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(Bangladeshi transgender or third sex people at Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 10, 2014. Shutterstock) 

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 A specific pre-colonial culture - Hijras  (Third Gender) 

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 A specific pre-colonial culture - Hijras  (Third Gender) 

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Hijras are born male but identify as women. They are also called the third gender. The word hijra is a Hindustani word. The english word for hijra is eunuch. Many Hijras choose to remove their male genitals and have a castration ceremony, for an offering to Hindu goddess Bahuchara Mata. “The centuries-old term 'hijra' is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent to identify transvestites, intersex, eunuchs, and transsexual men (Chakrapani, 2010). The term "hijra" originates in Hindustan (India).Oct 1, 2022” - Google.com. In India they are also known as tansgender, intersex or eunuch people who live in communities that follow Kinship. These communities usually live in poverty or who have been rejected by their family. Many Hijras are sex workers. And they are also known as aravani, aruvni and jogappa. In Pakistan they are known as khawaja sira. Since the 20th century, some hijra activists and non-government organizations have lobbied for the official recognition of the hijra as “third gender”. They have been recognized at places in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. Transgender people have a right to marry in India but according to the law they can only marry a person of the opposite gender.

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Laxmi Narayan Trippathi (The first transgender person) 

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Laxmi Narayan Trippathi (The first transgender person) 

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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender and a rights activist, bollywood actress, dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker in Mumbai, Inda. She is the first transgender person to represent Asia and the UN. She spoke at the assembly of the plight of sexual minorities in 2008 at the UN. She is the oldest and when she was born she was assigned as a male. She completed her school and acquired an arts degree form Mithibai college and postgraduate degree in Bharatanatyam. She starred in several dance videos and also became a choreographer. She served on the boards of several NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) which conducted LGBT activist work. She became the president of NGO. She started her own organization to promote the welfare of sexual minorities. She went to Toronto, Canada for an Asia Pacific sex workers network. Her passport stated her as a female transgender.  During a press conference Laxmi came in with full makeup and women’s clothing. Her parents were there and found out about her association with the hijra community. They were shocked to see her like that as they were looking into marriage proposals. Her father was asked about his thoughts of his child's sexuality, he has a good response by saying “if my child was handicapped, would you even ask me whether i’d have asked him to leave home? And just because his sexual orientation is different.” He stuck up for his child, and that is great especially in their culture.

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(Laxmi Narayan Tripathi at United Nations (UN) Free and Equal Campaign launches her song on LGBT in Mumbai on 30th April 2014.)

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In April 2014, Indian Supreme Court recognized transgender rights and recognized them as a third gender. Laxmi and a legal agency petitioned the court to recognize transgender as a third category on all documents. The  courts have ordered the government to provide quotas in jobs and education similar to the ones for other minority groups in India. Governments were also ordered by apex courts to construct third washrooms and create health departments to care for transsexual medical needs. They will also be entitled to adopt children and, after sex reassignment surgery, identify with their gender. Laxmi gave a lot of interviews and was popular with the media. She also appeared in many TV shows. She started in a show called Sach Ka Samna, it was the first show with a transgender on TV and with her parents she has an open conversation with them about hijras. She was in an award-winning documentary and and award-winning Bollywood movie. She also co-wrote her biography. She has adopted two children and is engaged to an Indian trans man who is a bodybuilder.

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hpse_fullsize__19771660_Laxmi Narayan Tripathi at United Nations (UN) Free and Equal Campaign launches her song on LGBT in Mumbai on 30th April 2014(77)_5362667e1260a.JPG

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(Laxmi Narayan Tripathi at JLF Melbourne on a panel "Gender and the Spaces Between" presented by Melbourne Writers Festival, Federation Square, Melbourne 2017.)

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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi went to a gathering for a festival. She spoke and listened to each person who attended. She is considered the high priestess of the Kinnar Akhada convent of Hindu Hijra.

Laxmi and many others Hijras are third genders in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. There are approximately half a million hijras who live in these countries.

Most people who are hijras come from a working-class or lower-class backgrounds. As children they were bullied and some families were ashamed of them. Hijras are also victims of hate crimes. Some hijras are sex workers.

If a Hijras goes through the castration ritual they gain higher respect and is believed to give power to

confer fertility on couples. And there is peer pressure to get castrated. But not every hijra does it or can do it. Most hijras are poor and can't afford to have surgery, they see to their guru's for castration which is a non authorized medical practitioner and it is life-threatening and some die. They go through a lot of pain and this is why they are considered to be godlike.

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Hijras, a gender nonconforming community, are striving to overcome a century of discrimination and reclaim their holy status in society.

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Hijras are transgender, intersex or Eunuch people who live in Indian communities. They are men that are considered third gender. Most of them live in Hijra communities. Most Hijras are poor and are sex workers to survive.

The word Hijra is a Hundustani word. It means they are born male with only a few having been born with intersex varations.

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Pronunciation

[ˈɦɪdʒɽa]

Meaning

Eunuchs, intersex, and transgender people

Classification

Gender identity

Synonyms

Aravani, Jagappa, Kinnar, Khawaja Sira', Khadra, Moorat

Associated terms

Bakla, Khanith, Kothi, Kathoey, Third gender, Two-spirit, Trans woman, Trans man, Akava'ine, Muxe

Culture
South Asian

Recognition

Yes (India, Bangladesh & Pakistan)

Protection

Limited

In the Indian subcontinent, Hijra are eunuchs, intersex people, or transgender people. Also known as Aravani, Aruvani, Jogappa, the hijra community in India prefer to call themselves or Kinner, referring to the mythological beings that excel at song and dance. In Pakistan, they are known as Khawaja Sira, the equivalent of transgender in the Urdu language.

Hijras are officially recognized as a third gender in the Indian subcontinent, being considered neither completely male nor female. Hijras have a recorded history in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity, as suggested by the . Starting in the 19th century, hijras were targeted by British colonial authorities who sought to eradicate them, criminalized under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (1860), and labeled as a criminal tribe in 1871. This encouraged anti-hijra sentiments throughout the Indian subcontinent, the legacies of which continued in the post-colonial era.

Many hijras today live in well-defined and organised all-hijra communities, led by a guru. These communities have consisted over generations of those who are in abject poverty or who have been rejected by or fled their family of origin. Many work as sex workers.

The word hijra is a Hindustani word. It has traditionally been translated into English as "eunuch" or " hermaphrodite", where "the irregularity of the male genitalia is central to the definition". However, in general hijras have been assigned male at birth, with only a few having been born with intersex variations. Some Hijras undergo an initiation rite into the hijra community called nirvaan, which involves the removal of the penis, scrotum and testicles.

Since the late 20th century, some hijra activists and non-government organizations have lobbied for official recognition of the hijra as a kind of "third sex" or " third gender", as neither man nor woman. Hijras have successfully gained this recognition in Bangladesh and are eligible for priority in education and certain kinds of low paid jobs. In India, the Supreme Court in April 2014 recognized hijras, transgender people, eunuchs, and intersex people as a ' third gender' in law. Nepal, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have all legally accepted the existence of a third gender, with India, Pakistan and Nepal including an option for them on passports and certain official documents.

The Hindustani word hijra may alternately be romanized as hijira, hijda, hijada, hijara, hijrah and is pronounced Hindustani pronunciation: . This term is generally considered derogatory in Urdu and the term Khwaja Sara is used instead. Khawajasira is sometimes seen as a more respectable term and has been reclaimed by the community given its precolonial origins and revered status within Islamic spirituality. Another such term is khasuaa (खसुआ) or khusaraa (खुसरा).

