Hijra (South Asia): Gender-diverse communities, roles, and recognition

The Urdu and Hindi word hijra ([ˈɦɪdʒɽaː]; also hijira, hijda, hijada, hijara, hijrah) is generally understood in Urdu to mean derogatory, disdainful, contemptuous; the term Khwaja Sara is used instead. Another term is khasuaa (खसुआ) or khusaraa (खुसरा). The synonym for hijra in Bengali is হিজড়া, hijra, hijla, hijre, hizra, or hizre. A whole range of terms in the culturally and linguistically diverse Indian subcontinent denote similar gender categories, which can basically be considered synonyms, depending on regional cultural differences. In Odia, a hijra is referred to as hinjida, hinjda or napunsaka, in Telugu as napunsakudu (నపుంసకుడు), kojja (కొజ్జ) or maada (మాడ), in Tamil Nadu as thiru nangai ("mister woman"), ali, aravanni, aravani, or aruvani, in Punjabi as khusra and jankha, in Sindhi as khadra, in Gujarati as pavaiyaa (પાવૈયા). In North India, the goddess Bahuchara Mata is worshipped by Pavaiyaa (પાવૈયા). In South India, the Goddess Renuka, is believed to have the power to change the gender of a person. Male born devotees in female attire are known as Jogappa. They perform similar social roles as Hijra, such as dancing and singing at birth ceremonies and weddings. The word kothi (or koti) is also common in India, similar to the kathoey of Thailand, although kothis are often distinguished from hijras. Kothis are considered effeminate men or boys who take the feminine role in having sex with men, but they do not live in the kind of communities that hijras do. Also, not all kothis have taken initiation rites or gender-altering steps to become a hijra. Local equivalents are: durani (Kolkata), menaka (Cochin), meti (Nepal), and zenana (Pakistan).

"Hijra" was and is translated in English as "eunuch" (eunuch) or "hermaphrodite" (hermaphrodite), but LGBT historians or human rights activists have already tried to classify her as transgender. However, in a series of meetings of the Transgender Experts Committee of India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment between October 2013 and January 2014, Hijra and other trans activists demanded that the term "eunuch" be removed from use in government documents, as the Hijra community does not identify with this term.

Hijra identities have no exact counterpart in the modern Western understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation, and pose a challenge to Western notions. While joining a Hijra community is almost inevitable for many trans women and girls and those born intersex, it also has strong religious overtones. Hijra are not always synonymous with Western trans women. More modern developments influenced by the West also lead to the fact that gender reassignment measures such as hormone therapies and operations are desired also for transsexual Hijras who feel as women, although they are often difficult or impossible to reach due to poverty; transsexual Indian women from richer castes do not necessarily enter the Hijra community today, but have gender reassignment according to the Western model despite the social rejection and live a normal life as women.

In India, some hijras do not define themselves by a particular sexual orientation, but rather by rejecting sexuality in general. Sexual energy is transformed into sacred (holy) powers. However, these ideas can conflict with the practice that hijras often work as prostitutes. In addition, effeminate men who take the "receptive" role in sex with a man are often referred to as kothi (or a local equivalent). Kothis are usually distinguished from hijras as having a separate gender identity, often dressing as women and acting in a feminine manner in public and using feminine language in relation to themselves and each other.

The usual partners of hijras and kothis are men who consider themselves heterosexual because they take the male role in sex. These male partners are often married, and any relationship or sex with kothis or hijras is usually kept secret from society. Some hijras enter into committed relationships with men and even marry, although these marriages are usually not recognized by law or religion. Hijras and kothis often have a special name for male romantic or sexual partners, for example panthi in Bangladesh, giriya in Delhi or sridhar in Cochin.