The other side of the story

It took just one quick stroke of a country-made ustra (razor) to change a life forever. Ram Kumar Negi was too drugged to struggle, but not enough to numb his pain. Forced down by Ranjeeta, a hijra (eunuch), and his hefty accomplices, and stripped naked, he watched terrorised as they severed his genitals with a sharp knife, leaving a gaping wound.

Negi's shrieks died in the stillness of the dingy basement 'surgery' in a village in Etah district of western Uttar Pradesh. In the usual course of events they would have yielded to a deeper silence. The outwardly raucous world of the hijras is cloaked in its own codes and secrets. For an unwilling initiate like Negi, the brutal reality of castration is usually enervating enough to snuff out any thought of justice or retribution. Not any longer.

In Delhi, which harbours 15,000 hijras, probably the largest number anywhere in the country, the fight back has begun. A determined group of men are filing criminal charges against their castrators and seeking help from local courts to bring the perpetrators of this brutal practice to book. Examples:

• In March, 1993, Negi lodged criminal complaints in Jahangirpuri and Pitampura police stations in Delhi. When no action was taken, he approached the district court which ordered the police to carry out an inquiry.
• Jagmohan Dhyani, 25, alias Jyoti, has filed a criminal complaint against Gharsan Khan whom he accuses of severing his genitals in 1987.
• Kale Naik, 19, alias Baby, is approaching a Delhi court to get the police to inquire into his castration after the Nabi Karim police station in central Delhi refused to register a case.

Khairati Lal Bhola, a spokesman of the All India Hijra Kalyan Sabha, formed in 1984 to protect their rights, says: "While castrations had always been clandestinely forced on unwilling males, nobody else had the guts to retaliate like these people."

But the complainants have realised it is an uphill struggle. The police are unsympathetic. Braving the cynicism and ridicule of reluctant law-enforcers can often feel like a second assault.


Even the simple act of lodging an FIR is an ordeal. Ideally, the legal machinery should swing into motion once the victim files a complaint at the local police station.
The complaint, normally registered under Section 154 of the CrPC, would be followed up by an investigation and challan or charge-sheet under Section 173.

The case would then be tried by the concerned trial court. However, when Negi, Naik and Dhyani first approached the police, they refused to even register a case and did so only after the courts intervened.
"We don't like getting involved in the affairs of this community. They are not really part of our society, so why should we impose our laws on them?" argues a senior police official.

Worse, emasculation is not listed as a cognisable offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). "Though we don't possess sufficient data on this, it would normally fall under Section 326 or 365 of the IPC, which is "abduction and grievous injury with a sharp weapon", says L.C. Amarnathan, director, National Crime Records Bureau.

The bureau has no statistics as to how many cases of forcible emasculation may have occurred in the country. But R. Tiwari, Delhi's additional commissioner of police, crime, asserts: "I don't think there is any trend which shows a rise in forced castrations. There may be a few isolated cases, but nothing beyond that."
The local courts have been far more sympathetic. When the rebelling eunuchs complained of police inaction, the courts ordered the force to carry out investigations. But as Negi has realised, that hasn't been of too much help either. He alleges that the police did a cursory investigation and closed the case for "lack of evidence".

This is to some extent a genuine problem: conclusive evidence of coercion is certainly hard to come by. The hijra mafia which reportedly controls the castrations operates under a veil of secrecy and terror. Victims are threatened with death if they break the code of silence.

The Hijra Kalyan Sabha alleges that the hijra community operates through a countrywide network of hijra mandis, where a newly castrated eunuch is auctioned to the highest bidder.
"The auction is conducted with claps - a single clap denotes Rs 1,000. Understandably, the premium is highest on fair, clean-limbed boys who are likely to be high earners," explains Bhola.
However, the entire operation remains a secret as the hijra community is built on a pyramid structure at the apex of which are the elusive gurus, who are not only much older than the others in their ring but also exercise control over a particular ilaqa or territory for the purpose of extracting badhai (tips on joyous occasions).

According to Bhola, at least a thousand young men, many of them married and with families, are forcibly castrated each year. However, the Delhi Police reject such claims as highly exaggerated.

Dhyani talks of a hijra mafia operating in the Chakku Mohalla area of Dehra Dun where he fell into its hands. Its modus operandi is simple: lure fair, young Pahari boys into its company with temptations of good food, liquor or drugs and an easy life.
Like most victims of forcible castration, Dhyani himself acknowledges that his trouble began when he had voluntary contact with the hijra community. As an adolescent, he would loiter in the Mohalla in the company of local hijras.

In 1987, when he was 18, he says, he was kidnapped by them and brought to Delhi. He was then forced into peddling drugs and prostitution. And then one night, after being drugged, he was taken to a local 'doctor' who severed his genitals.

Negi, who was castrated a year ago. admits he used to have regular homosexual contact with hijras in his hometown of Hardwar before he was abducted and brought to Delhi.

Clean-faced and slender, Negi was renamed Rama and forced to dress as a woman, offer sex and pick pockets. When he tried to flee he was caught and tortured, and his legs scalded with flaming kerosene. And then one night, he was drugged and taken to Htah where another 'doctor' castrated him.
Police admit that it is difficult to arrest the 'doctors' who specialise in such castrations as they are usually in cahoots with the hijra mafia. One of the leading practitioners of this gruesome practice is said to be Kallo Haji. a resident of Vivek Vihar in east Delhi, who served a short sentence in 1987 on grounds of causing "grievous injury with a sharp weapon".

"He performs castrations only at the behest of the gurus and charges Rs 3,000 per case," alleges Bhola. But Haji vehemently denies this accusation and the local police maintain that he keeps to himself and does not cause trouble in the region.

Another alleged emasculator, against whom Dhyani has filed a criminal complaint for castrating him, is Gharsan Khan, 55. He is currently an undertrial in the Kakkad Dooma metropolitan court in Delhi, facing charges of murder following the death on the so-called operating table of one of the persons he was castrating.

Ombir Singh, assistant commissioner of police, Nand Nagri, says: "In the course of his first interrogation, Gharsan admitted to having performed at least a thousand castrations, out of which just one misfired and resulted in death." Khan now denies that he ever told the police so and maintains that he just rents out rickshaws for a living.

Probably one of the few occasions when a section of the hijra mafia was brought to book was in Ahmedabad in 1982. Hanif Vora, 23, a resident of Chhota Udaipur near Ahmedabad, who had been abducted and castrated in 1981, filed criminal complaints against his assailants in July 1982.
Twelve years ago, Mastubhai Maiik, along with his four accomplices, all hijras, were convicted and sentenced to five years' imprisonment each. But, Vora's friend Pratap Thakur dejectedly points out: That didn't get back his manhood."

Meanwhile, Negi undaunted by the police, recently closed his complaint for lack of evidence. "I won t let my castrators get away," he says, already contemplating a fresh legal appeal. Although he has not met with much success so far, he knows he has set an important example by striking back.
Kale Naik, too, is determined to get justice. "The Government punishes every crime. Why doesn't it take notice of something so inhuman as this?" he asks. But in the ceaseless bustle that envelops Kale's tiny tenement, the question hangs unanswered.

Source: 'http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/determined-group-of-forcibly-castrated-men-file-criminal-charges-against-their-abductors/1/293288.html'

A Girl’s Girl

Transgender is an umbrella term that unites all those whose gender identity does not match their gender assignment at birth. The term does not represent drag queens or transvestites. It refers to people trapped in the wrong body. Bhoomi is an example of the reality we need not hide from.