A number of terms across the culturally and linguistically diverse Indian subcontinent represent similar sex or gender categories. While these are rough synonyms, they may be better understood as separate identities due to regional cultural differences. In Odia, a hijra is referred to as hinjida, hinjda or napunsaka, in Telugu as napunsakudu (), kojja () or maada (), in Tamil as ali, aravanni, aravani or aruvani (often considered derogatory, and have been supplanted by in-community terms rejecting the concept of hijra for a broader trans identity, such as thirunangai (, tirunaṅkai; "respected woman"), thirunambi (, tirunampi; "respected man") and thirunar (, tiruṉar; "respected person") for trans woman, man and person respectively), in Punjabi as khusra or jankha, in Kannada as mangalamukhi (ಮಂಗಳಮುಖಿ) or chhakka (ಚಕ್ಕ), in Sindhi as khadra, and in Gujarati as pavaiyaa (પાવૈયા). In Bengali, hijra is called হিজড়া, hijra, hijla, hijre, hizra, or hizre. In Konkani, they are known as hizddem or hizdô.

In North India, the goddess Bahuchara Mata is worshipped by pavaiyaa. In South India, the goddess Renuka is believed to have the power to change one's sex. Male devotees in female clothing are known as jogappa. They perform similar roles to hijra, such as dancing and singing at birth ceremonies and weddings.

The word (or koti) is common across India, similar to the kathoey of Thailand, although kothis are often distinguished from hijras. Kothis are regarded as feminine men or boys who take a feminine role in sex with men, but do not live in the kind of intentional communities that hijras usually live in. Additionally, not all kothis have undergone initiation rites or the body modification steps to become a hijra. Local equivalents include durani ( Kolkata), menaka ( Cochin), meti (Nepal), and zenana (Pakistan).

Hijra used to be translated in English as "eunuch" or "hermaphrodite", although LGBT historians or human rights activists have sought to include them as being transgender. In a series of meetings convened between October 2013 and Jan 2014 by the transgender experts committee of India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, hijra and other trans activists asked that the term "eunuch" be discontinued from usage in government documents, as it is not a term with which the communities identify.

These identities have no exact match in the taxonomy of gender and sexual orientation, and challenge Western ideas of sex and gender.

A common misconception of many in Indian society is that hijra are intersex, asexual, and impotent. This is not fully accurate as many hijra are sexually active, in relationships, or may even partake in sex work. In India, some Hijras do not define themselves by specific sexual orientation, but rather by renouncing sexuality altogether. Sexual energy is transformed into sacred powers. However, these notions can come in conflict with the practical, which is that hijras are often employed as prostitutes. Furthermore, in India a feminine male who takes a "receptive" role in sex with a man will often identify as a kothi (or the local equivalent term). While kothis are usually distinguished from hijras as a separate gender identity, they often dress as women and act in a feminine manner in public spaces, even using feminine language to refer to themselves and each other. The usual partners of hijras and kothis are men who consider themselves heterosexual as they are the ones who penetrate. These male partners are often married, and any relationships or sex with "kothis" or hijras are usually kept secret from the community at large. Some hijras may form relationships with men and even marry, although their marriage is not usually recognized by law or religion. Hijras and kothis often have a name for these masculine sexual or romantic partners; for example, panthi in Bangladesh, giriya in Delhi or sridhar in Cochin. A 2015 study found that self identified panthi participants reported their sexual orientation as bisexual but otherwise aligned with male-typical in other study measures. Identification as hijra, kothi and panthi can be distinguished from Western categories, as they go beyond sexual attraction (such as gay, lesbian or bisexual in the West) to also include gender roles/presentation and preference in sexual position.

A qualitative, interview based study found that those who fall under the umbrella of being hijra tend to identify with certain 'schools of thought' including Khusrapan and Zananapan. These terms refer to categories of hijra functioning. Those who follow Khusrapan identify with being a Hermaphrodite, denouncing sex work while believing that the ancient practices of bestowing prayers and blessings are to be depended on for sustenance. In contrast, the Zananapan school of thought has followers who may be born biologically male but identify with being a woman through their appearance and lifestyle. They often turn to begging or sex work as a consequence of social exclusion.

The ancient Kama Sutra mentions the performance of fellatio by feminine people of a third sex ( tritiya prakriti). This passage has been variously interpreted as referring to men who desired other men, so-called eunuchs ("those disguised as males, and those that are disguised as females"), male and female trans people ("the male takes on the appearance of a female and the female takes on the appearance of the male"), or two kinds of biological males, one dressed as a woman, the other as a man. Furthermore, in the Puranas three kinds of devas or divine beings of music and dance were identified. These included apsaras, gandharvas, and kinnars, with the former two referring to female and male while the latter refers to 'neuters'. Additionally, the early writings of the Manu Smriti explained the biological origin of the sexes, identifying a third sex that could result if there was an equal prevalence of male and female 'seed'.

Hijra identity and culture is documented to have evolved during the Delhi Sultanate (1226-1526) and Mughal Empire (1526-1707), where hijras held positions as servants for elite households, manual laborers, military commanders, political advisors, and guardians of the harem.

Franciscan travelers in the 1650s noted the presence of "men and boys who dress like women" roaming the streets of Thatta, in modern Pakistan. The presence of these individuals was taken to be a sign of the city's depravity.

British colonialism and the anti-Hijra campaign (1858-1947)

Beginning in the 1850s with the British Raj, colonial authorities deployed various strategies to eradicate hijras, whom they saw as "a breach of public decency." The British viewed hijras as incapable of "moral transformation" and assimilation and therefore subjected them to eliminatory policies. In 1860, hijras became subjected to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which allowed British authorities to prosecute hijras simply for existing. Even though they were already criminalized under Section 377, in 1861, authorities of the North-Western Provinces (NWP) sought to enact a 'special law' against hijras. By 1870, no high-ranking British officials argued against the implementation of special legislation to address the 'hijra problem,' thus solidifying a violent anti-hijra campaign all across the Indian subcontinent.

Anti-hijra laws were enacted; whereas a law outlawing castration, a central part of the hijra community (although not required for community membership), was left intact, though it was rarely enforced. The hijra were included in the Criminal Tribes Act (1871) and labelled a "criminal tribe", now subjected to compulsory registration, strict monitoring, and stigmatization. Because of economic costs, which were the main impetus behind British colonialism in India, hijras and other so-called "criminal tribes" were unable to be collectively sequestered from colonial society. British Lieutenant-Governor Edmund Drummond (1814-1895) framed the anti-hijra campaign as a necessary project of "extinguishment" and "extinction." Intense surveillance tactics were enacted over communities with hopes to eradicate hijras permanently.

Child removal projects, which had already begun elsewhere in the British Empire, like colonial Australia with the forced removal of aboriginal children for assimilation into white settler society, were brought to India for all 'criminal tribes' officially in 1911. Child removal was already in practice against hijras since the passage of the Criminal Tribes Act (1871) to initiate the extermination of hijra communities by preventing initiation, since the dominant colonial narrative was that all hijra children were "kidnapped and enslaved". Jessica Hinchy notes that the elimination-oriented tactics carried out toward hijras during the colonial era were comparable to what Patrick Wolfe called the 'logic of elimination' in British settler colonies, such as the United States and Australia, as well as the anti-joya campaigns executed by Spanish colonial authorities against third gender people centuries earlier in the establishment of New Spain (1535-1821).

