The paradoxical life of hijiras

[Puffin13]

The paradoxical life of hijiras
20/11/2008

As part of the Amsterdam India Festival the art director at Lloyd Hotel has brought a group of hijiras, India's third sex or transgender community, out of India for the first time.

Traditionally occupying a respected space in Indian society, this ethnic group now finds itself marginalised by society and more often than not forced in to sex work to keep themselves going.

Laxsminarayan Tripathi is a 28 year old hijira, and the ‘mamma', or mother, of this group of Mumbai-based hijiras. Laxsmi explained that because of these changes in society, life for hijiras in India is paradoxical.

"In one way we are quite respected, people come to get blessings from us. In another way we are vulnerable to many issues. Because we aren't a recognised part of the Indian constitution and we are the only visible sexual minority - that creates a lot of stigma and discrimination."

Often hijiras are left with only two options, says Laxsmi:

"On one hand because they don't have employment, or education, or a chance to build up their capacity, hijiras are forced to beg on streets at signals and also they fall into sex work which puts them in vulnerable situations or at high risk of getting HIV/AIDS which is a real burning issue."

So how do attitudes differ here in Europe? Belgian photographer Marc De Clerq has been documenting the lives of transgender people for many years and has even lived among hijiras in India. He has an exhibition of his work at the Lloyd Hotel.

"The hijiras call themselves the third gender. They are neither man nor woman, they are basically something else. In Europe transgender people want to go from male to female or female to male, in India they are hijiras and they are proud of it - the third sex - and in society they have their special status or position."

However, as Laxsmi pointed out, that special status is very much in decline. Laxsmi herself is in the unusual position of being supported by her parents and family and has managed to forge a relatively painless path through life - but her support for her fellow hijiras is unshakeable - and she doesn't forget that while her journey may have been relatively smooth, for the rest of her hijiras life is not so easy.

"When I talk I don't talk as Laxsmi. When I talk about the pain, it's the whole community behind me. It's not alone Laxsmi talking - it's the community talking from my mouth."

Source & pics

[Heynubis]

Hi Puffin,
Thanks for this post. The plight some parts of society live through in their daily existence cant help but affect me when I hear about them, and this is another example that I will try to explore next week when Im in A'dam (26th til 28th).

I was going to stay at the Lloyd but theyre no-smoking(yikes) but will take a short hop on the tram to the exhibits there. Got my brochure thru from India Festival (its in Dutch so will be thumbing away on my Dutch guides but I get the jist.

Not sure if you know about this but I read in a last-century old guide I had of a story, which Im not sure or not, that the wife of the owner of the Museum Willet Holthuysen (apols if spelt wrong) was transgendered. If its true, Id be glad to find out or if anyone else knows of this story.

Anyhow, looking forward to next week and thanks again for an other informative post.
Paul