There isn’t any written proof of support for trans and non-binary identities in the ancient Hindu scriptures, but there is evidence of gender-variant identities in Hindu mythology. One of the more well-known divine figures, Ardhanari, physically manifests as half-Shiva and half-Devi. This half-male and half-female form is the main idol of worship for the Hijra and Kinnar communities, and members of these communities are historically considered to have the divine powers of Demigods. Today, they hold immense auspicious power which is why they are often invited to significant religious occasions to bless the ceremony. These religious trans communities, specifically the Kinnar community, are organized into a Guru Chela society where a Guru Kinnar, or teacher, will provide housing and care for a new Kinnar and teach them the ways of the society. Under British colonial rule, however, these communities were persecuted with anti-trans laws and regulations. To this day, these communities face the financial and economic burden of being societal outcasts in the remnants of British colonization.
Trans Identities in Hindu Mythology
Rama: There is a well-known story where Rama told all his male and female subjects to leave him when they began to follow him into his exile in the forest. The people that stayed behind at the edge of the forest were neither male, nor female, and it is from that point that they began to build their own community.
Koothavagam: This festival takes place in Tamil Nadu where trans women gather to marry Lord Aravaan, which is a reenactment of Lord Krishna taking the form of a woman (Mohini) and marrying Aravaan. In the story, Aravaan dies soon after their marriage, so the trans women gathered for this festival spend the next day mourning their beloved.
13:57 – 14:45
Arjuna cross-dressed as a female dance teacher in his last year of exile. Depicted below is Arjuna as a female dance teacher from the comic books Amar Chitra Katha I used to read as a child:
Realities of the Hijra (Third Gender) Community India
Although there is clear evidence of gender-variant identities in India, they are still not widely accepted in a Hindu majority society. A significant part of their political opposition comes from the leaders of the Hindutva movement, a largely conservative party that claims to have deep roots in Hinduism. So how is it that they are held in such a high regard through Hindu practices, but suffer from a low quality of life?
One of the main reasons for this is the lack of education in the Hijra community due to social rejection. An increase in widespread education was the driving force behind India’s economic growth since independence, but the Hijra community was left behind in this new age of progress. Because they lack the education, they are often pushed to the fringes of society, doing undesirable jobs such as sex work. As a result, they suffer from a high prevalence of STDs and a lower life expectancy due to an allostatic load of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges. In a study conducted by BMC Psychiatry in 2004, 63% of the Hijra population in India had experienced severe depression and had recently though about attempting suicide. The HIV prevalence among the transgender community is also 26 times higher than the national rate.
In November 2019, a new trans rights bill was passed, which at face-value seemed to protect transgender persons in India because it prohibited discrimination against transgender persons with regard to employment, education, and the ability to buy and own property. The new law also gives transgender persons the right to be recognized as their preferred gender, but they had to submit medical proof of gender confirmation surgery. Many trans activists argued that this new law was an attack on bodily autonomy for trans persons and it excluded non-binary identities. There was also no mention of civil rights like marriage, adoption, and social security benefits in the new law.
I highly recommend you watch this documentary linked below. Vice News correspondent Gazal Dhaliwal documents the struggles of finding work for trans identities across India.
Notable quote from this documentary:
“Do I have to choose between who I am and what I want to do?”
– Gazal Dhaliwal, trans woman
Interviewees
Anonymous, a 52-year old Hindu woman of South Asian heritage; lived in Chennai, India for the first 22 years of her life.
Anonymous, a 53-year old Hindu man of South Asian heritage, lived in Calcutta, India for the first 22 years of his life.
Anonymous, a 21-year old Hindu college student, lives in Pune, India, but is studying in America at the moment
Interviews (transcribed)
What personal experiences do you have with Hijra? Have you come into contact with someone who identifies as Hijra? What was the rhetoric people around you used when referencing the Hijra community / the transgender community?
Yes, I have seen groups of Hijra, what we would call the Third Gender, in my childhood. I would often see them in groups; if I saw one alone, I don’t think I would recognize them as a Hijra. In India, when you go out in the streets, especially in Delhi, you have to stay on guard and protected. What was taught to us growing up was to avoid interacting with them. They do have some practices; they will come to you in groups and generally ask for money and say you will be blessed if you give us money. That was probably their main form of livelihood when growing up. So the elderly people that would advise me as a child would often tell me to avoid them because they would just want my money. They would tell me that the Hijra were out to get me, because they will put a curse on me if I don’t pay. Even if you don’t want to believe that Hijra are auspicious, which some people do because they invite Hijra to weddings or other important events… but even if you don’t want to adhere to those old practices, you may feel some guilt or fear from turning them away. Oftentimes, what happens is that the Hijra community in the area will hear about a baby being born or a wedding happening and they will purposely come to extract money; they will threaten to curse the baby sometimes if we don’t let them bless the baby in the first place. In hindsight, I have come to the understanding that this was the only thing they could do in society, so they shouldn’t be blamed for having to live this lifestyle.