Post-colonial era (1948-)

After independence, hijras survived these colonial extermination attempts and were denotified as a "criminal tribe" in 1952. However, the centuries-old stigma continues as a legacy of British colonialism. Hijra communities remain throughout modern states of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, although they continue to face social marginalization and police abuse. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, hijras became the subject of more attention, being the focus of numerous documentaries, news features, ethnographies, monographs, and dissertations. Gayatri Reddy writes that in the 21st century, hijras have also been 'mainstreamed' into popular films: "given this history of near invisibility, the recent attention focused on hijras has been unsettling for both hijras and non-hijras."

Most hijras live at the margins of society with very low status; the very word "hijra" is sometimes used in a derogatory manner. The Indian lawyer and author Rajesh Talwar has written a book, titled The Third Sex and Human Rights, highlighting the human rights abuses suffered by the community. Few employment opportunities are available to hijras. Many get their income from performing at ceremonies (toli), begging (dheengna), or prostitution ('raarha')-an occupation of eunuchs also recorded in premodern times. Violence against hijras, especially those who are prostitutes, is often brutal, and occurs in public spaces, police stations, prisons, and their homes. As with transgender people in most of the world, they face extreme discrimination in health, housing, education, employment, immigration, law, and any bureaucracy that is unable to place them into male or female gender categories.

The aforementioned all-hijra communities are where many hijra seek refuge and move in. These are made up of a hierarchical structure with large groups of hijras from different areas forming lineages or gharanas. A naayak is the head and primary decision maker for a gharana, determining policies for the community. Falling under naayaks are gurus (lit. "teachers"). Gurus are above community members and regulate daily life in the housing space (known as a dera). The followers of a guru are called chelas. Traditionally, teachers and their disciples use these terms in many domains such as religious learning; however, they bear specific meaning in hijra communities as being about cultural learning-hijra chelas are taught about hijra customs by their guru. These communities reflect similarities to Western notions of found family.

In these communities, the hijras usually refer to each other in feminine terms. Thus, they refer to their relations as sisters with those who fall around their age range or aunt with those older than them, and so on.

In October 2013, Pakistani Christians and Muslims (Shia and Sunni) put pressure on the landlords of Imamia Colony to evict any transgender residents. I.A. Rehman, the director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said, "Generally in Pakistan, Khwaja Sira are not under threat. But they are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province because of a 'new Islam' under way."

The social status of hijra in society plays a part in their difficulty accessing healthcare services as doctors will turn hijra clients away, claiming that their presence will disturb other clients. Hijra have to hide their identities or can't disclose illnesses such as STI's. Most medical practitioners are also not well educated and informed enough on hijra or sexuality, further contributing to this issue. Social exclusion of the hijra also has some severe consequences for their health.

Hijra in Dhaka, Bangladesh were found to have the highest syphilis rates out of all at-risk groups in the city. In a study of Bangladeshi hijras, participants reported not being allowed to seek healthcare at the private chambers of doctors, and experiencing abuse if they go to government hospitals.

In 2008, HIV prevalence was 27.6% amongst hijra sex workers in Larkana, Pakistan. The general prevalence of HIV among the adult Pakistani population is estimated at 0.1%.

The aforementioned social inequalities and medical negligence also make hijra sex workers a more vulnerable population to HIV. Protection is not usually used in coerced sex, increasing risk of direct exposure to HIV. 40% of the sample in a Pakistan study on HIV reported experiencing forced sex or abuse. Additionally, of this sample, 58% of participants had STI's, the most common being syphilis and gonorrhoea.

An Indian study consisting of 68 transgender participants reported that respondents expressed having intense feelings of low self worth, shame, depression and suicidal thoughts, internalizing the negative views the society around them holds. Many hijra experience a lack of a support system, facing rejection from family members or difficulties in terms of maintaining steady relationships with romantic partners. This rejection from society contributes to struggles with mental health as well as trans sex workers feeling obligated to accept the violence and stigmas they are subject to.

After India's Supreme Court re-criminalized homosexual sex on 11 December 2013, there was a sharp increase in physical, psychological and sexual violence against the transgender community by the Indian Police Service, which often does not investigate reports of sexual assault against them. On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court overturned India's Section 377, which criminalized anal and oral sex.

In an ethnographic study on the hijra experience in Bangladesh, many hijra recounted childhood experiences of facing abuse and isolation from their peers for presenting as feminine males. Additionally, many hijra reported facing abuse and humiliation from their teachers as well, making school an unfriendly and uncomfortable environment for them. These experiences ultimately resulted in their reluctance to attend school or continue education. This lack of education ends up playing a role in unemployment rates of Hijra. Hijra in Bangladesh also experience sexual harassment and abuse at work, being removed from their jobs when outed as hijra or denied from jobs in general. They face accusations of disturbing the workplace environment.

Being turned away from traditional careers, many hijra have become involved in sex work. However, this too has its own cons as Hijras face harassment, forced unprotected sex and assault from clients but many are not able to report it due to fear of harassment from the police as well.

In 2002, nearly 5,000 people attended the All India Eunuch Conference held in Varanasi; the conference's platform demanded that universities and government open more job opportunities to this population. On 15 April 2014, in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India ruled that transgender people should be treated as a third category of gender or as a socially and economically "backward" class entitled to proportional access and representation in education and jobs.

Beginning in 2006, hijras were engaged to accompany Patna city revenue officials to collect unpaid taxes, receiving a 4-percent commission.

The hijra community developed a secret language known as Hijra Farsi. The language has a sentence structure loosely based on Hindustani and a unique vocabulary of at least a thousand words. Some of the kinship terms and names for rituals used by the Hindi-speaking Hijra community are different in use from those used by people outside the Hijra community. For e.g. dādī in Standard Hindi is the term for paternal grandmother, and in the Hijra community is used to address the Guru's Guru. Beyond the Urdu-Hindi speaking areas of subcontinent the vocabulary is still used by the hijra community within their own native languages.

The governments of both India (1994) and Pakistan (2009) have recognized hijras as a "third sex", thus granting them the basic civil rights of every citizen. In India, hijras now have the option to identify as a eunuch ("E") on passports and on certain government documents. They are not, however, fully accommodated; in order to vote, for example, citizens must identify as either male or female. There is also further discrimination from the government. In the 2009 general election, India's election committee denied three hijras candidature unless they identified themselves as either male or female. In 2013, transgender people in Pakistan were given their first opportunity to stand for election. Sanam Fakir, a 32-year-old hijra, ran as an independent candidate for Sukkur, Pakistan's general election in May.

In April 2014, Justice KS Radhakrishnan declared transgender to be the third gender in Indian law in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India. The ruling said:

Seldom, our society realises or cares to realise the trauma, agony and pain which the members of Transgender community undergo, nor appreciates the innate feelings of the members of the Transgender community, especially of those whose mind and body disown their biological sex. Our society often ridicules and abuses the Transgender community and in public places like railway stations, bus stands, schools, workplaces, malls, theatres, hospitals, they are sidelined and treated as untouchables, forgetting the fact that the moral failure lies in the society's unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities and expressions, a mindset which we have to change.

Justice Radhakrishnan said that transgender people should be treated consistently with other minorities under the law, enabling them to access jobs, healthcare and education. He framed the issue as one of human rights, saying that, "These TGs, even though insignificant in numbers, are still human beings and therefore they have every right to enjoy their human rights", concluding by declaring that:

1. Hijras, Eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the State Legislature.

2. Transgender persons' right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State Governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or as third gender.

A bill supported by all political parties was tabled in Indian parliament to ensure transgender people get benefits akin reserved communities like SC/STs and is taking steps to see that they get enrollment in schools and jobs in government besides protection from sexual harassment.

