omosex.htm The femminielli, from the book "Le ragioni di della Ragione"]
* [http://www.torresette.it/legginews.asp?idnotizia=13647# The world of the "femminiello", culture and tradition]
* Videoclip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7kZTHMUUbA&feature=related Peppe Barra - Il Matrimonio di Vincenzella] - theatre performance.

{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Third gender]]
[[Category:Feminine]]
[[Category:Exclusive]]

Femminiello - Revision history

imported>HelenDaMelon: Adding categories