Homosexuality in India
There is little controversy about rights for homosexuals in India because gay culture in India does not exist with enough influence that such that a controversy could arise at this time. The type of homosexual culture which has arisen in the Western World in the 20th century simply does not exist in the Indian population. Gay men exist, and in some places they have same-sex partnerships without notice or particular discrimination, but that is only a personal lifestyle. In the West, being homosexual has connotation of giving the option of affiliation with huge social, political, and cultural organizations. This level of organization does not exist in India. Homosexual women are much less extant, and there is no particular word in the Hindi language which equates to the concept brought up by the word, “lesbian.”
India does have a religious designation for a certain type of person which the Western world might call “homosexual,” but perhaps this is a different kind of lifestyle that should not be translated as such. The “hijra” is a type of holy transsexual. This is a man who wears female clothing at least sometimes and has spiritual power to bless or curse. In some major cities, like Varanasi, there is a hijra or troop of hijras at every wedding and at a sort of Hindu equivalent of a christening ceremony for every child. At weddings, the hijras show up uninvited but expected and crash the celebration with strange dances and bawdy songs until someone pays them to go away. This happens for more than 20% of urban Hindu weddings. At child-blessing ceremonies, a hijra officiates the pronouncement of well-being on the child. In rural areas, there are no hijras, but a lavanda serves the purposes of a hijra. A "lavanda" is a man who wears women's clothing, but who is still male. A hijra is more transexual; a lavanda is more transvestite.
While families want the hijras to appear at these ceremonies, there is something disreputable about being a hijra, and they do not associate normally with non-hijras. They are something of an outcast group. Because of the separation of hijras and society-at-large, there are numerous rumors about hijra life which exaggerate who they are. One is that hijras either are born with deformed male genitalia or that they have both male and female genitalia. While a child born like this will likely be given to a hijra community, not all men who join the community entered in this way. Another rumor is that hijras castrate orphans to make new hijras. This is not an acceptable practice within the hijra community.
Hijras are often outspoken and extremely insistent when they ask for donations in exchange for their theatrical performances. Sanjeevani Booti advocates less separation between hijras and the rest of society, and we work to promote the standard of living in the hijra community in Varanasi, in hopes that someday they will be able to calm down a little. Aside from that, we support international rights for all people to choose partners for loving relationships as they please so long as they are productive and healthy for the community. All couples should have the same rights.