In the 1990s, about 10,000 people belonged to a national organization called Treetiya Panthi Sanghatana (TPS). As of 2003, the president was Kajal Nayak. A younger Kajal Nayak, who was 27 years old in 2019, is the president of Jajpur's Transgender Association.

Many practice a form of syncretism that draws on multiple religions; seeing themselves to be neither men nor women, hijras practice rituals for both men and women.

They are usually devotees of the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata, Lord Shiva, or both.

Bahuchara Mata is a Hindu goddess with two unrelated stories both associated with transgender behavior. One story is that she appeared in the avatar of a princess who castrated her husband because he would run in the woods and act like a woman rather than have sex with her. Another story is that a man tried to rape her, so she cursed him with impotence. When the man begged her forgiveness to have the curse removed, she relented only after he agreed to run in the woods and act like a woman. The primary temple to this goddess is located in Gujarat and it is a place of pilgrimage for hijras, who see Bahuchara Mata as a patroness.

One of the forms of Lord Shiva is a merging with Parvati where together they are Ardhanari, a god that is half Shiva and half Parvati. Ardhanari has special significance as a patron of hijras, who identify with the gender ambiguity. The legend includes a story where Rishi Bhrigu pleased Lord Shiva and denied to please Mata Parvati. Then Lord Shiva and Parvati merged with each other and showed their form of Ardhanari or Ardhanarishwar, meaning half man and half woman. The form represents that a man and woman has both elements of masculine and feminine.

In some versions of the , when Rama leaves Ayodhya for his 14-year exile, a crowd of his subjects follow him into the forest because of their devotion to him. Soon Rama notices this, and gathers them to tell them not to mourn, and that all the "men and women" of his kingdom should return to their places in Ayodhya. Rama then leaves and has adventures for 14 years. When he returns to Ayodhya, he finds that the hijras, being neither men nor women, have not moved from the place where he gave his speech. Impressed with their devotion, Rama grants hijras the boon to confer blessings on people during auspicious inaugural occasions like childbirth and weddings. This boon is the origin of badhai in which hijras sing, dance, and give blessings.

The Mahabharata includes an episode in which Arjuna, a hero of the epic, is sent into exile. There he assumes an identity of a eunuch-transvestite and performs rituals during weddings and childbirths that are now performed by hijras.

In another episode, before the Kurukshetra War, Aravan offers his lifeblood to goddess Kali to ensure victory for the Pandavas, and Kali agrees. On the night before the battle, Aravan expresses a desire to get married before he dies. No woman was willing to marry a man doomed to die in a few hours, so Lord Krishna (as Mohini) marries him. In South India, hijras claim Aravan as their progenitor and call themselves aravanis.

Each year in Tamil Nadu, during April and May, hijras celebrate an eighteen-day religious festival at a temple located in the village Koovagam in the Ulundurpet taluk in Villupuram district. The temple is devoted to the deity Koothandavar, who is identified with Aravan. During the festival, the hijras reenact the wedding of Lord Krishna and Lord Aravan, followed by Aravan's subsequent sacrifice. They then mourn Aravan's death through ritualistic dances and by breaking their bangles. An annual beauty pageant is also held, as well as various health and HIV/AIDS focused seminars. Hijras from all over the country travel to this festival. BBC Three documentary India's Ladyboys as well as the National Geographic Channel television series depict personal experiences of hijras attending this festival.

There is evidence that Indian hijras identifying as Muslim also incorporate aspects of Hinduism. Still, despite this syncretism, Gayatri Reddy notes that hijra do not practice Islam differently from other Muslims and argues that their syncretism does not make them any less Muslim. Reddy also documents an example of how this syncretism manifests: in Hyderabad, India, a group of Muslim converts were circumcised, something seen as the quintessential marker of male Muslim identity.

Hijras have been portrayed on screen in Indian cinema since its inception, historically as comic relief. A notable turning point occurred in 1974 when real hijras appeared during a song-and-dance sequence in Kunwaara Baap ("The Unmarried Father"). The Hindi movie Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) features hijras who accompany one of the heroes, Akbar ( Rishi Kapoor), in a song entitled " Tayyab Ali Pyar Ka Dushman" ("Tayyab Ali, the Enemy of Love").

In Soorma Bhopali (1988), Jagdeep encounters a troupe of hijra on his arrival in Bombay. The leader of this pack is also played by Jagdeep himself.

One of the main characters in Khushwant Singh's novel (1990), Bhagmati, is a hijra. She makes a living as a semi-prostitute and is wanted in the diplomatic circles of the city.

One of the first sympathetic hijra portrayals was in Mani Ratnam's Bombay (1995). 1997's starred male actor Paresh Rawal in a central role as "Tiku", a hijra who raises a young orphan. Pooja Bhatt produced and also starred in the movie, with her father Mahesh Bhatt co-writing and directing.

The 1997 Hindi film Darmiyaan: In Between, directed & co-written by Kalpana Lajmi, is based on the subject of hijras, with a fictitious story of an actress bearing a son that turns out to be neuter.

Kishor Shatabai Kale's novel, Hijara Ek Mard [Eunuch, A Man], was adapted for the stage in 1998. The play was titled Andharyatra.

In the 2000 Tamil film , directed by Vasanth and a remake of the Hindi film Sadak, the antagonist is a brothel-owning hijra played by Prakash Raj. (In Sadak, the brothel-owning character was played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar under the name "Maharani".)

In Anil Kapoor's (2001), Johnny Lever, who plays the role of the hero's assistant, gets beaten up by hijras, when he is caught calling them "hijra" (he is in habit of calling almost everyone who bothers him by this pejorative and no one cares much, except this once ironically, as the addressees are literally what he is calling them.)

There is a brief appearance of hijras in the 2004 Gurinder Chadha film Bride & Prejudice, singing to a bride-to-be in the marketplace.

Deepa Mehta's controversial film (2005) features the hijra character "Gulabi" (played by Raghubir Yadav), who has taken to introducing the downtrodden, outcast widows of Varanasi to prostitution.

Vijay TV's Ippadikku Rose (2008), a Tamil show conducted by postgraduate educated transgender woman Rose, was a very successful program that discussed various issues faced by youth in Tamil Nadu, where she also gave her own experiences.

In addition to numerous other themes, the 2008 movie Welcome to Sajjanpur by Shyam Benegal explores the role of hijras in Indian society.

, a 2009 Marathi film, depicts the story of a man forced to be hijra under certain circumstances. The movie has received several accolades.

The 2011 film Queens! Destiny Of Dance tells the story of an upmarket hijra community that is headed by their queen, Guru Amma, played by actress Seema Biswas.

The 2011 comedy-horror Kanchana features an unemployed man who is possessed by a transgender woman seeking revenge against her murderers.

The 2020 comedy-horror , based on Kanchana, features the actor Akshay Kumar, a cisgender man who usually plays hypermasculine roles, in the role of a Muslim man who begins crossdressing because he is possessed by the ghost of a transgender woman.

In the Malayalam movie Ardhanaari, released on 23 November 2012, director Santhosh Sowparnika tries to depict the life of a transgender person. Manoj K Jayan, Thilakan, Sukumari and Maniyanpilla Raju perform leading roles.

Njan Marykutty is another Malayalam film about the troubles and challenges of a trans woman in Kerala.

Vaadamalli by novelist Su. Samuthiram is the first Tamil novel about the Aravaani community in Tamil Nadu, published in 1994.

