Neither Man nor Woman
The Hijras—India's Third Gender
While the West tends to view sexual anomalies as individual fates, Indian society grants a special place to people who feel themselves to be neither male nor female. It represents a home, an identity and a means to make a living. They are called Hijras. In public, they appear wearing gaudy makeup and women's clothing. It is their job to sing, dance and dispense blessings at weddings and upon the birth of a child. The Hijras are a colorful and diverse community. What unites them is the inability to fulfill the role that Indian society assigns men and women: to marry and have children.
In one of 5,000 newborns, the child's sex cannot be determined.
The Hijras—India's Third Gender
While the West tends to view sexual anomalies as individual fates, Indian society grants a special place to people who feel themselves to be neither male nor female. It represents a home, an identity and a means to make a living. They are called Hijras. In public, they appear wearing gaudy makeup and women's clothing. It is their job to sing, dance and dispense blessings at weddings and upon the birth of a child. The Hijras are a colorful and diverse community. What unites them is the inability to fulfill the role that Indian society assigns men and women: to marry and have children.
In one of 5,000 newborns, the child's sex cannot be determined.