Third Genders were treated as pariahs and we always acted out of fear, because we didn’t want to get their curse. We would stay away from them; we didn’t want to touch them. Unfortunately, they would behave in ways that would invoke fear and disgust, that is the character they wanted to portray because they wanted to operate from the sphere of fear. I think that by design, they had to do this, but I don’t believe that was their inherent nature and unfortunately, a lot of people gave them negative stereotypes for this. I think they were forced to portray that image externally because of their tough financial situation. The fear mindset we had led us to give them money before they cursed us, or we avoided them at all costs. That’s how we grew up. When my younger brother was born, Hijras came to our door. I think there were three other instances when they came to our place. My dad was totally rude to them, and they were immensely rude back. That was the common back and forth banter with the Hijra. My mom, on the other hand, would give money because she was more afraid of accruing bad energies. When my daughter was born, they came to the door, and I had to be rude in order to send them off. I gave them money to bless her, but they kept demanding more, so I had to use rude language in order to send them off. The key part is that they adopted this image to survive financially. Everybody in our generation unfortunately has that image of Hijra. Until I grew up, and matured, I had a very negative view of the Hijra community. People in India are very emotional. They want to seek blessings and they absolutely don’t want to be cursed by anybody. No one wants to risk the 2% chance that the curse will come true. Why even be in the bad books of anyone? The Hijra were able to put the fear of God in people. In many cases, the very rich people will call Hijra to their special events because they are rich in wealth but hungry for blessings. We (the middle class) are looking for a way to give the minimum amount of money so we don’t get cursed.
I grew up in Pune, a very developed and metropolitan city, so I would often see the Hijra community. It was very common to see them out and about on the street. When they came to your house, whether for money or not, it would be seen as a blessing. I know, however, that there have unfortunately been some police brutality cases against Hijra in my community. My parents were pretty accepting and educated me on the Hijra community from a young age; they were my main source of culture because I went to a Catholic school. When I was younger, people would explain Hijra to me as “men dressing up as women,” but my parents explained to me that they still do feel like women. I think my parents are very progressive, especially because they studied in America before moving back to India, so they were exposed to more social issues, and they were more socially aware in general.
Followup question: Have you ever heard the stereotype that Hijra are money-hungry?
I haven’t heard of it like that. I heard that it was common that they would come to your house, bless your kid, and you would give them money in return. I know that there are large negative beliefs around Hijra because of remnant beliefs of British colonization.
I also feel like when I was younger, it was more common to see Hijra than it is now mainly because there is more negative rhetoric today surrounding the Hijra.
Do you think there is room for the conversation of trans identities and gender nonbinary identities in Hinduism?
I do know that there are references to the “Third Gender” in many scriptures. Ardhanari is a commonly represented divine figure that is half male, half female.
There’s nothing in the scriptures from my understanding that references the Hijra community. There are some books/stories that depict olden times and provide evidence of transgender Gods. Non-binary, queer, or transgender identities were not as represented in our childhood stories.
Do you think it is more common these days to see Trans Identities or Non-binary Identities outside of the Hijra community?
I do think there are some laws in place now that advocate for trans rights. I have seen some headlines about it.
Now, things are changing a lot, with new laws, I’m not sure if I know too much about the social progress in India. I heard about a trans sportsperson in the news lately. I also saw that they were making a film about a trans person, but they got a woman to fill that role, so there was some controversy.
I think it’s becoming more common in India to be transgender and work in tech or other fields, basically have career paths that aren’t necessarily sex work or as Hijra. It is prevalent, but still people aren’t used to it. There is a very popular transgender insta influencer that I follow that is helping people become more aware of these issues, but I haven’t seen a member of the Hijra community, specifically, being actively vocal about social justice issues. I think there is also some trans representation in film and media right now, but the trans roles are being played by ciswomen or cismen. I don’t blame trans women or trans men for not being open about their identities online or in the media because India is very politically left-leaning (*note that left means more conservative in India). It is not safe for trans identities in India because India is strictly heterosexual and patriarchial. People can very easily get mobbed or killed on the street for being open about issues like this.