 A stunning 6 feet tall, with long luscious hair and a brilliant smile, Bhoomi bounds down the Equal Ground stairs and welcomes us with open arms. A giggling girl at heart yet born in a male body, she tells us about her struggle to fit into society and lead a normal life.
Bhoomi was an only child who went to D.S. Senanayake College (an all boys school). She tells us that since she was little she always knew she was different – her childhood dream to be like Madhuri Dixit, to dress like her, act like her, dance like her. Uncertain whether she was meant to play with boys or girls, she always felt more comfortable with the girls. She recalls having a nice childhood but when she reached Grade 5, she realised her classmates were eternally excluding her from games and groups for classwork. Bhoomi has always had a high-pitched voice as her voice never cracked. Since she quite clearly sounded different to the other boys in her class, during concerts she was never allowed to sing on stage, only backstage with the
teachers. She tells us how her teachers loved her but also tried to encourage her to act more boy-like to fit in. This was not something she could control.
In grade 11, her crush of 5 years made fun of her in front of her whole class, laughing at her saying she didn’t have female parts. Thankfully also around this time Bhoomi met her best friend Moksha. She finally had someone in her life to talk about her feelings and how she was different because she felt like a girl but had been born to a boys body. “It was nice to finally have a best friend, someone who cared about me and loved me for who I was,” Bhoomi exclaims.
Once Bhoomi had finished her ALs and left school, she tells us things started getting harder as she started to grow her hair and nails, and wear make up. Her mother gave her a hard time, telling her to live somewhere else, but Bhoomi couldn’t even understand it herself. She prayed to God for a miracle to make her a girl.

Moksha introduced her to Equal Ground where she went to a sensitizing workshop on gender, sexuality and gender based violence run by Charles Nigel De Silva. It inspired her and she gradually started learning more and more about herself. She was glad that she wasn’t the only one in this situation and she realised that her life was valuable.
Bhoomi did an interview for a show called Mogamodhi (Mask), talking about her situation and her feelings about it. By some chance the program did not cover her face as they were meant to and it was viewed by her mother, their community and even the people at the Kovil. People who could not relate to where she was coming from began to give her a hard time. It was at this time that her mother kicked her out of the house. Bhoomi went to stay with her boyfriend at the time as she had no where else to go. The problem with this situation was that her boyfriend had told his parents that he was in a relationship with Bhoomi’s ‘twin sister’ (Bhoomi does not have a sister), so after 4
months Bhoomi moved to her own place in Rajagiriya. She tells us how difficult it was for her to find a place to live because she sounded like a girl on the phone, but looks like a boy. When she tried to explain to them that she was a boy physically but was going to become a girl, people were uncomfortable because they did not understand her situation.
Bhoomi started working at Equal Ground in 2011 (around the same time as the Mogamodhi interview came out), she tells us that it was them who helped her find a place to stay, gave her a job and the support to be strong. At Equal Ground, Bhoomi works as a Field Officer, a Counsellor and a Youth and Transgender Networks Co-ordinator. She likes her job and likes that she is slowly, one person at a time, changing people’s attitudes toward Transgenders.
Bhoomi says she knows girls don’t have all the same opportunities as men in this country, but at least they can be girls. She is frustrated that she speaks up so much for women’s rights, when women themselves don’t understand her plight and deny her her rights. There are moments that Bhoomi feels lonely and harassed, as even the simple pleasures are complicated. She says: “I get a lot of attention from boys – but I think it’s just for sexual things, not love, and I’m not happy with that. Once when I was sick and went to the hospital the receptionist called upstairs and said come down and see ‘magic’. It’s embarrassing. I’d rather be sick than go there again and be upset.”
She tells us that her parents accept her slightly more now and that her father told her that he doesn’t mind if she’s a boy or a girl, as long as she doesn’t let society laugh at her. She considers herself a Transgender who wants to be a girl. She is currently receiving treatments and is hoping to increase her doses of female hormones soon. One day her dream is to have Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) but there is no rush. She’s been reading up on it and tells us there are new methods coming up all the time. What she really wants is to be able to have a baby. Even if not her own biologically, she is sure that one day she will be a mother. Her friends have advised her to stay a shemale in case any problems occur, but she explains that she has been living this ‘halfhalf’ life right now. She just wants to be fully female, not for her society’s sake, but for her own happiness. Bhoomi is hoping to change her name officially but will need her parents present for that, so that has been put on hold for the moment.

source: http://lt.lk/a-girls-girl/

Will India recognize a third gender?

A biologically male teenager from Dattapukur on the outskirts of Kolkata was evicted from home for being too effeminate. Subject to routine family violence and exploitation, the child, who identified as a girl, was rescued by the Association of Transgender /Hijras in Bengal (ATHB) in August. ATHB soon realized that there were neither any shelters for transgender children nor any sensitization in the Child Welfare Council regarding the children's sexuality. In the absence of state protection, the teen was sent back home after some parental counseling.

The incident is telling of the legal vacuum that marks the life of the transgender community in most parts of India. "In most government hospitals, there is a male and female ward, but no space for transgender individuals. There is ambiguity in access to most basic services," points out Ranjita Sinha of ATHB Bengal.

But change could be in the offing. A petition that is due for a verdict in the Supreme Court (SC) has been weighing whether transgenders can be given legal recognition. This has been a longstanding demand of the gender rights movement, and was reiterated during the multi-city Queer Pride Parades. Its significance however, is often drowned out by the debate over decriminalization of homosexuality.

The issue got an impetus thanks to a public interest litigation filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in the SC in 2012. It seeks equal rights for transgenders which could translate into a third gender category in hospitals, toilet allocations as well as separate recognition in basic identification such as ration cards, election cards, passports and driving cards. The arguments have concluded and the verdict is due.

Transgender is the term broadly used to refer to people who prefer to adopt a gender role different from the biological sex they are born into and includes transsexuals, cross-dressers, intersex persons and gender-variant persons who could be male-to-female, female-to-male or gender queer. There are no exact estimates, but the community is estimated to be between 0.5 million to 1 million. Time is rife to question whether India can look beyond gender binaries of male and female to accept a third gender into its fold. Could we liberalize sexuality rights like neighbouring Pakistan, Argentina or United Kingdom?

It may seem radical, but piecemeal changes are already underway. Tamil Nadu has paved the way by setting up a Transgender Welfare Board in 2008 which certifies aravanis (male to female transgenders ) and provides them with identity cards. The IDs entitle the group to 33% women's quota in higher education, facilitates hospitalization and loans for self-help groups. In 2012, the Karnataka government included transgenders in the category of "backward communities" entitling them to social welfare benefits. The Centre-initiated Aadhar card and voter ID too allow an "other" category.

Amritananda Chakravorty of Lawyers Collective explains why legal recognition is crucial. "Though some documents have started to recognize third gender identity, the law continues to operate within a binary norm, creating a system where hijras/transgenders are left in a legal grey area, where their gender identity is not recognized for all purposes," she says. For instance, a hijras driving license may be female, voter's identity (other), birth certificate (male), causing public embarrassment and personal humiliation. "Non recognition of the identity of hijras/ transgender persons denies them equal protection of law. They have no recourse to legal protection, in case of sexual assault and rape," she adds.

Dr L Ramakrishnan, country director, Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India (SAATHII), Chennai, says that in Tamil Nadu, access to transgender benefits vary across districts as screening committees often adopt their own criteria. For instance, some insist that transgender IDs can be given only to those dressed full-time as women or those who have undergone a sexual re-assignment surgery. Even passport authorities in India accept sex change of individuals only after medical certification. But that is precisely where the hitch lies as most transgenders don't have access to sex reassignment surgery as it is available only at private hospitals , and expensive.

But does legality guarantee a better life? "Transgender persons are happy to get themselves registered...but discrimination towards our community continues and will take time to end given that it has existed for years," says Bindiya Rana, who contested Pakistan elections as its first transgender candidate. In a 2009 SC order, Pakistan granted legal status to transgender individuals allowing them to be registered under the computerized national identity cards but change in attitudes, of course, could take much longer.

OTHER COUNTRIES SHOW THE WAY

* Argentina passed the Gender Identity Law, 2012, giving individuals the right to determine their own gender. No third or gender-queer option

* Pakistan computerized national identity card offers three options — male transgender, female transgender or (Khunsa) and male/female transgender

* South Africa Act 49 allows transpersons to change their IDs with a note from a medical professional

* UK: The Gender Recognition Act (2004) recognizes trans-persons if a medical doctor certifies that they have lived with gender dysphoria for two years

* Germany: A new law passed in November 2013 allows parents to register their children's sex as not specified

source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-08/india/44941182_1_third-gender-transgenders-ranjita-sinha

Queer language, The author looks into the lives and the secret language of Hijras.