Transgender activist A. Revathi became the first hijra to write about transgender issues and gender politics in Tamil. Her works have been translated into more than eight languages and act as primary resources on gender studies in Asia. Her book is part of a research project for more than 100 universities. She is the author of Unarvum Uruvamum (Feelings of the Entire Body), the first of its kind in English from a member of the hijra community. She acted and directed stage plays on gender and sexuality issues in Tamil and Kannada. The Truth about Me: A Hijra Life Story is part of the syllabus for final year students of The American College in Madurai.

"Naan Saravanan Alla" (2007) and Vidya's I Am Vidya (2008) were the first autobiographies of trans women.

The 1992 film Immaculate Conception by Jamil Dehlavi is based upon the culture-clash between a western Jewish couple seeking fertility at a Karachi shrine known to be blessed by a Sufi fakir called 'Gulab Shah' and the group of Pakistani eunuchs who guard it.

(English: desire, but the film's English title was Eunuch's Motherhood), was an award-winning biographical telefilm drama made by Evergreen Media Europe for Pakistan's television channel Indus TV that aired in 2003. It featured some of the country's top male television actors-Sohail Asghar, Nabeel, Qazi Wajid, and Kamran Jilani playing the roles of hijras. It was directed by Kamran Qureshi, written by Zafar Mairaj and produced by Iram Qureshi. It won both Best TeleFilm and Best Director awards at 2003 Indus Telefilm Festival. The story revolves around Saima, a transgender woman, who adopts a child named Murad. For the first time, influential male actors showed their support for hijra rights during interviews, pointing out that in Pakistani English at that time eunuch was the term to describe a transgender person, and khwaja sara had not yet replaced what is now considered a derogatory term due to decades of heckling and name calling.

In 2004, Kamran Qureshi directed (English: effigy but released in English under the title Eunuch's Wedding. It a 33-episode series produced by Humayun Saeed and Abdullah Kadwani with more than a dozen cast members. It was nominated for Best Drama Serial, Abid Ali for Best Actor, and Maria Wasti for Best Actress at the Lux Style Awards 2005. The show was credited with making people understand the pain and abuse that hijra constantly endure when people make fun of the way they look or dress. The story involves a young lady who is engaged to be married. It turns out her husband is transgender. The story unfolds the trans community and their deprived and isolated world. It portrays eloquently how they, too, are not far away from human emotions and feelings and their world is not much different from the heterosexual community. Even though they are in plain sight, they are taboo subjects and are not taken seriously. This makes them suffer endlessly in silence wrapped in slurs. The 33-episode series therefore touches on transgender abuse, abuse against women, poverty, the immorality of arranged marriages and child abuse.

(Urdu: بول meaning Speak), is a 2011 Urdu-language Pakistani social drama film. It concerns a patriarch, Hakim, who is a misogynist, a domestic abuser, a bigot and a zealot who forces religion on his family. They face financial difficulties due to Hakim wanting a son. He rejects his transgender daughter, Saifi, as he wanted an heir and she identifies as a girl. Saifi is deeply loved by the rest of her family. As she grows up, men want to take advantage of her and she does not understand at first. However, her oldest sister intervenes and teaches Saifi about what kind of touching is inappropriate. As Saifi grows older, she is not allowed to leave the house. She finds her sister's dresses compelling and tries them on, revealing her gender identity. A neighbour played by famous South Asian singer Atif Aslam, who is in love with one of the sisters, gets Saifi a job at a place where they paint trucks, with the blessing of Saifi's sisters and mother. Saifi dresses like a boy; however, other boys sense her lack of self-esteem and eventually gang-rape her. She is saved when another transgender person, played by Almas Bobby (a transgender actor), finds her and takes her home. Hakim overhears Saifi telling her mother and Zainab what happened. When everybody is asleep, Hakim locks the room and suffocates his child for luring the men for the "shame" he would have to bear if the story got out. It received several positive reviews from critics and went on to win the Best Hindi film award in IRDS Film awards 2011 by Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS).

In the graphic novel Habibi by Craig Thompson, the protagonist, Zam, is adopted by a group of hijras.

In the TV comedy Outsourced (2011), a hijra is hired by Charlie as a stripper for Rajiv's "bachelor party", much to Rajiv's utter horror.

The novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy features a storyline involving a hijra character named Anjum.

Hijras feature prominently in John Irving's 2002 novel A Son of the Circus.

In the 2008 film ' Bride and Prejudice', directed by Gurinder Chadha, a group of hijras make an appearance during the 'A Marriage Has Come to Town' number, in which they dance and sing the following lyrics: "Who can tell you more about Yin & Yang?/Sharing one spirit between woman and man/Marriage is the path taken by he and she/May your new life be kissed by harmony."

1. ^
"Hijras and Bangladesh: The creation of a third gender". pandeia.eu. 2 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016.

2. ^ Nanda 1985, pp. 35-54 "The most significant relationship in the hijra community is that of the guru (master, teacher) and chela (disciple)."
Cohen 1995, "Hijras are organized into households with a hijra guru as head, into territories delimiting where each household can dance and demand money from merchants"

3. ^ Reddy 2010, p. 243 "By and large, the Hindi/Urdu term hijra is used more often in the north of the country, whereas the Telugu term kojja is more specific to the state of Andhra Pradesh, of which Hyderabad is the capital."

4. ^ Karim, Mohosinul (11 November 2013). "Hijras now a separate gender". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013.

5. McCoy, Terrence (15 April 2014). "India now recognizes transgender citizens as 'third gender'". Washington Post.

6. "Supreme Court recognizes transgenders as 'third gender'". Times of India. 15 April 2014.

7. Julfikar Ali Manik and Ellen Barry, "A Transgender Bangladeshi Changes Perceptions After Catching Murder Suspects", ^ New York Times, 3 April 2015.

8. Shroff, Sara (2020). "Operationalizing the "New" Pakistani Trans Gender Citizen". In Roy, Ahonaa (ed.). Gender, Sexuality, Decolonization: South Asia in the World Perspective. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000330199.

9. ^ Nataraj, Shakthi (2019). "Trans-formations: Projects of Resignification in Tamil Nadu's Transgender Rights Movement".

10. Naz Foundation International, Briefing Paper 3: Developing community-based sexual health services for males who have sex with males in South Asia. August 1999. Paper online Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine (Microsoft Word file).

11. Towle, Evan B.; Morgan, Evan (October 2002). "Romancing the Transgender Native: Rethinking the Use of the "Third Gender" Concept". GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 8: 469-497. doi:10.1215/10642684-8-4-469. S2CID 143201735.

12. Nanda, Serena. "Hijra and Sadhin". Constructing Sexualities. Ed. LaFont, S., New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2003. Print.

13. See, for example, ^ In Their Own Words: The Formulation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviour Among Young Men in Bangladesh Archived 7 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Shivananda Khan, Sharful Islam Khan and Paula E. Hollerbach, for the Catalyst Consortium.

14. See, for example, various reports of ^ Sonia Ajmeri's marriage. e.g. 'Our relationship is sacred' Archived 7 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, despardes.com

15. ^ Abdullah, Muhammad Ahmed; Basharat, Zeeshan; Kamal, Bilal; Sattar, Nargis Yousaf; Hassan, Zahra Fatima; Jan, Asghar Dil; Shafqat, Anum (December 2012). "Is social exclusion pushing the Pakistani Hijras (Transgenders) towards commercial sex work? a qualitative study". BMC International Health and Human Rights. 12 (1): 32. doi:10.1186/1472-698X-12-32. ISSN 1472-698X. PMC . PMID 23163979.