Trans Media Representation (Film Reactions)
“Super-Deluxe” (on Netflix)
Super-deluxe follows several different storylines, one of them being about a father who leaves his son for a brief period of time and comes back as a trans woman, calling herself by the name Shilpa. The movie dives into societal reactions (most of them negative and violent) to Shilpa’s new identity.
Reactions from the Trans community in India:
A lot of trans women in India felt that Super-deluxe simply missed the mark when it came to trans representation in the media, one of the main issues being that the character is depicted by the cisgender male actor Vijay Sethupathi. While the film does help evoke sympathy for the trans community especially because it depicts Shilpa being emotionally, physically and sexually abused, it shouldn’t be put on a pedestal within progressive entertainment. Furthermore, it capitalizes on negative stereotypes of the Hijra community which only brings more harm to the trans community in India in the long run.
“Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui” (on Netflix)
The story of “Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui” starts as a budding romance love story between Manu, a bodybuilder, and Manvi, a zumba teacher. Once their relationship starts to get serious, Manvi reveals that she is a trans woman, a piece of information to which the “small-town” and traditionally masculine Manu doesn’t respond well.
Works Cited
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/style/india-third-gender-hijras-transgender.html
- https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/04/784398783/india-just-passed-a-trans-rights-bill-why-are-trans-activists-protesting-it
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ardhanarishvara
- Majumder, Anirban; Roychaudhuri, Soumyabrata; Chakraborty, Soma1; Bhattacherjee, Kinsuk2. An Observational Study of the Quality of Life Among Gender Incongruent Individuals From “Hijra” Community of India. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism: Jul–Aug 2020 – Volume 24 – Issue 4 – p 301-305
- Reddy, Gayatri. With Respect to Sex Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India / Gayatri Reddy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
- Sequeira, Rovel. “Show and Tell: Life History and Hijra Activism in India.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 47, no. 2 (2022): 451–474.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHX9y0-4UCA
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O3gqFvhIiU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgw7M-JABMg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKM5zaqwApw
- youtube.com/watch?v=QHmruGc2-os
- https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2021/08/super-deluxe-the-movie-fails-at-evoking-empathy-for-trans-lives-we-can-do-better/
- http://theworldofapu.com/super-deluxe-critical-analysis/
- Halli, S.S., Isac, S., Bhattacharjee, P. et al. Suicidality among gender minorities in Karnataka, South India. BMC Psychiatry 21, 25 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03043-2
Krithi, I love your project! You gave such an in-depth and informative description of Hijras and how they interact with the world around them as well as how they are perceived. When we first talked about Hijras in class I was really hoping someone would do a project which at least talked about or was about them completely. You provide so many different things in your project which are helpful. The descriptions, in the beginning, the videos, and the interviews all culminate into something you can learn a lot from. The videos and interviews were great first-hand experiences into some of the questions you had/about how Hijras and gender-variant identities interact in the Hindu culture. Great job! I loved this project and truly did learn a lot from it.
Your presentation taught me so much that I never would have known without it. I loved the story about Rama telling the male and female subjects to leave him and the people that stayed behind being neither male nor female and I think it was really cool to hear how there are such popular stories including third gender, even if it isn’t in Hindu scripture. I also really liked how you included different media like the documentaries and the cartoon, especially one that you read as a child as I think that brings another really cool personal aspect into the presentation that just elevates it that much more. Thank you for sharing!
I really really like this project. It seems like a lot of time and effort went into creating it, as you watched multiple documentaries and conducted interviews, which really paid off. This is a super informative project, and I learned a lot. You mentioned in your presentation of this project that you remember learning the story of Arjuna as a child but never considered its greater significance in terms of gender variance in Hinduism. I think that story shows the value of having that type of representation in scripture, as it can implicitly teach children about identities that exist outside the rigid gender binary that has become engrained in so many cultures.
I learned so much from this project!! The contrast between historical and modern celebrations of Gender-Variant Identities In Hinduism is really outstanding. I really appreciate how you interviewed both older and younger people regarding this topic and getting their respective perspectives . I also found the children’s cartoon that you included in your project to be really interesting – while being nothing about gender variant identities, I grew up with children’s cartoons and poems of the Bible . It’s fascinating to see how different religions take their beliefs and practices and translate them in ways for children to understand and adopt.