I will send someone to get you,” she says and hangs up, as I wait under the knotted cable wires in a three-storied building. Winter’s blowing into the Kolkata streets, and the moss on the walls is turning from green to grey. A brawny young man, with neatly trimmed eyebrows and bell-bottom denims, comes down the alley and takes me up a flight of stairs to Ranjeeta Sinha’s one-bedroom flat.

It’s a home like any other — with speckles of tiny mirrors across a wall, a stack of fat books on a rickety coffee table, and clay dolls in a glass showcase. Only the photos in the frames are different. In them, Ranjeeta — formerly known as Ranjit — has her hands suggestively slung around the waist of the brawny man who came to get me.

“You read a lot of books on sociology?” I ask Ranjeeta, looking at her Malcolm Gladwell and Max Weber books. She looks up from her reading glasses and smiles. “I’m doing a Masters in Sociology from Jadhavpur University,” she says in a low falsetto voice, running her hand through her long, coloured hair. She is wearing a cotton salwar, and looks to be in her early forties. Unlike the articulated hyper-feminine fantasies of other Hijras — of being Cleopatra or Bobby Darling or fashionistas — Sinha’s dream is to become a full-time academician and activist. She is currently the head of the Association of Transgender/Hijra in Bengal.

Dressing up as a girl for a festival dance and later finding herself unwilling to shed those clothes, Ranjeeta realised in her early teens that she had left the “real self behind”. “How does a boy in a small, provincial Indian village even find the language to express these feelings, especially when he is expected to grow up in a hurry and take on men’s responsibilities?” For her parents, the idea of their son becoming a woman was beyond imagination.

And so, Ranjeeta ran away and found people like herself; people who slipped into the social fissures where outcasts make their own ghettos. They formed their own familial band with a hierarchical structure in the Hijra society, with the naik at the top of the pyramid, and gurus (leaders) and chelas (disciples) below. Some of the oldest Hijras are the head gurus who teach the chelas how to cook, dress and act.

Ranjeeta, though, isn’t a Hijra. She is a transgender who underwent a painful and potentially life-threatening surgery that meant a ceremonial break from her maleness. “Kinnars or Hijras aren’t always the result of birth defects. Medical advances like ultrasound now help detect embryo issues and resolve them even before the baby is born. Hijras are mostly castrated now, whether unwillingly as children or willingly as they get attuned to their effeminate nature,” says Ranjeeta, who travels across the country fighting for the rights of India’s third sex, hoping to get them a more secure place in the society.

Hijras are mostly from lower income groups. Or even if they are from the upper classes of society, they have no support of any kind; not even from their families. Landlords refuse to rent out homes, schools suspend them for cross dressing, the law discriminates against them, and jobs in respectable institutions are hard to get. They have virtually no safe spaces that protect them from prejudice and abuse, not even familial. They are forced to live in cloistered groups, on the fringes of society and in extreme poverty. “For these reasons, they have developed this language called Gupti (the secret), as a weapon to defend themselves against any infringement in their cocoons,” says Ranjeeta.

And that’s where this story started from. At traffic junctions, or in baby-naming ceremonies, I always wondered about that distinct gesture of the Hijras, of flat palms striking against each other, with the fingers spread limply. A few published papers in journals such as International Journal of Humanities and Social Science imply that this is an extension of their physiological identity. It means ‘I am who I am’.

“There is a sense of instant identification of the community they belong to,” says well-known activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi. Sociologists think there are subtle variations in the taal (beat) of the Hijra’s clap that, apart from controlling the attention of ‘normals’ , are also used for internal codified messages. Besides, the visual beauty of the henna design on their hands gets a resounding slap — the accent on femininity is taken away.

Gupti or ulti vhasa has remained an esoteric language till recently, as the Hijra community stonewalls attempts to probe. Even well-researched works like Gender, Sexuality and Language, an essay by Mary Bucholtz and Kira Hall in Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics edited by Keith Brown, have failed to take note of the clandestine nature of this language. Tariq Rahman, a Pakistani academic and intellectual, and author of Language, Ideology and Power: Language Learning Among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India (2002), brings to light many languages of the sub-cultures in the subcontinent but makes no mention of Gupti.

However, a few reference it every now and then. A paper by Dr. Muhammad Safeer Awan from Pakistan says, “A Hijra can detect from the sound of a clapping that other Hijras are around. Besides when Hijras interact with each other, only gurus are entitled to clap. A violator of this norm is instantaneously fined.”

Ranjeeta says, “They have two kinds of languages. Muslim Hijras speak mostly Farsi and Hindu Hijras speak Gupti with regional dialects. So depending on where you are in India, a Hijra could be called hikra, kinnar, safadi or khujda.” A community that survives largely on alms has to have numbers and its own counting system. This counting system in some dialects of Gupti is used just for alms and compensations — dasola (Rs.10), adhi vadvi (Rs.50), vadmi (Rs.100), panj vadmi (Rs.500), katka (Rs.1000), and nira patt (Rs.10,000). The lingo does not have an equivalent for an amount more than this, perhaps hinting at impoverishment and financial conditions.

The streets of Sonagachi, Kolkata’s centuries-old prostitution district, offer means of livelihood for many such impoverished eunuchs. Mallika Bose* is a Hijra who is also a commercial sex worker. “I started when I was 11,” says the fair, clean-shaven young man, punctuating his confession with a wink. He’s in a frilly black blouse with gold embroidery and a pair of jeans so tight they seem to be sewed on. He speaks in a high-pitched voice, and twists the hemlines of his shirt when he gets excited.

Mallika was a victim of sexual abuse at an early age. When he was in the third grade, a neighbour lured him to his house promising the boy pieces of coloured Chiclets and then sexually abused him. “Every time the neighbour and his friends used me, I got Rs.50-100 as a reward. I was always short of money. There was no profession where I could respectfully earn so much. Gradually, I started enjoying it.” By the age of 13, he had in effect been turned into a prostitute, and would hire himself out through the night. “It seems like the ideal job,” he says, with a laugh.

“Sometimes I got caught by the police,” he says. That’s when he started picking up Gupti. “Dengu, dengu, someone would shout. It translates to ‘Police, police’. I picked up a lot of other words too. Like nejma (tooth), chalka (breast) and chamki (skin).” There are also unique words that have no equivalents in other languages — for instance, chapti (the orifice left behind after castration), a feature found only in Hijras.

Mallika was eventually initiated into the Hijra society, and given that name. “Hijras are always renamed and given girly names,” Mallika says. “The Hijra language has substitutes for words. For sister, it is gothia, and grandma is nanguru. Though they have words to describe male characters — like chodda for an aged man or tonna for a young male or parik for male lovers — there is no male role inside the Hijra familial and social structure.”

Later, over the phone, Ranjeeta tells me why people like Mallika joined the community. “There is so much of woman in us that it’s hard to hide it most of the time. That makes us a social taboo. It’s hard to get jobs because of this and most people resort to joining the Hijra community for financial security. During the post-Mughal time women had to be hidden. They weren’t allowed to go out alone or reveal their faces. It was almost like the men were ashamed of them,” she says, her tone almost resentful. “But women have come such a long way. The last few decades were a struggle for them. We might have to undertake this struggle too.”

The first step may be giving up the Hijra clap. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi discourages its continuing use, as it has come to signify begging and extortion. “We have to blend in,” says Ranjeeta. “That’s the only way to be.”