16. ^ Ravaging the Vulnerable: Abuses Against Persons at High Risk of HIV Infection in Bangladesh (Report). Vol. 15, No. 6(C). Human Rights Watch. August 2003.
See also: Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (Karnataka) Report on Human Rights Violations Against the Transgender Community Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, released in September 2003. Reported in Being a Eunuch, By Siddarth Narrain, for Frontline, 14 October 2003.

17. ^ Shannon Minter & Christopher Daley (2003). Trans Realities: A Legal Needs Assessment of San Francisco's Transgender Communities (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011.

18. ^ Khan, Sharful Islam; Hussain, Mohammed Iftekher; Parveen, Shaila; Bhuiyan, Mahbubul Islam; Gourab, Gorkey; Sarker, Golam Faruk; Arafat, Shohael Mahmud; Sikder, Joya (2009). "Living on the Extreme Margin: Social Exclusion of the Transgender Population (Hijra) in Bangladesh". Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. 27 (4): 441-451. doi:10.3329/jhpn.v27i4.3388. ISSN 1606-0997. PMC . PMID 19761079.

19. ^ Bokhari, Asma; Nizamani, Naseer M.; Jackson, Denis J.; Rehan, Naghma E.; Rahman, Motiur; Muzaffar, Rana; Mansoor, Samina; Raza, Hasan; Qayum, Kanwal; Girault, Philippe; Pisani, Elizabeth; Thaver, Inayat (2007). "HIV risk in Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan: an emerging epidemic in injecting and commercial sex networks". International Journal of STD & AIDS. 18 (7): 486-492. doi:10.1258/095646207781147201. PMID 17623508. S2CID 30097917.

20. Ganju, Deepika; Saggurti, Niranjan (30 January 2017). "Stigma, violence and HIV vulnerability among transgender persons in sex work in Maharashtra, India". Culture, Health & Sexuality. 19 (8): 903-917. doi:10.1080/13691058.2016.1271141. ISSN 1369-1058. PMC . PMID 28132601.

21. ^ Khan, A. A.; Rehan, N.; Qayyum, K.; Khan, A. (December 2008). "Correlates and prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among Hijras (male transgenders) in Pakistan". International Journal of STD & AIDS. 19 (12): 817-820. doi:10.1258/ijsa.2008.008135. ISSN 0956-4624. PMID 19050211. S2CID 20781118.

22. ^ Mahapatra, Dhananjay; Choudhary, Amit Anand (7 September 2018). "SC decriminalises Section 377, calls 2013 ruling 'arbitrary and retrograde'". The Times of India.

23. ^ "Indian eunuchs help collect taxes". CNN via Internet Archive. Associated Press. 9 November 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2006.

24. Hall 2001, pp. 133-162 "In Delhi the hijras have named their language Farsi. While their "hijralect" has very little, if anything, to do with what is generally known as "Farsi", the term is fitting given that the hijras see themselves as descended from the eunuchs of the medieval Moghul courts, where Farsi was the dominant language.

25. ^ Hall, K. (1996). "Lexical subversion in India's Hijra community" (PDF). Gender and Belief Systems: Proceedings of the Third Berkeley Women and Language Conference. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Women and Language Group. pp. 279-292.

26. ^ Pinfold, Corinne (26 February 2013). "Pakistan: First trans woman in general election says the community is 'more than dancers and beggars'". PinkNews.

27. National Legal Services Authority ... Petitioner Versus Union of India and others ... Respondents (Supreme Court of India 15 April 2014).Text

28. "Many, if not most, translations of Valmiki's Ramayana do not contain this reference." Joseph T. Bockrath, "^ Bhartia Hijro Ka Dharma: The Code of India's Hijra", Legal Studies Forum 83 (2003).

29. ^ Reddy, Gayatri. (2005). With respect to sex: negotiating hijra identity in South India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-70754-9. OCLC 655225261.

30. ^ Reddy, Gayatri (2008). "Hijras, 'AIDS Cosmopolitanism' and the Politics of Care in Hyderabad". doi:10.1037/e618052011-025.

31. ^ Jha, Meenketan; Holland, Oscar (13 November 2020). "'Laxmii' critics say Bollywood blockbuster offers a problematic transgender portrayal". CNN.

32. ^ Sudhish, Navamy (16 June 2018). "'Njan Marykutty' review: Transperson's troubles handled sensitively". The Hindu.

33. "Award and Nominations". Kamran Qureshi.

34. ^ "OST TV Serial 'Moorat' (on Intersex & Transgender) 2004 - Tina Sani Song". Archived from the original on 2 November 2021 - via www.youtube.com.

Agrawal, Anuja (1997). "Gendered Bodies: The Case of the 'Third Gender' in India". Contributions to Indian Sociology. 31 (2): 273-297. doi:10.1177/006996697031002005. S2CID 145502268.

Artola, George (1975). "The Transvestite in Sanskrit Story and Drama". Annals of Oriental Research (25): 56-68.

Bradford, Nicholas J. (1983). "Transgenderism and the Cult of Yellamma: Heat, Sex, and Sickness in South Indian Ritual". Journal of Anthropological Research. 39 (3): 307-322. doi:10.1086/jar.39.3.3629673. JSTOR 3629673. S2CID 160623081.

Burton, Richard (1883). The Kama Sutra: The Classic Translation of 1883 by Sir Richard Burton.

Hinchy, Jessica (2019). Governing Gender and Sexuality in Colonial India: The Hijra, c.1850-1900. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108492553.

Nanda, Serena (1985). "The hijras of India: cultural and individual dimensions of an institutionalized third gender role". Journal of Homosexuality. 11 (3-4): 35-54. doi:10.1300/J082v11n03_03. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 4093603.

Narrain, Siddharth (October 2006). "In a twilight world". Frontline. 20 (21). Archived from the original on 21 October 2006.

Preston, Laurence W. (1 April 1987). "A Right to Exist: Eunuchs and the State in Nineteenth-Century India". Modern Asian Studies. 21 (2): 371-387. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00013858.

Reddy, Gayatri (2003). "'Men' Who Would Be Kings: Celibacy, Emasculation, and the Re-Production of Hijras in Contemporary Indian Politics". Social Research. 70 (1): 163-200.

Sweet, Michael J.; Zwilling, Leonard (1993). "The First Medicalization: The Taxonomy and Etiology of Queerness in Classical Indian Medicine". Journal of the History of Sexuality. 3 (4): 590-607. JSTOR 3704394. PMID 11623132.

Usmani, Basim (18 July 2009). "Pakistan to register 'third sex' hijras". The Guardian.

Venkat, Vidya (February 2008). "Transgender persons are finally getting their due with the Tamil Nadu government announcing a welfare board for them". Frontline. 25 (4).

Ahmed, Mona and Dayanita Singh (photographer). Myself Mona Ahmed. Scalo Publishers, 15 September 2001. ISBN 3-908247-46-2

Bakshi, Sandeep. "A Comparative Analysis of Hijras and Drag Queens: The Subversive Possibilities and Limits of Parading Effeminacy and Negotiating Masculinity." Ed. Stephen Hunt, Religions of the East. Surrey: Ashgate, 2010.

Gannon, Shane Patrick. Translating the hijra: The symbolic reconstruction of the British Empire in India. PhD Thesis. University of Alberta, 2009.

Jaffrey, Zia. "The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India." Vintage, 1998.

Jami, Humaira. "Condition and Status of Hijras (Transgender, Transvestites etc.) in Pakistan", National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-i-Azam University (nd, 2005?)

