The gender identity and construction of the Machi is nuanced and complex. Machi are able to fluidly move between genders throughout different ceremonies, but then face discrimination from Chilean society and fellow Machis themselves. One Machi states, “Here people don’t talk much about homosexuality because it is looked down upon”. Some Machis are concerned about the way the West portrays Machis, afraid that they are only perceived as homosexuals or "brujas" “witches”. One Machi states “Why do anthropologists always say who we are? Why don’t they ask us?” Ana Bacigalupo, a distinguished anthropologist in the field of Machi gender roles, urges people to see the nuances in Machi gender identity and allow complexity to exist.” Machis gendered identities and practices can be experienced and interpreted endlessly along different paths and for different purposes that simultaneously bind people together and draw them apart”