Hijras dropping this unique aural identifier in an attempt to assimilate into the rest of society? That could mean the birth of a new era for this long-marginalised community, and the death of a rich language, beautiful in its own way. 

source: http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/queer-language/article5407840.ece?fb_action_ids=10200370818627987&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[473273436114391]&action_type_map=[%22og.likes%22]&action_ref_map=[]

"I am a woman"

For better or for worse, people think in boxes. They have boxes for things, and they have boxes for people: Bengali, westerner, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, Asian, White, Black… Curiously, one pair of boxes seems to play a particularly important role in people’s lives: Think about it… What was the first-ever question that anybody has asked about you? Likely, the answer is: “Is it a boy or a girl?” And, likely, that question was asked before you were even born. But does it really matter whether you are a man or a woman? And should it matter?
A day after being sentenced to serve 35 years in federal prison for leaking classified information, the United States Army soldier formerly known as Bradley Manning ignited a media firestorm by announcing that she considers herself a female and wants to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. “I want everyone to know the real me,” the 25-year-old said in a statement. “I am Chelsea Manning.”
Manning is a transgender person. According to the American Psychological Association, “transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behaviour does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behaviour, clothing, hairstyles, voice, or body characteristics.” Note that transgender people may or may not have a desire to alter their bodies hormonally or surgically, and that Manning hence only represents part of a wide spectrum.
Manning is not “pretending to be a woman,” or merely “acting as if she was a woman.” Rather, being a woman is an integral part of her identity. We respect that, as we believe everybody should, and hence refer to the soldier using the female pronoun. Being recognised as who we are is important, for our well-being, and for our self-esteem; just as it is important that we feel at home in our own skin.
If you are not a transgender person yourself, and if you are a woman, imagine you wake up one morning and have a male body: a body with male chromosomes, male genitals, and so on; if you are a man, imagine you wake up and have a female body. Imagine going through your daily routine in that body. Imagine going to school, university, or work. Imagine hanging out with your friends. Imagine having sex. Imagine having an organ between your legs that you feel does not belong there. Imagine the change in your body hair, skin and fat distribution. Imagine you had to spend the rest of your life in that body. How would you feel? Do you understand why Chelsea is seeking hormone treatment, why she is trying to get her body more in line with her mind?
Nobody knows how many transgender people there are, but we do know that there are transgender people in every community. Some are Muslims, some are Hindus, and some are atheists. Some are poor, and some are rich. Some hold doctorates, and some are illiterate. Some are Bangladeshis.
Masud (not her real name) lives in a small town in Bangladesh, located a few hours’ drive from Dhaka. Like Manning, Masud is a biological male who identifies as a female, in short: a transgender woman. Unlike Manning, Masud never talked about her gender identity in public and still uses the male first name her parents gave to her shortly after she was born, the same name that is on her National Identity Card, her school certificate and her Facebook profile.
“From a very early age, I realised that the body I was in just did not feel right. I did not have similar interests like the boys, such as in sports and outdoor activities. I realised that I did not talk or walk like the other boys and, as a result, would often get teased by many of my classmates and even random people on the street,” she says.
Even though Masud learned to cope with her predicament and the vices and difficulties that society would put upon her, she has always had a strong desire to express her gender identity. “I wanted to have long hair like the girls did, and I felt like I didn’t belong in this body!”
It took Masud many years to find her true self, and there was a time when she thought she was gay. “I didn’t feel attracted towards girls, but rather guys,” she recalls. Only later she started to identify as a straight woman. She becomes visibly angered, her voice shaking, when she talks about her past relationships with men who had given her “false hope, only to turn their backs when I wanted something more serious and meaningful.”
Masud has yet to tell her parents about her gender identity, but she realises that they “sense I am a little different. And they have come to terms with it.” She does understand that society is mostly to blame for what she is going through, and her biggest gripe is with how people generally perceive her as someone who is “mentally ill.” To be clear, that perception is wrong. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – often called the psychiatrist’s bible and widely used among Bangladeshi mental health professionals – does not list being transgender as a mental disorder.
“As I grew older, I did come to terms that this was not any illness, and that I was perfectly normal. But I had moments where I wanted to give up, after numerous failed relationships with men. I did contemplate committing suicide a couple of times,” she reveals.
Masud’s struggle and despair should be no surprise. In Bangladesh, as in many other places, both society and the state have little regard for the rights of transgender people. They consequently face discrimination in nearly every aspect of their lives, resulting not only in material disadvantages, but also in a significant amount of psychological stress. Transgender people who are open about their gender identity often find it hard – if not impossible – to find housing, or a decent job. They do not get admitted to schools or universities. They are ostracised by their families. And they have limited access to legal services and adequate health care. According to the Sexual Rights Initiative, there is no legal stance on sex reassignment surgery in Bangladesh. Nor is there any medical establishment providing for the needs of transgender people. Clearly, Bangladesh has a long way to go, and so do many, many other countries for that matter, including those in the West.
Being transgender is just another way of being human, and transgender people deserve to be treated accordingly: as human beings with rights and dignity like you and us. Giving people the respect they deserve is the moral and decent thing to do, and that is not too much to ask for. Is it?

source: http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2013/09/16/masud-i-am-a-woman/

Dui Dhuranir Golpo (In-Between Days) (2012)

Chiranjit and Bubai are two young transgender friends from Kolkata. Hailing from poor and uneducated families, they confronted social castration from a tender age. However, it helped strengthening their bond as friends. Bubai, often mistreated in his family, seeks love and care outside. He falls in love with a boy only to be dumped for a 'real' girl. Chiranjit, an only child, is relatively accepted by his parents. He wants a good job. But nobody wants a feminine boy in company. In 2009, they joined Manas Bangla, a non-profit organization working in LGBT advocacy and HIV awareness. Their job is to generate consciousness amongst high risk youth and bring them in for blood test. Days pass. Bubai gets a new boyfriend. He is happy now. Chiranjit gets a promotion in Manas Bangla and becomes Bubai's superior. But this development in their personal life and career opens up a rift. Soon they stopped talking to each other. Written by Sankhajit Biswas.


Title: In-between Days
Original Title: Dui Dhuranir Golpo
Prod. Year: 2012
Country of Origin: India
Language Spoken: Bengali
Duration: 58 min.
Shot on: HD
Screen Ratio: 16:9
Format: HDCam/Stereo
Admission/rating: 18+
Target Group: LGBTQ & YOUTH
 
Cast: Chiranjit and Bubai 
Director: Sankhajit Biswas (Sankha)
Production Company: Moromiya Pictures
Producers: Moupia Mukherjee and Sankhajit Biswas
Financiers: Rai, Italy

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2363516/, http://levelk.dk/index.php/2011-11-22-14-27-48/in-between-days

Hermaphrodite being deprived of basic rights!

DHAKA: Boby, a hermaphrodite popularly known as hijra, was forcibly got out from her home at the age of 14 only. Her only fault is to become a hijra.

After getting out from family, she fell in a big trouble. She did not have any shelter and at one stage she got shelter in the hermaphrodite community.

Some 15 years have passed, Boby haven’t got her rights yet. On the contrary, society and state have been depriving her from in every aspect of basic rights.

Not only Boby, but also many others like her are being ousted from family for being hijra.

Most of the hijras are being deprived of their fundamental rights. They are treated like neither man nor woman but society knows their presence.

The government does not allow them to cast their vote. They are not with their own original identity.

Expressing same experience, Pinky hijra told: “We are living without identity. Even we didn’t get National Identity card and the government is not counting them during census also.

Pinky added: “But we are also human beings. We need food, shelter, cloth, education and job to survive in the world like other men and women. We are being denied of our every right as social taboos and discrimination made them untouchable, fearsome and funny.”

“Nobody provides any job to hijras though some of us have secondary and higher secondary level education,” said Sagorika. She also left family because of her sexual preference that was not acceptable to her parents.

“We are not allowed in public places, buses and even hospitals in emergencies. Wherever we go, people treat us very badly, tease and laugh at us,” she said.

This type of social attitude adversely affects their minds. “We do suffer from inferiority complex all the time,” she added.

ASM Rahmat Ullah, Program Manager of Bondhu Social Welfare, an NGO said, “We have to except social diversity. Otherwise, discrimination towards transgender will not be removed from society or state. To eliminate these types of discrimination, we have to work together.”

Shale Ahmed, Executive Director of the NGO, said, “We have to change our mindset. To eradicate hermaphrodite problem, we have to talk more and more. Besides, we have to take comprehensive program for this community.”

Eminent human rights activists Sultana Kamal told banglanews that “we couldn’t accept anything if it goes against us”

She added: “We have to accept others view. Communalism and racism has been intruded in human. The mindset towards transgender is also the same problem. We have to fight against it as influential people want to keep it stay.”