Khan, Faris A. (2016). "Khwaja Sara Activism: The Politics of Gender Ambiguity in Pakistan". Transgender Studies Quarterly. 3 (1-2): 158-164. doi:10.1215/23289252-3334331. S2CID 156840298.

Khan, Faris A. (2014). "Khwajasara: 'Transgender' Activism and Transnationality in Pakistan." In South Asia in the World: An Introduction, edited by Susan Wadley, 170-184. New York: Routledge.

Kugle, Scott. Sufis & Saints' Bodies: Mysticism, Corporeality & Sacred Power in Islam. University of North Carolina Press, 2007.

Malloy, Ruth Lor, Meen Balaji and others. Hijras: Who We Are. Toronto: Think Asia, 1997.

Money, John. Lovemaps. Irvington Publishers, 1988. Page 106. ISBN 0-87975-456-7

Pamment, Claire (2010). "Hijraism Jostling for a Third Space in Pakistani Politics". The Drama Review. 54 (2): 29-48. doi:10.1162/dram.2010.54.2.29. S2CID 57567229.

Patel, Geeta. Home, Homo, Hybrid: Translating Gender. In A Companion to Postcolonial Studies. Malden MA: Blackwell, 2000. 410-27.

Zipfel, Isabell ' 'Hijras, the third sex' ' eBook with 34 photographs https://www.amazon.com/Hijras-the-third-sex-ebook/dp/B009ETN58C

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Pronunciation [ˈɦɪdʒɽa] Meaning Eunuchs, intersex, and transgender people Classification Gender identity Synonyms Aravani, Jagappa, Kinnar, Khawaja Sira', Khadra, Moorat Associated terms Bakla, Khanith, Kothi, Kathoey, Third gender, Two-spirit, Trans woman, Trans man, Akava'ine, Muxe Culture South Asian Recognition Yes (India, Bangladesh & Pakistan) Protection Limited In the Indian subcontinent, Hijra are eunuchs, intersex people, or transgender people.

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Hijras were well-respected in ancient India. They played important roles in the religion Hindu. Lord Rama was a Hindu hero and was banished by their kingdom. So all the men and women left the kingdom and followed him. But a group of Hijras didn't leave until Lord Rama returned which was fourteen years later. The community is loyal. Because they are loyal they are respected.

Hijras has faced issues. Like getting employed and getting basic medial care.

The two stories of Saikat and Anushri was big. Saikat was a transgender patient who didn't get treatment after a train accident because the doctors didn't know if she should be admitted as a male or female and she died. Anushri was gang-raped by several men, she was denied anti-HIV medication because she was a transgender. These stories impacted the society and facing discrimination. Hijras people are at risk.

In 2014 a bill was drafted for the Right for Transgender Persons Bill and it was passed in 2016 for the Hijra community to be protected.

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In April of 2014, the Supreme Court of India formally recognized the existence of a third gender. There is no formal definition of the third gender in India. People who identify as neither man nor woman are commonly referred to as Hijra or transgender. The Hijra have been subject to discrimination, harassment, and persecution for their genderqueer self-identification. Along with the queer community, Hijras have been targeted by law enforcement and government officials under Section 377. This law was used to criminalize any queer sexual acts and has been used to justify discrimination and mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community since its enactment in British colonial era India.
What Is the History of the Third Gender In India?
Although the Hijra have been subject to much hate and discrimination in recent times, this has not always been the case. Hijras were well-respected and revered in ancient India. In fact, Hijras play important roles in many Hindu religious texts. One such text talks about the life of Lord Rama, one of the most virtuous Hindu heroes. At some point, Lord Rama was banished from his kingdom. After being banished, he told his followers that the men and women should wipe their tears and leave him. All of the men and women left. However, a group of people known as the Hijra remained standing before him. They were neither men nor women and refused to leave until Lord Rama returned fourteen years later. This community was praised for showing such loyalty.

Hijras also held religious authority and important court positions and administrative roles in Mughal era India. Believed to have the ability to bless, many would seek out Hijras for blessings during important religious ceremonies. In ancient India, the Hijras were a community that was respected for being extremely loyal and were well trusted enough to be given important religious and governmental roles. This begs the question. If Hijras played an important role in ancient Indian society, then why are Hijras ostracized and persecuted in modern India?
Why Is the Third Gender Ostracized Today?
The answer is due in large part to the British colonization of India. When the British took over direct rule of India and absolved the British East India Company, government officials sought to enforce their western ideas and beliefs on Indians. Lawmakers accomplished this goal by enacting moral laws that banned anything that western society viewed as unclean and dirty. This included the creation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which made illegal any "unnatural offenses" that were deemed "against the order of nature." From when Section 377 was implemented in 1858 to when it was recently deemed unconstitutional on 6 September 2018, Section 377 was used as justification to mistreat and punish Hijras, queers, and the LGBTQ+ community.

The western concept of hating and marginalizing anybody who was not straight and cisgender took hold in Indian society. The Hijra community was forced from a well-respected role as pillars of religious and governmental society to being social outcasts. This social exile is responsible for the socioeconomic and medical difficulties that Hijras face. Hijras are prone to being economically challenged because of the stigmas that they face. They are denied educational opportunities, jobs, and discriminated against in every area of their lives.
What are the Social, Economic, and Medical Problems Caused By Lasting Social Stigmas?
Despite gaining their independence from Britain in 1947, India has only recently begun to make progress on removing legislation that has been used to attack the Hijra and LGBTQ+ population. The many decades of subjugation stretching back generations have left a mark. Many of the hateful western views towards LGBTQ+ people have become deeply ingrained in India's culture. Even with many public relations campaigns along with a growing group of supporters, the vast majority of Indians still are against Hijras. Many Indians don't respect Hijras worth. Hijras are often called to come to auspicious events such as marriages and child-births for blessings. Many Indians view the Hijras as bringing good luck and warding off evil spirits. Yet because of widespread discrimination, the majority of Hijras are forced to beg for money since they are barred from most employment opportunities. Due to this, some of the common means of living for Hijras are begging, dancing, and prostitution.

Open employment discrimination has run rampant because of the lack of workplace protections and discrimination laws that are not comprehensive or well-enforced. Continued police harassment has also burdened the Hijra community. Many police officers have jailed and imprisoned the Hijra community over offenses such as begging, prostitution, and having queer sex. This community has had to resort to such practices because of the refusal to integrate Hijras into the economy. Yet despite not being able to find work, Hijras are attacked even more for trying desperately to survive in a society that has practiced institutionalized, pursued, and encouraged harmful policies towards this community since colonial times.

In addition to facing issues with getting employed, Hijras also have difficulties receiving access to basic medical care. There have been many unfortunate instances of medical malpractice against Hijra people. The Civilian Welfare Foundation is an NGO that conducted studies on the medical problems faced by the transgender community. The study found that the majority of doctors are not educated on gender identity issues and that a transphobic stigma is ingrained amongst medical professionals which is responsible for the lack of proper medical care for Hijras.

The study highlighted the stories of Saikat and Anushri. Saikat was a transgender patient who died from lack of treatment following a train accident. The reason is that doctors could not decide whether to admit her to the male or the female ward. Anushi was gang-raped by several men and sought medical treatment. However, doctors refused to treat her because she was transgender and even denied her access to anti-HIV medication. These two stories highlight the dangerous impact that social stigmas have on our society. In addition to facing persecution and discrimination daily, Hijra people are at risk for bodily harm and even death from bigoted doctors and nurses who are not trained to deal with gender identity issues.

