India's First Openly Transgender Mayor in Her Own Words

Re:India's First Openly Transgender Mayor in Her Own Words by rmxt on Friday January 09, 2015 @10:54AM (#8862705)

An article about a politically significant LGBT person in South Asia without exploring or giving a more substantial background on the concept of Hijras feels a bit like having pizza without cheese. Being from the West and growing up with its binary sex and gender concepts, even reading the Wikipedia article on Hijra makes for some eye-opening reading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)

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Re:India's First Openly Transgender Mayor in Her Own Words by bhaumik on Friday January 09, 2015 @11:41AM (#8862954)

Thanks for sharing. In my last trip to India, I visited Bahacharaji and didn't understand why most people would pray with (and offer money to) the transgender women before entering the main shrine. I had no idea they considered themselves to be part of a third gender.

Highly recommended Joothan [1] if you want a first-hand account of a Dalit (member of the "untouchable" caste). "Joothan" refers to chewed up food or leftovers on a plate that a higher class would throw out. Many Dalits in Indian slums would resort to that for food. Fascinating autobiography with controversial theories on the origins of vegetarianism in Hindu culture.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Joothan-Untouchables-Life-Omprakash-Va...

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Re:India's First Openly Transgender Mayor in Her Own Words by amalag on Friday January 09, 2015 @11:33AM (#8862917)

The pre-Islamo-Judaic-Christian world was more open to such transgender people in Asia. It was not anything that people concerned themselves with. I hope they can integrate themselves in mainstream occupations. I think things have come full circle now with a greater acceptance.

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