Chairman of National Human Rights Commission Dr Mizanur Rahman said, “The human rights are being violated through discrimination. Democracy means to work together but it has been turned into an arm to erase somebody.”

source: http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=2a78c2152f92e8bb092f2d00053bf078&nttl=3006201372704

Celebrating love with a difference

By FPJ Bureau, May 5, 2013 01:44:51 AM

Love knows no language and barrier! The story of  a Transgender Shabnam & her heterosexual husband Mukesh is a fitting example of this commonly said phrase.

This is a love story straight out of film, albeit with a difference. It has a hero, a heroine – and a villain, too. But then the plot took a 180-degree turn and this action-packed romantic thriller became a new-age love story, poised to be recorded on the sands of time.

Meet Shabnam (once going by the name of Gopal Khawaskar), 21, a kinnar (eunuch) girl, and her husband, Mukesh, 22, a ‘straight’ guy. Together, they decided to defy social taboos and get married over a year ago in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Their romance began about six months before they got married. Shabnam went to visit Mukesh’s sister, who was her cousin’s friend. “When we met, it was love at first sight for both of us. Mukesh asked for my mobile phone number that very first time. We soon became friends, and then our friendship developed into love,” recalls Shabnam.

Mukesh, who seems to be the more inhibited of the two, chips in, “I couldn’t express what I felt for her in words, but I was very sure about one thing – I wanted to protect her from the big, bad world and take care of her forever. So we took the bold step of tying the knot.”

Their decision predictably created a uproar – and not just within Mukesh’s family. It caused a furore across the town. But the couple was determined to take their decision to its logical conclusion with all the courage at their command. Shabnam ultimately wed Mukesh, and the ceremony was witnessed by the elders of the kinnar community and organised with a lot of fanfare.

Like other blushing brides-to-be, Shabnam too thoroughly enjoyed her pre-wedding haldi and mehendi ceremonies before she finally tied the knot officially and settled down in a cosy home with her beau. Today many months have passed since the duo settled down together. Ask Shabnam if things have changed after the wedding and if the fires of passion have dulled somewhat, she is quick with her reply, “In fact, we have only gotten closer after the marriage. We have become even more sensitive towards each other’s feelings and needs and we are glad that we took this decision to be together.”

With a closer interrogation, it becomes evident that the couple’s life this past year has been anything but easy. When they got married, Mukesh had expressed his wish to take care of his wife financially. Shabnam was more than happy to stop going for the ‘gana bajana’ (singing and dancing) sessions and other activities that the kinnar community participates in to run their homes. Initially she did stay at home, while Mukesh worked as a daily wager and sometimes as a steward at an eatery to make ends meet. But the couple soon realised that his earnings were not sufficient to run a home. Finally, Shabnam decided to go for her ‘work trips’ along with the rest of her clan members.

Shabnam’s guru, Kashish, who is the head of a ‘hijra’ clan in Nagpur, gets emotional as she says, “I really pray that my ‘girl’ stays content forever in her new life and I want her groom to protect her from all the obstacles in life. Financially, my dharma daughter has to lend a helping hand to her husband, but I’m happy to see that the two are living happily despite the economic hardships.”

While, on the one hand, their financial troubles have given them plenty of sleepless nights; on the other, hurtful barbs have come their way in abundance after their marriage. Mukesh admits that both of them have a tough road ahead. “But, I’m ready for all the challenges and insults. My family didn’t attend the wedding and even now they are not supporting us in any way. But I’m capable of taking care of my responsibilities and I have Shabnam by my side. I know, we will not have our own children, so we plan to go in for adoption later,” he says.

Mukesh is very clear about one thing. As he puts it, “If anyone says anything nasty to my wife, I will not tolerate it and will give a befitting reply for sure. Every marriage, at the end of the day, has to face its share of challenges and dilemmas. But when we are together – after fighting these small battles of life – the journey seems truly beautiful.”

The saga of this brave couple will go a long way in portraying ‘hijras’ – the marginalised sex –  in a more sympathetic manner. The unfortunate part of the story though is that there is no legal sanction for this marriage with a difference. According to senior lawyer, Madhavi Chimote, (BASED) this union is null and void before the law. “The Hindu Marriage Act doesn’t recognise such marriages, but no action can be taken against the couple by the police,” she states.

The senior-most guru of the kinnar clan and the dharma ‘naani’ of Shabnam, Seeta Shah, stands by the couple as they face rough times.

source: http://freepressjournal.in/celebrating-love-with-a-difference/

Being Transgender or Transsexual?

What's the difference between being transgender or transsexual and having an intersex condition?

People who identify as transgender or transsexual are usually people who are born with typical male or female anatomies but feel as though they’ve been born into the “wrong body.” For example, a person who identifies as transgender or transsexual may have typical female anatomy but feel like a male and seek to become male by taking hormones or electing to have sex reassignment surgeries.

People who have intersex conditions have anatomy that is not considered typically male or female. Most people with intersex conditions come to medical attention because doctors or parents notice something unusual about their bodies. In contrast, people who are transgendered have an internal experience of gender identity that is different from most people.

Many people confuse transgender and transsexual people with people with intersex conditions because they see two groups of people who would like to choose their own gender identity and sometimes those choices require hormonal treatments and/or surgery. These are similarities. It’s also true, albeit rare, that some people who have intersex conditions also decide to change genders at some point in their life, so some people with intersex conditions might also identify themselves as transgender or transsexual.

In spite of these similarities, these two groups should not be and cannot be thought of as one. The truth is that the vast majority of people with intersex conditions identify as male or female rather than transgender or transsexual. Thus, where all people who identify as transgender or transsexual experience problems with their gender identity, only a small portion of intersex people experience these problems.

It’s also important to understand the differences between these two groups because in spite of some similarities they face many different struggles, including different forms of discrimination. The differences between transgender and transsexual and intersex have been understood by lawmakers in countries such as Australia where lawmakers have publicly acknowledged that people with intersex conditions have distinct needs from people who identify as transgender or transsexual.

People who identify as transgender or transsexual also face discrimination and deserve equality. We also believe that people with intersex conditions and folks who identify as transgender or transsexual can and should continue to work together on human rights issues; however, there are important differences to keep in mind so that both groups can work toward a better future.

source: http://www.isna.org/faq/transgender

The Choice

Becoming a Hijra in India is both dangerous, and also life fulfilling. There is no protection for Hijras in India, so they have to figure out ways to live safe lives without the government’s protection. The people who become Hijras are aware of this, yet they choose to fulfill a part of their lives that needs to be filled-the woman part. There are many ways that Hijras can become a part of the community, some are taken as children when they are born a hermaphrodite or have genital deformities, and others choose to run away from home at some point in their lives. They are unhappy living as men, or they just don’t feel like it’s who they are at heart.

Living as a Hijra does become somewhat easier when they come to a community of Hijras. Most Hijras live in communities composed almost entirely of Hijras. Inside these communities there are families. They are fictive kinship families, but for the Hijras, most of who are abandoned by their families, they become their family. Each family has a head of the family, a Hijra who is older and more knowledgeable, called a ‘guru’, and their “children,” or ‘chela,’ younger Hijras who they have taken in. There are mother-daughter, sister-sister, and all sorts of other female relationships within one community. Because most are abandoned by their families when they become a Hijra, the community replaces what they lost.

Along with being abandoned by their families, most Hijras also had childhoods that were confusing and unhappy. They felt like girls, yet their parents told them that they were men. “My childhood was torture,” says Xavier Ammal, a Hijra. She had to leave her family at age 13 because her parents didn’t want a ‘woman’ for a son. When they return to visit their families later in life, most families pretend they don’t have a child, or simply refuse to see them. Luckily, the Hijras still have their fictive kinship families to return to. These communities are the safe havens for the Hijras, and are the only place they are pretty much safe.

source: http://indianhijras.blogspot.in/2008/10/choice.html

The Operation

Living in a society where you are tormented, bullied, and harassed can’t be much fun, yet the half a million Hijras in India choose this lifestyle. Why would someone choose this? It can’t be fun, having to beg for money, or being a prostitute. But the thing is, they don’t have a choice. Since their government won’t accept them as a gender, meaning that up until recently they had a hard time acquiring passports, there isn’t much choice. As I read more about the Hijra culture, I am beginning to be able to understand them better. Every culture has people who are forced to do whatever it takes to put food on the table for their loved ones. For the Hijras, they have to turn to prostitution, begging, and the tax collecting mentioned in a previous blog. Being the average white American female (physically and mentally), I can’t imagine feeling like I need to change my sex in order to be my true self.