I thought this project was really interesting and very informative. When you mentioned in your presentation how you remembered a story because of comics you read as a kid, it reminded me about an adventure podcast of sorts that I grew up listening to that told stories about Christianity. I thought it was interesting the different formats people have used to expose children to religious stories in ways that would keep them entertained. I also thought it was nice that you included perspectives from more than you generation to show how thought processes have changed and continue to change.
Thank you so much for expanding on this topic that we briefly touched upon in class since I was left wondering about the bigger cultural and religious picture of gender-variant identifies in Hinduism, and especially Hijras. I really appreciated that you aimed your project to be viewed through an insiders perspective as to better understand their significance. I think that the way you structured your project, through the various sources, it really aided in understanding the fuller picture not only of how hijras interact in their daily lives but also how they are perceived in society (films, videos, interviews and your own personal take). And thank you for explaining the actual reality of LGBT rights currently in India. Great work!
Krithi, this was an awesome presentation and a super interesting topic! I thought it was very interesting that you mentioned at the beginning that India is not very good with labels so trans people are seen in a binary instead of the people being able to acknowledge that gender is a fluid continuum. I also loved the video of all the Hijra’s crying together. I think for a community that has suffered so much hardship, it is so important to have people who love and support you and who you can show emotion with. I liked that you began with some of the positive views of Trans people in Hinduism and then moved on to the tough reality. It was very sad to hear that Hijra’s live in such economic instability and that they suffer from a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS. I hope in the future more can be done to support these trans people. Great job on your project!
Krithi, your presentation was fabulous. The first time that I heard about the Hijra community was earlier in this class, and I was really interested in their juxtaposition as being both spiritually respected and also cast out from society. Your project did well at contextualizing the reasons for that as well as expanding on the fact that gender fluidity is more prevalent in the greater Indian society than it is made to seem. I also loved how you were able to connect this information to actual moments in your childhood with the comic strip. Apart from the content, your public speaking skills were very impressive and I loved how captivating your presentation was.
Krithi, your project was super well done and I liked how you incorporated different forms of media to bring it all together (e.g., the cartoon story, different documentaries/films, and interviews). I also liked how you were able to use your own experiences from your culture to discuss this topic. We’ve talked about hijra before, but I feel like you were able to go more in depth which helped me understand more. I love learning about how different cultures around the world have had space for different genders and more flexible gender expressions. It is sad how this space is rather narrow for hijras and I hope that this can change. Great job overall!
This was such an informative and interesting presentation, thank you! As I said in class, I really didn’t know very much at all about this, and it’s cool to see how gender is framed, performed, and accepted in a culture/religion with which I have no experience. It made me ask even more questions that now I must find the answers to! I am curious about how the views on hijra may differ in different parts of India, among different castes (https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/genderedlives/chapter/chapter-5-understanding-caste-and-kinship-within-hijras-a-third-gender-community-in-india/), and among different schools of Hinduism, since I am sure there is huge variation in a super diverse and massive country like India.
This was such an interesting project and it was so well done! Before class, I knew nothing about Hijras, so I was really happy that you did a presentation going much more in-depth. I really enjoyed the different clips and other media you included as they gave a very well-rounded look at how Hijras are viewed and their experiences. I also thought the interviews were very interesting and I really enjoyed the different perspectives. Overall I absolutely loved your project!
Krithi, I found your project to be absolutely fascinating! Prior to this class, I had never learned anything about Hijras. Your project has so many different types of resources that I believe it provided the perfect insight into a topic that I took so much away from. I also loved your personal connection to the topic and how the comic from your childhood was featured within your presentation. Thank you so much for sharing!
It was really interesting to learn about how important Hijras but are also so systematically disadvantaged. I personally found it interesting to see how gender variation is so intertwined with Hinduism, especially in comparison to the binary-ness of the Christian Bible. Thank you for including different types of media representing Hijras. I think it’s super important to keep representing gender variant identities as a way to foster acceptance. Given how wide-reaching Bollywood is, I hope to see more positive portrayals of trans people and a change in how Hijras are percieved.
Krithi, I was amazed by your project and all the research you did on it! I had never really studied gender identities outside of the Eurocentric view of gender before, so this was super interesting and educational! I really liked the interviews you did with your parents and an acquaintance – it seems like there’s been a progression in the view of the Hijra over the generations, which is great to see! I also liked seeing how Hindu mythology embraces trans identities and plays around with gender, providing a basis for trans acceptance. The films you discussed also seemed super interesting, and I find it interesting how Indian films depicting trans people have also run into the same issue that Western films have in their refusal to cast trans actors to play trans roles.