08/11/2019
Hijri - The Third S*x of India
India has a lot of unusual things. The hijr, the so-called third gender of India, is also unusual. Since in the official documents there is only a female and male gender, the hijras mark themselves as a “woman”, however they consider themselves to be neither a man nor a woman, namely the third gender, hijra. The appearance of the hijra is still more like women - they grow long hair, wear women's clothing, apply makeup.
There are currently approximately one and a half million hijras in India. Only 2% of them are hermaphrodites, the rest are neutered eunuchs, homos*xuals, transvestites.
Hijra earn their living by dancing and singing at weddings, festivals, fairs. It is believed that the presence of hijr at the event will bring good luck. They are invited to bless newborn babies. However, in addition to blessing, hijras can also send a curse. According to legend, when the hero of the famous epic "Ramayana" Rama went into exile in the forest, all the inhabitants of the city came to see him. Rama thanked them and said: “Now go home, men and women!” And when, after 14 years, Rama left the forest, he saw a hijr at the threshold of the forest, who, without receiving permission to leave him, continued to wait for him all these years. Moved by Rama, he endowed the hijr with the ability to bless or curse. With the fall of the era of emperors, hijras became unnecessary. Now they live in communities. Such communities consist of “families”, groups of 7-15 people led by the main ones - “gurus” and “sisters”, “daughters”, “mother-in-law”, “grandmother”.
In addition to dances and songs, many hijras engage in prostitution or begging. Hijr can almost always be recognized by specific intonation and special slang, in which there are many proverbs, poeticized lines, vulgarities. Wandering around the city, begging or seeking a client for s*xual services, hijras behave very impudently. In the late 1990s. Hijri gained voting rights. However, they still do not have the right to inherit property, open bank accounts, adopt children, or trade. They don’t even have a passport.