For the Hijras, although it is a difficult choice, and a life that they would normally not choose, it is the correct choice, because it is who they really are. It is not a good life, as many have said in the readings I have done, but it is a true life. For many transsexual people in the United States, an operation is not done, or just not considered. For Hijras, an operation is the final step in their transformation, although there are many today who are either hermaphrodites, have genital disfiguration, or just choose not to have an operation, however the majority have some sort of operation done. The operation the Hijras receive, as mentioned in the previous blog, is considerably different from the customary American one. This makes the Hijras even more frightening for some people, because they don’t quite have proper looking female genitalia, yet they look and act like females, and they are mentally female. Choosing this life and surgery is one of the most un-understandable things for me.

Works Cited:

Dutt, Nabanita
2002 Eunuchs-India's Third Gender. Electronic Document, http://thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2022, accessed October 22, 2008. 

source: http://indianhijras.blogspot.in/2008/10/operation.html

Under the knife

So while reading the book last night, I was tested on all of my beliefs. I’m afraid of surgery enough as it is, but what the Hijras do for their beliefs is incredible. In 9^th grade we did a religion unit in Ancient World Cultures, and we talked about ‘nirvana’ being the place that Hindus and Buddhists wanted to reach. Hijras call their emasculation process “nirvan.” This means to be reborn, in their case as a woman. It is a “rite of passage,” which I can understand. This passage takes them from being someone they know they are not to being someone they know they are. The three parts of the rite consist of removing the former being (the actual operation, which as mentioned before can only take place with a blessing), then recovery where the individual is neither a man nor a Hijra, and finally the ceremony where the individual becomes a Hijra with all the Hijra powers. Since I don’t believe in any sort of god, this was at first hard for me to understand, but now I have come to an understanding that goes along with my beliefs.

If I was going to be getting a surgery similar in risk to what the Hijras receive, I would want reassurance from the doctor, my family, and everyone else important to me that everything was going to be ok. Essentially, the Hijras get their reassurance from the god. If they don’t get the reassurance they don’t get the surgery, ensuring for themselves that they will survive. During and after the surgery many more “pujas” which are basically offerings to the god Mata, are made to protect the recipient. The entire ceremony and operation is very religious and ritualistic, which is done for safety and spiritual reasons.

Works Cited:

Nanda, Serena
1999 The Hijras of India: Neither Man nor Woman. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

source: http://indianhijras.blogspot.in/2008/11/under-knife.html

Becoming A Hijra

As far as I have found out, having the operation is the most important aspects of becoming a Hijra officially. There are of course Hijras who have not had the operation, but generally they are either born as a Hijra (either a hermaphrodite or with ‘not perfect’ male genitalia) or will perhaps someday get the operation. The basis of being a Hijra depends on the emasculation of the male, or becoming impotent. Since being a Hijra is comparable feelings wise to being a ‘woman’, meaning that Hijras have feelings for men rather than women.

During my research, which I was doing once again by reading the book by Serena Nanda, I got the ritual operation explained to me, and it, as several other aspects of my research have done, surprised and shocked me. Being from a Western country, namely the United States, it is hard for me to understand people getting things similar to gender reassignment surgery done not in a hospital, or by a licensed medical doctor. Nonetheless, I decided that I was going to understand why the Hijras were willing to get this surgery done by other Hijras.

First off, getting the power to perform the surgery is not an easy process, so not just any Hijra can perform the surgery. Being an Atheist myself, I have never been a big believer in religions, especially when it comes to what I think of as crazy and dangerous rituals. This surgery fits right in with a dangerous ritual, but after reading the book I can understand the religious beliefs of the Hijras better and get some understanding of why they would choose to go to such lengths to receive this operation. In order for the Hijra performing the operation to be able to operate, she first needs to become a ‘dai ma’ which is essentially a midwife. This ‘dai ma’ receives the blessing from a god, the Mata. Once this blessing has been achieved, the Hijra can operate. In order for another Hijra to receive the operation she also needs to get the Mata’s blessing, which can take a long time and several attempts. This blessing is essential to getting the operation because without it, the surgery could kill the Hijra. The entire emasculation process is based very much on religion, something that I will be exploring more in the next blog entry.

Works Cited:

Nanda, Serena
1999 The Hijras of India: Neither Man nor Woman. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

source: http://indianhijras.blogspot.in/2008/11/becoming-hijra.html

Hijras - The Ramayana, Mahabharata & The Islam.

Although many hijras identify as Muslim, 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. Hijras belong to a special caste. They are usually devotees of the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata, Lord Shiva, or both.

Hijras in the Ramayana
In some versions of the Ramayana, 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.

Hijras in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata includes an episode in which Arjun, a hero of the epic, is sent into an exile. There he assumes an identity of a eunuch-transvestite and performs rituals during weddings and childbirths that are now performed by hijras.
In the Mahabharata, before the Kurukshetra War, Ahiravan offers his lifeblood to goddess Kali to ensure the victory of the Pandavas, and Kali agrees to grant him power. 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 Krishna assumes the form of a beautiful woman called Mohini and marries him. In South India, hijras claim Aravan as their progenitor and call themselves "aravanis."
In Tamil Nadu each year in April and May, hijras celebrate an eighteen-day religious festival. The aravani temple is located in the village Koovagam in the Ulundurpet taluk in Villupuram district, and is devoted to the deity Koothandavar, who is identified with Aravan. During the festival, the aravanis reenact a story of 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 or AIDS seminars. Hijras from all over the country travel to this festival. A personal experience of the hijras in this festival is shown in the documentary India's Ladyboys, by BBC Three and also on the television series Taboo on the National Geographic Channel.

Hijras in Islam
There is evidence that Indian hijras identifying as Muslim also incorporate aspects of Hinduism. Still, despite this syncretism, Reddy (2005) notes that a hijra does not practice Islam differently from other Muslims and argues that their syncretism does not make them any less Muslim.
Reddy (2003) 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. . In addition to these "male" rituals, the hijras took on "female" practices from Islam such as veiling, as opposed to veiling from other traditions

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)

Annual Transgender festival - Koovagam

Annual Transgender festival @ Koovagam, Viluppuram, Tamilnadu, April 2013

Of the many bizarre and strange customs and festivals observed in India, the Koothandavar festival of Koovagam is one among them. The very basis of the festival, its associated rituals and the people involved make it the weirdest possible celebration on earth. A celebration of love and death, of sacrifice and life.

The small hamlet of Koovagam is present in the Vizhuppuram district of Tamil Nadu, making it virtually a ‘nothing’. However, once a year this tiny village turns into the biggest camp for transgenders from all over the country. They gather in flocks to take part in the rituals of the festival which lasts for 18 days, culminating on chitra pournami (april-may).

Story behind this
A festival which has its base rooted into the depths of the Mahabharatha war, Krishna’s cunningness and the noble nature of a very valiant young man.

War between the Pandavas and Kauravas was imminent. There was no way that a war could be averted, thus saving millions of innocent human lives. Krishna, as the protector of the universe was worried about the outcome of the war. It was true that he could intervene with his divine powers and avert catastrophe, but humans are required to decide their own fates. That’s what the vedas and shastras say. But still, he wanted the Pandavas to win the war, for he was on their side and their doings were just and moral. This would be the ultimate “Good wins over Bad” story if it went along as he desired.

Having no choice, he goes to Sahadeva who is blessed with the talent of accurately forecasting the future and reading horoscopes, Sahadeva rolled his Shozhi (shells used to help in prediction) and after several calculations looked up and said “To attain victory in the upcoming war, you need to sacrifice a man filled with all the good qualities of Valor, strength, bravery, beauty and such, to the goddess of war, Kali. He who first performs this sacrifice will gain the blessings of Kali and win the war”,

All along his way back his mind was filled with a single thought, “Is there anyone… Anyone else, other than Arjuna who can match the requirements of sacrifice? Anyone at all?” He pleaded, only to be met by a stunning silence. Krishna’s heart shattered at the thought of losing a dear friend. He felt light headed and started to sway with dizziness, when a voice cut through his haziness.
“Am I eligible to be sacrificed?” the voice asked. Looking for the source of the voice, Krishna’s eyes land on a very handsome man, dressed as a warrior and bearing resemblances to Arjuna. “Who are you, may I know?” questioned Krishna, as hope revived in his heart.