Fear of the social stigmas for being associated with the transgender community is a major reason why many doctors try to avoid seeing Hijra patients and why some outright refuse treatment altogether. Adding on to social fears, healthcare professionals have been hesitant to treat Hijra people because of the risk of criminal prosecution under Section 377. Up until the recent 2018 Supreme Court decision, it was illegal to commit queer sexual acts as well as to aid and abet these acts. There have been cases of individuals being arrested simply for selling condoms to Hijra and queer people. The lack of proper medical care and access to safe sex talks and practices has led to an HIV rate amongst Hijras that is 100 times the national average. Doctors fear Hijra patients because they are misinformed and believe in multigenerational social stigmas. Hijra patients fear doctors because of the risks of being mistreated and harmed by substandard or complete refusal of medical care. This toxic mutual distrust can only continue to harm the Hijra community.
What Are the Recent Successes For the Hijra Community?
There are some recent successes that have helped the Hijra people. The Right for Transgender Persons Bill drafted in 2014 and passed in 2016 has been a major milestone in protecting the Hijra community. The law declared many forms of discrimination against Hijras to be illegal and banned the forcing of Hijras to beg or to leave their homes. Other benefits include the creation of a committee that focuses on helping Hijra pursue education by giving access to scholarships and textbooks among other needs. The bill has also allowed for Hijras to be recognized as socially and economically disadvantaged which qualifies Hijras for benefits from India's Affirmative Action program. However, there are downsides to the bill as well. Hijra people have to go through a district screening process to receive their third gender certification and ID cards. This approach can lead to refusal of benefits to Hijras based upon the decision of a committee without oversight and comprised of people not trained in gender identity issues.

Also occurring in 2014 was the landmark Supreme Court decision that officially recognized the existence of the third gender. This has allowed for Hijras to opt for third gender classification on official legal documents such as driver's licenses and passports. The decision has also signified acceptance of the Hijra community's existence by a government that has continuously sought to marginalize those who aren't cisgender. However, this decision has also come up short in addressing the many problems Hijras face. Third gender IDs, while motivated by good intentions, do not address many basic rights. When getting married, transferring property, or adopting children there are only cisgender ordinances in place. This means that Hijras cannot get married, cannot leave behind property for their kids, and cannot adopt kids that desperately need good homes while being recognized and identifying legally as the third gender.

Another recent Supreme Court decision that has increased the rights of Hijras happened in 2017. The court declared that the Right to Privacy was a fundamental right to all individuals and enacted protections for the privacy of Hijras' sexual orientations. This will go a long way toward helping prevent socioeconomic and medical discrimination.

In addition to legal successes, there have also been gains in societal acceptance and integration of the Hijra community. In 2017 India accomplished many firsts. Joyita Mondal became India's first third gender judge, Tamil Nadu became India's first Hijra police officer, Natasha Biswas became India's first third gender beauty pageant winner, and Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. became India's first government-owned company to provide bulk employment to Hijras. There are plenty more Hijra success stories out there which are a sign of widespread societal change. There is hope that the social stigmas that have plagued the Hijra community will soon be fully erased.

It is clear that Hijras face many challenges in modern times. Widespread social stigmas and discrimination against this community were promoted for generations. It is also clear that such large problems take a long time to fix. However, if legal efforts and public relations campaigns are continued then India can one day become a society that fully embraces and supports all people regardless of sexual or gender orientation.

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India's Relationship with the Third Gender

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In April of 2014, the Supreme Court of India formally recognized the existence of a third gender. There is no formal definition of the third gender in India. People who identify as neither man nor woman are commonly referred to as Hijra or transgender.

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Hijras are from an Indian subcontinent who identify as third gender. And are often recognized as transgender, intersex or eunuch.

Hijras are often born male but look and dress in traditionally feminine ways.

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Hijras are a group of people in the Indian subcontinent who identify as a third gender, and who are often transgender, intersex, or eunuch. They are also known as aravani, aruvani, jogappa, and in Pakistan, khawaja sira.

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A major Hindu got is Krishna. Krishna advised Arjuna that his son Aravan must be part of a ritual to win a war. Aravan agreed but did not want to die as an unmarried man. Krishna tried to find a wife but none of these women wanted to become a widow. So Krishna took on their female from knos as Mohini and marry Aravan. Krishna transformation is the origin of trans people. Hijras worship Aravan.

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The Hijras taught me that being Trans and Indian is enduring

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Being trans and Indian is enduring. The story of an identity which originates in ancient Hinduism. Your next Trans+ History Week article

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Hijras are born male but identify as women. They are also called the third gender. The word hijra is a Hindustani word. The english word for hijra is eunuch. Many Hijras choose to remove their male genitals and have a castration ceremony, for an offering to Hindu goddess Bahuchara Mata. “The centuries-old term 'hijra' is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent to identify transvestites, intersex, eunuchs, and transsexual men (Chakrapani, 2010). The term "hijra" originates in Hindustan (India).Oct 1, 2022” - Google.com. In India they are also known as tansgender, intersex or eunuch people who live in communities that follow Kinship. These communities usually live in poverty or who have been rejected by their family. Many Hijras are sex workers. And they are also known as aravani, aruvni and jogappa. In Pakistan they are known as khawaja sira. Since the 20th century, some hijra activists and non-government organizations have lobbied for the official recognition of the hijra as “third gender”. They have been recognized at places in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. Transgender people have a right to marry in India but according to the law they can only marry a person of the opposite gender.

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender and a rights activist, bollywood actress, dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker in Mumbai, Inda. She is the first transgender person to represent Asia and the UN. She spoke at the assembly of the plight of sexual minorities in 2008 at the UN. She is the oldest and when she was born she was assigned as a male. She completed her school and acquired an arts degree form Mithibai college and postgraduate degree in Bharatanatyam. She starred in several dance videos and also became a choreographer. She served on the boards of several NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) which conducted LGBT activist work. She became the president of NGO. She started her own organization to promote the welfare of sexual minorities. She went to Toronto, Canada for an Asia Pacific sex workers network. Her passport stated her as a female transgender.

During a press conference Laxmi came in with full makeup and women’s clothing. Her parents were there and found out about her association with the hijra community. They were shocked to see her like that as they were looking into marriage proposals. Her father was asked about his thoughts of his child's sexuality, he has a good response by saying “if my child was handicapped, would you even ask me whether i’d have asked him to leave home? And just because his sexual orientation is different.” He stuck up for his child, and that is great especially in their culture. In April 2014, Indian Supreme Court recognized transgender rights and recognized them as a third gender. Laxmi and a legal agency petitioned the court to recognize transgender as a third category on all documents. The  courts have ordered the government to provide quotas in jobs and education similar to the ones for other minority groups in India. Governments were also ordered by apex courts to construct third washrooms and create health departments to care for transsexual medical needs. They will also be entitled to adopt children and, after sex reassignment surgery, identify with their gender. Laxmi gave a lot of interviews and was popular with the media. She also appeared in many TV shows. She started in a show called Sach Ka Samna, it was the first show with a transgender on TV and with her parents she has an open conversation with them about hijras. She was in an award-winning documentary and and award-winning Bollywood movie. She also co-wrote her biography. She has adopted two children and is engaged to an Indian trans man who is a bodybuilder.

Hijras believed in Hindu mythology. And their gender fluidity mirrors and androgynous gods. Their god Shiva is sometimes portrayed as half male and half female. There is an ancient Indian text Kama Sutra which is an ancient Indian Hindu Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment. It is also described as the third gender or third nature.