--- Lib/distutils/command/install.py
+++ Lib/distutils/command/install.py
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@
 
 INSTALL_SCHEMES = {
     'unix_prefix': {
-        'purelib': '$base/lib/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
-        'platlib': '$platbase/lib/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
+        'purelib': '$base/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
+        'platlib': '$platbase/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
         'headers': '$base/include/python$py_version_short$abiflags/$dist_name',
         'scripts': '$base/bin',
         'data'   : '$base',
--- Lib/distutils/sysconfig.py
+++ Lib/distutils/sysconfig.py
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
 
     if os.name == "posix":
         libpython = os.path.join(prefix,
-                                 "lib", "python" + get_python_version())
+                                 "@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@", "python" + get_python_version())
         if standard_lib:
             return libpython
         else:
--- Lib/site.py
+++ Lib/site.py
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@
         seen.add(prefix)
 
         if os.sep == '/':
-            sitepackages.append(os.path.join(prefix, "lib",
+            sitepackages.append(os.path.join(prefix, "@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@",
                                         "python" + sys.version[:3],
                                         "site-packages"))
         else:
--- Lib/sysconfig.py
+++ Lib/sysconfig.py
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@
 
 _INSTALL_SCHEMES = {
     'posix_prefix': {
-        'stdlib': '{installed_base}/lib/python{py_version_short}',
-        'platstdlib': '{platbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}',
-        'purelib': '{base}/lib/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
-        'platlib': '{platbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
+        'stdlib': '{installed_base}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}',
+        'platstdlib': '{platbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}',
+        'purelib': '{base}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
+        'platlib': '{platbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
         'include':
             '{installed_base}/include/python{py_version_short}{abiflags}',
         'platinclude':
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@
         'data': '{userbase}',
         },
     'posix_user': {
-        'stdlib': '{userbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}',
-        'platstdlib': '{userbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}',
-        'purelib': '{userbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
-        'platlib': '{userbase}/lib/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
+        'stdlib': '{userbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}',
+        'platstdlib': '{userbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}',
+        'purelib': '{userbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
+        'platlib': '{userbase}/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python{py_version_short}/site-packages',
         'include': '{userbase}/include/python{py_version_short}',
         'scripts': '{userbase}/bin',
         'data': '{userbase}',
--- Lib/test/test_site.py
+++ Lib/test/test_site.py
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@
         elif os.sep == '/':
             # OS X non-framwework builds, Linux, FreeBSD, etc
             self.assertEqual(len(dirs), 1)
-            wanted = os.path.join('xoxo', 'lib', 'python' + sys.version[:3],
+            wanted = os.path.join('xoxo', '@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@', 'python' + sys.version[:3],
                                   'site-packages')
             self.assertEqual(dirs[0], wanted)
         else:
--- Makefile.pre.in
+++ Makefile.pre.in
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@
 MANDIR=		@mandir@
 INCLUDEDIR=	@includedir@
 CONFINCLUDEDIR=	$(exec_prefix)/include
-SCRIPTDIR=	$(prefix)/lib
+SCRIPTDIR=	$(prefix)/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@
 ABIFLAGS=	@ABIFLAGS@
 
 # Detailed destination directories
--- Modules/Setup.dist
+++ Modules/Setup.dist
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@
 # Andrew Kuchling's zlib module.
 # This require zlib 1.1.3 (or later).
 # See http://www.gzip.org/zlib/
-#zlib zlibmodule.c -I$(prefix)/include -L$(exec_prefix)/lib -lz
+#zlib zlibmodule.c -I$(prefix)/include -L$(exec_prefix)/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@ -lz
 
 # Interface to the Expat XML parser
 #
--- Modules/getpath.c
+++ Modules/getpath.c
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@
     _pythonpath = Py_DecodeLocale(PYTHONPATH, NULL);
     _prefix = Py_DecodeLocale(PREFIX, NULL);
     _exec_prefix = Py_DecodeLocale(EXEC_PREFIX, NULL);
-    lib_python = Py_DecodeLocale("lib/python" VERSION, NULL);
+    lib_python = Py_DecodeLocale("@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python" VERSION, NULL);
 