“I am Aravaan, the son of Arjuna, born to the Naaga princess Chithrangadha, through an illicit wedlock. I have come here to help bring victory to my father and his brothers. And if I can indeed help them win by sacrificing myself, then I am ready to die.” he proclaimed.

Krishna is flooded with relief. Using his divine powers, he comes to know that Aravaan is indeed a warrior par excellence, full of good qualities and excellent character. “He would make the perfect sacrifice to Kali”, Krishna thought and he beckoned Aravaan to come with him. He introduced Aravaan to the Pandavas including to Arjuna, his father (what weirdness!!!) and praised the sacrificial qualities of Aravaan. “So you will be sacrificed to the Goddess at the dawn of war, tomorrow. Purify yourself mentally and physically and prepare for the day. Long live your sacrifice”, Krishna told Aravaan and turned to leave.

“One moment my lord, I have but a few wishes to be granted before I die. Will you grant them?” Aravaan asked Krishna. “Why don’t you try me?” Krishna winked mischievously at Aravaan.” My lord”, began Aravaan,” I have had the good fortune to enjoy much in life, but before I die, I would like to enjoy the heat of a woman. I wish to die a married man, my lord.” Krishna is stunned. Which woman would marry a man who is going to the sacrificial altar the very next day? Probably none. No woman is crazy to throw her life away.”We will manage that”, he assured Aravaan, “Anything else?”.”Yes my lord, I would like to witness the entire war unfold, in my physical body and I would also like to fight on the Pandava side for a minimum of three weeks. Is that agreeable?”
It was here that the jealousy of Krishna kicked in. He knew that Aravaan was an excellent warrior and if he was allowed to fight there would be no need of any of the Pandavas or Krishna himself. “ParthaPuthra, what is ‘three weeks’ to a man like you? You can probably crush the entire enemy forces in three and a two third minutes. You will be able to fight on the Pandava side for those three and a two third minutes.” Aravaan agreed, charmed by Krishna’s flattery and speech. “If that is all, you can follow me to meet your bride, who will be your wife tonight and your widow in some days.” Krishna commanded.

Aravaan followed Krishna to the interiors of the palace. There, in the presence of the Pandavas and a few close friends, Krishna did the unbelievable. He transformed himself into Mohini, a form so beautiful that even Shiva had fallen for it, and in the presence of the elders, married Aravaan. That night Aravaan got his first wish fulfilled. Mohini seduced him with all her sexuality. All through the night, Aravaan was confused if he was with a man or woman. The smell of butter and milk reminded him of Krishna, but at the same time he couldn’t come out of Mohini’s clutches. The night passed and the day of the war dawned.

Aravaan was taken to the battle field and was made to stand at the center. There he tore off his skin from his arms and offered them to Kali. Kali, ever thirsty for blood, pounced on it and gave her blessings to Pandavas. The war began. Over the course of the 18 days, Aravaan kept Kali satisfied, stripping pieces from his body and offering it to her. On the final day when his allotted 3 and a two-third minutes of time came up, he realised that he had been tricked. He just had his head and his skeleton intact. A fat lot of use they would come to.

Conetemplating, he assumed his Vishwaroopa form and with his head as a large stone, he rolled over the enemy forces killing millions and badly hurting himself. The war was over. The Pandavas had won and the cause for it all, Aravaan, was lying, all alone on the Kurukshetra field. During his final moments on earth, when his life was ebbing away, he heard the high pitched wail of a woman. Turning towards the source of the wail, he sees Krishna, as Mohini, beating her breasts and wailing, the very picture of a widowed woman grieving her husband. With that final sight, his spirit soared heaven-wards and joined the other immortal heroes in warrior heavens, forever shining upon the brave warriors of yore. Aravaan had passed on, a happy man.

This chapter in the Mahabharatha forms the central theme of the 18 day festival at Koovagam. The small shrine at Koovagam is dedicated to none other than Aravaan himself and he is worshipped as Koothandavar. The 18 day festival celebrates the final days of Aravaan’s life, right up to his brave sacrifice on the 18th day. The highlight of the festival happens to be the marriage of Aravaan. The transgenders who gather here are the self-proclaimed brides of Aravaan. They claim themselves to be incarnations of Krishna, who was a man trapped inside a woman’s body, when he seduced Aravaan, just like the transgenders themselves. The first 15 days of the festival pass in dancing, singing and merrymaking, the transgenders putting up colourful and lively performances. All through the 18 days, a gigantic head of Aravaan is made and painted with the greatest care within the temple precincts

On the 17th day, the priest does special poojas to the idol of Aravaan and bringing upon the power of Aravaan on himself, he ties the mangalsutra (the sacred marital thread) around the neck of all the transgenders present there. They are now the wives of Aravaan, just for the night. A gala feast is organised which is followed by a night full of merrymaking, laughter and dance. The gigantic head of Aravaan is mounted on a chariot and taken around the village.

At the dawn of the 18th day, the air is ripped by sharp wails, as Aravaan is beheaded, widowing all his one-day-old wives. Following the traditions, the widows of Aravaan rip the Mangalsutraa from their necks, tear flowers out of their hair, throw away ornaments, and remove all cosmetics from their faces, wailing loudly, beating their chests, just like Krishna mourned for Aravaan long, long ago. They did a holy dip and wear a white saree (widow costume). And till that day arrives, they have to rely on the grace of Aravaan to take them through the rough times to come.

Third gender - some general definations and differences.

Perhaps in some contexts all may be considered members of the same “third gender” category,  but it is also useful and important to clarify some basic differences between these terms and others. Below are some very short, shorthand definitions:

Eunuch: an historic English term for a man who has been castrated to perform special social functions.
Intersexual: a term referring to people who are born with a mixture of both “male” and “female” hormonal, chromosomal, and/or genital characteristics (historically referred to as “hermaphrodite.”) (See the work of biologist Anne Fausto Sterling.)
Hijra: A term originating in South India referring to a person usually born male or intersex, but who uses female pronouns as dresses in feminine/”women’s” attire.
Transsexual: a term referring to someone who changes their sex through medical (surgical and/or hormonal) procedures.
Transgendered: a term referring to someone whose gender identity is different from the one traditionally assigned to their sex category. (People are born into sex categories of male and female; many but not all then become gendered masculine or feminine and into “men” and “women.”) Thus a transgendered person born in the female sex category may identify with the gender category “man” or “boi.” This may or may not involve surgical or hormonal alteration (in other words, it can simply be a social agreement).
Drag: a term that comes out of gay culture, involving someone temporarily “performing” a gender not usually associated with their sex (through dress, gestures, and so on). Ironic humor and extravagant campiness often involved.
Transvestite/cross-dresser: These are older terms with many meanings and histories — and often the term has been used in a derogatory fashion. In terms of practice though, “cross dressers” are often not gay, but “straight” men who simply enjoy dressing up as “women.”

These definitions are not meant to be comprehensive, but simply an entry point for those unfamiliar with these terms. There are also dozens of other terms associated with specific cultures and histories. (Readers, feel free to share other definitions, links, or references!)

Some recommended books on “third gender” related issues:

Jacobs, Sue-Ellen, Wesley Thomas, and Sabine Lang (Eds). 1997. Two-Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality. University of Illinois Press.
Manalansan, Martin. 2003. Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Namaste, Viviane. 2000. Invisible Lives: The erasure of transsexual and transgendered people. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Preves, Sharon. 2003. Intersex and Identity: The Contested Self. Rutgers University Press.
Reddy, Gayatri. 2005. With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Stryker, Susan and Stephen Whittle, (Eds). 2006. The Transgender Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.

