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bilby commented on the word burnesha
"'Sworn virgins' (burrneshas in Albanian) are Albanian women who decide to ignore their female identity and live as men in the Balkans.
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The decision to live as men is more related to gender roles in the Albanian culture rather than a statement of sexuality; these women live their lives appearing as men.
Sworn virgins have existed for centuries. According to tradition dating back to the 15th century developed out of the Kanun, a tribal code of law, tribal clans from the Balkans considered families without a male presence as pariahs. When blood feuds decimated all the men in a family, the only way to salvage their honor was for a woman to become the patriarch of the clan and start acting like a man."
- Daphnee Denis, Sworn Virgins: Men by Choice in the Balkans, slate.com. 21 Dec 2012.
January 4, 2013