     if (!_pythonpath || !_prefix || !_exec_prefix || !lib_python) {
         Py_FatalError(
@@ -683,7 +683,7 @@
     }
     else
         wcsncpy(zip_path, _prefix, MAXPATHLEN);
-    joinpath(zip_path, L"lib/python00.zip");
+    joinpath(zip_path, L"@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python00.zip");
     bufsz = wcslen(zip_path);   /* Replace "00" with version */
     zip_path[bufsz - 6] = VERSION[0];
     zip_path[bufsz - 5] = VERSION[2];
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@
             fprintf(stderr,
                 "Could not find platform dependent libraries <exec_prefix>\n");
         wcsncpy(exec_prefix, _exec_prefix, MAXPATHLEN);
-        joinpath(exec_prefix, L"lib/lib-dynload");
+        joinpath(exec_prefix, L"@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/lib-dynload");
     }
     /* If we found EXEC_PREFIX do *not* reduce it!  (Yet.) */
 
--- configure.ac
+++ configure.ac
@@ -4456,7 +4456,7 @@
 
 dnl define LIBPL after ABIFLAGS and LDVERSION is defined.
 AC_SUBST(PY_ENABLE_SHARED)
-LIBPL='$(prefix)'"/lib/python${VERSION}/config-${LDVERSION}"
+LIBPL='$(prefix)'"/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/python${VERSION}/config-${LDVERSION}"
 AC_SUBST(LIBPL)
 
 # Check whether right shifting a negative integer extends the sign bit
--- setup.py
+++ setup.py
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@
         # directories (i.e. '.' and 'Include') must be first.  See issue
         # 10520.
         if not cross_compiling:
-            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.library_dirs, '/usr/local/lib')
+            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.library_dirs, '/usr/local/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@')
             add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.include_dirs, '/usr/local/include')
         # only change this for cross builds for 3.3, issues on Mageia
         if cross_compiling:
@@ -560,8 +560,7 @@
         # be assumed that no additional -I,-L directives are needed.
         if not cross_compiling:
             lib_dirs = self.compiler.library_dirs + [
-                '/lib64', '/usr/lib64',
-                '/lib', '/usr/lib',
+                '/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@', '/usr/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@',
                 ]
             inc_dirs = self.compiler.include_dirs + ['/usr/include']
         else:
@@ -791,11 +790,11 @@
             elif curses_library:
                 readline_libs.append(curses_library)
             elif self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs +
-                                                     ['/usr/lib/termcap'],
+                                                     ['/usr/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/termcap'],
                                                      'termcap'):
                 readline_libs.append('termcap')
             exts.append( Extension('readline', ['readline.c'],
-                                   library_dirs=['/usr/lib/termcap'],
+                                   library_dirs=['/usr/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@/termcap'],
                                    extra_link_args=readline_extra_link_args,
                                    libraries=readline_libs) )
         else:
@@ -1052,8 +1051,7 @@
 
                 # check lib directories parallel to the location of the header
                 db_dirs_to_check = [
-                    db_incdir.replace("include", 'lib64'),
-                    db_incdir.replace("include", 'lib'),
+                    db_incdir.replace("include", '@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@'),
                 ]
 
                 if host_platform != 'darwin':
@@ -1164,10 +1162,8 @@
 
         if sqlite_incdir:
             sqlite_dirs_to_check = [
-                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', 'lib64'),
-                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', 'lib'),
-                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '..', 'lib64'),
-                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '..', 'lib'),
+                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@'),
+                os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '..', '@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@'),
             ]
             sqlite_libfile = self.compiler.find_library_file(
                                 sqlite_dirs_to_check + lib_dirs, 'sqlite3')
@@ -1815,15 +1811,14 @@
             added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/openwin/lib')
         elif os.path.exists('/usr/X11R6/include'):
             include_dirs.append('/usr/X11R6/include')
-            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11R6/lib64')
-            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11R6/lib')
+            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11R6/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@')
         elif os.path.exists('/usr/X11R5/include'):
             include_dirs.append('/usr/X11R5/include')
-            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11R5/lib')
+            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11R5/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@')
         else:
             # Assume default location for X11
             include_dirs.append('/usr/X11/include')
-            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11/lib')
+            added_lib_dirs.append('/usr/X11/@@GENTOO_LIBDIR@@')
 
         # If Cygwin, then verify that X is installed before proceeding
         if host_platform == 'cygwin':