Third Gender – Equality and Truth

It is a brave and honest person who can stand apart from the masses and openly challenge its most treasured beliefs. ~ Donna Evans

As humans, we understand a little about our complex bodies even with the greatest medical science. It is what it is. Then why lie? Secrecy and stigma are worse than the condition itself. Without truth and transparency, it is difficult to pass laws, provide equal rights, offer support and help for all. We need to have an environment which encourages truth, tolerance, and respect for all.  Are there only two genders or is there a third gender? Regardless of which side of the issue you are on, we can all agree that truth is always the right option and secrecy and lying have no place for a long-term solution in a civilized society. There are several issues with secrecy and lying. First it is wrong. Second it does not take into account the feelings and trauma of the person being lied to. Third it could lead to criminal acts such as if lying is a crime under oath. What are the bioethics for disclosure to spouses?

It is NOT about gender identity or it is NOT about the sexual identity, it is about the HUMAN identity which is to say the truth.

As a human being, everyone deserves a feeling of “belonging”, understanding and acceptance. Without recognition of the truth, how will an intersex person marry legally or how can an intersex couple (who are infertile) adopt a child legally or have a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) legally?  What about the equal laws and rights of the young, male, spouse caregiver of the intersex patient? Truth above all is the right long-term solution. If allowing a “third gender” option helps foster saying the truth then maybe that is the path to take. By saying the truth, one can get rights and people are making changes in the third gender community including wanting legalizing sex reassignment surgery (SRS).
The Truth – Some Want The Third Gender and Some Don’t

Gender identity and sex identity are biological, cultural or biocultural? The western culture and laws have a narrative of binary gender – male or female. As a result, several resources and money are utilized to promote science, research, groups, communities, viewpoints only from a binary gender perspective. While for centuries, the existence of “third gender” is widely accepted in South Asian cultures like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other places like Phillipines, Oman and so on. In Hindu religion, hijras are both recognized and have a special status. Culturally, people have a right to be allowed their freedom of expression as noted by Nepali LGBTI politician and activist. After all, diversity should be tolerated and celebrated. Through centuries, the “third gender” has been institutionalized and also holds a special relevance in the society. The “third gender” are enjoying more civil rights; being counted in the census, right to vote, option to display third gender on passports, and other freedoms. The “third gender” is legitimized in several places in the world. Above all, the “third gender” are free to express the truth as they see it – a fundamental right of any human being.  The western narrative of binary gender could overshadow the cultural diversities and the viewpoints of others in the world who believe in the “third gender” and respect it. With globalization occurring at a faster pace than ever before, it is important to account for everyone’s voice to be heard and be respected and not just the loudest voice in the room. It also so happens the South Asian countries happen to be some of the most populous in the world and statistically would have more “third gender” persons. Has their voice been heard or considered? Non-western cultures have accepted the truth as nature delivers for centuries instead of forcing people to use a strategy of secrecy and lying. In truth, there is respect for all human beings. Shouldn’t we be working towards an environment that fosters saying the truth?
Binary Gender Viewpoint

This is a debate which may never end. The binary gender viewpoint assumes there are only two genders in the world – male or female. Implicitly, are they denying the rights of people on how they should feel? There are several accounts of intersex people who feel neither man or woman or feel both, it just is. Why cannot intersex people feel as they do? Ironically the proponents of intersex communities fall prey to the heteronormativity norm and educate their members that they should “feel” like a woman or a man. They do not introduce the concept of the “third gender” in their education and awareness. Some members of the community just might feel more comfortable identifying themselves as the “third gender” if the option were available. And when the communities do not take up a unified approach, it is hard to change laws and instead succumb to the binary gender norm. Inadvertently, they may be even encouraging a culture of secrecy and lying which could be more devastating than the condition itself. There are instances who want a definition of gender based on biology, how will that help people who do not fall into either category? Are these viewpoints taken into account? The fundamental question is does the binary gender viewpoint encourage an environment of truth, tolerance, and respect for all?
Third Gender – Truth for Inclusivity

The best thing about recognizing the “third gender” is it gives an option for those who would like to opt for saying the truth. As a human being, they do not feel confined to a binary definition of gender. The feeling of freedom of expression is priceless in its own way for every human being. Contrary to popular belief, the binary gender approach is impeding progress in freedom of expression as noted by a famous Nepal activist and politician. Giving the ability to a person to identify themselves freely gives them the chance to say the truth. It offers them freedom from living in secrecy and lying. They can build better, meaningful relationships based on understanding and acceptance. Without recognition of the truth, how will an intersex person marry legally or how can an intersex couple (who are infertile) adopt a child legally or have a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) legally?  It is about respecting feelings of all including the caregivers of intersex people who may have been lied to. It is important for the caregivers to be allowed to share the truth freely as they see it just like an intersex person is allowed. Or are we going to advocate infringing on caregivers’ minority rights? Are there equal laws and rights of the young, male, spouse caregiver of the intersex patient? In the end, let truth prevail. Education and awareness “inclusive” of feelings and sensitivities of all is the right solution. Imagine a medical condition like Alzheimer’s – a very traumatic condition both for the patient and the family caregiver. There is a lot of information and resources and support groups for caregivers of Alzheimer’s. The inclusive approach makes the experience so much better both for the caregivers and the patients. Isn’t truth the best way for all caregiver-patient relationships regardless of the medical condition?

“We often talk about moral values, justice and trust, but the important thing is to put them into effect in our everyday lives.” – Dalai Lama
East or West, Truth is the Best

Here is an excerpt from a recent article:

Male-to-female transgenders, also known as “hijras”, have a long history in South Asia, experts say. The Sanskrit texts of the Kama Sutra, written between 300 and 400 B.C., refers to a “third sex”. The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature.

During the Mughal empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, castrated hijras – or eunuchs – were respected and considered close confidants of emperors, often being employed as royal servants and bodyguards. These jobs were so coveted that historians say some parents actually castrated their sons in order to attain favor with the Mughal kings and secure employment for their children. But despite acceptance centuries ago, hijras today live on the fringes of Indian society and face discrimination in jobs and services such as health and education.

“I think things are different today because of the kind of laws that were introduced to India when the British came. The whole concept of unnatural and natural was defined in our law,” said Indian gay rights activist Anjali Gopalan.

*************End Excerpt*************

This treatment stems from the British enacted legislation: ‘The Criminal Tribes Act 1871’ under which hijras were criminalized and persecuted. This is not about the East Vs. West. This is about the truth. Accepting the truth. Understanding the truth. Looking ahead with the truth. If we continue to sow the seeds of secrecy and lying, there maybe no fruit to enjoy.

By being truthful, the “third gender” for centuries were able to get more recognition and have a better life than today. What have they achieved  by secrecy and lying either for themselves or the ones they come in contact with?
Out With the Old…And In With The Truth

Traditionally, the medical approach has been for intersex people to have sex reassignment surgery(SRS) with or without the consent of the patient and an institutional strategy of secrecy and lying is used. Why? Today advocates of intersex people want to move from a traditional “concealment-based approach” to a “patient-centric approach”.  It is the right direction because it involves saying the truth. Have they gone far enough and “included” everyone in the “new solution”? What about including caregivers of intersex people? For example, when the surgery and treatment occurs while in a marriage and what it does to an unwitting young, spousal caregiver? Who is the advocate for the rights and what is in the best interest of the spousal caregiver of intersex people? Given that equal rights of LGBTI are still in the making, equal rights for caregiver of LGBTI are not even being discussed or on the horizon because the truth is silenced. Intersex people can identify with the issues of secrecy, lying, trauma, crisis, stigma, sensitivity, and so on. A caregiver has their own feelings as a patient caregiver of this medical condition. Worse yet if the caregiver was lied to and brought into this situation unknowingly. Having a genetic condition is no one’s control but lying about is in their control. The struggles that intersex people have gone through and are still going through are well documented and are beginning to gain some ground in altering traditional stereotypes. They will be the first ones to recognize then how much of an uphill it is for a caregiver of intersex people to be recognized. Just stick with the facts – the truth. Caregivers have all the sensitivity for intersex patients but sensitivity has to be two ways. Can we show some sensitivity to the silent, isolated, often intimidated, stigmatized, bullied, caregiver of intersex patient? A far smaller minority than the total population of intersex patients.

source: http://www.caissg.org/third-gender-equality-truth/