Lubaba Abbas Kazmi
Thursday 29 November 2018
Bridge Project 4
The Peculiar Position of Pakistani Hijras
The transgender community in Pakistan, most commonly known as the “Khusra”, “Khawaja Sira” or the “Hijra Community” were casted out, isolated, and forced into isolation or even murdered in the past. Historically, transgender people served in the royal harems, the sacred place for only female members of the family. They were guards and servants of the princesses during the Mughal Empire in the Indian Subcontinent from 1526 to 1858. This is when they held the most power, also had their law courts and were the royal advisors of the emperors. However, during the era of British colonialism the situation changed drastically. They were targeted by the authorities and the police force for being a “criminal tribe” in the Criminals Tribes Act in 1871. This act referred to them as “the vilest and most populated beings”.
Today, Pakistan is home to at least half a million hijras, but life is still anything but easy for them. They face challenges which include the limited access to education, job opportunities, shunning and killing by their own family members, physical violence including sexual assault, poor living conditions and many more difficulties that could make life intolerable for them.
Due to the stigma attached to this community, parents and families do not want to be associated with a child who does not fit the societal norms and end up giving them to the community of Hijras. Intersex individuals usually do not receive an education because of the marginalization which along the unwillingness of businesses to help, leads to low employment and eventually poverty. According to a study conducted by the non-profit organization, Vision, based in Islamabad, only 7% of hijras reach high school level. With unsustainable income and discrimination, they move into colonies and quarters with improper living conditions. Furthermore, they are forced into the Guru-Chelasystem (Master-Disciple) which allows an elderly hijra to take another transgender person under their protection in exchange for their daily earnings which are from sex work, dancing or begging.
In the past, they used to get invited to parties and weddings to dance and this was seen as an artistic response to the oppression they face on daily basis. They started getting famous as dancers and felt empowered and accepted. Hijras clap loudly for attention during their dance performances. The sharp clap is a horizontal flat palm striking against each other, with fingers widespread, it is their way of saying “I am, who I am”, shedding the societal norms. They sing in loud high-pitched voices, clapping hands in strong beats to accompany their songs that remind the bride and groom to not forget their matrimonial duties and vows. The language of these songs is often sexual and offensive. Traditionally there are a few songs and comedic skits that are part of the hijra performances, most notably the one in which they act as a pregnant woman commenting on the challenges faced at each stage of pregnancy.
The hijras usually beg during the day and start dressing up at night, selecting jewelry and covering their faces heavily in cheap makeup. They are still invited to birth ceremonies, wedding and special events to give blessings. However, with social progression, this practice has reduced as family and friends of the bride and groom perform choreographed dance performances at weddings and the hijras are to be credited for this. Previously, women were not allowed to dance in front of men even at family events. The hijras have blurred the barriers being the third-gender.
Social activists among the hijras of Pakistan, such as Bindiya Raza from Karachi established of Gender Interactive Alliance, as well as Laila Naz from Lahore, founded SathiFoundation to empower other members of their community. They work on issues like HIV/Aids and hijra rights along with opening dance academies, regardless of gender or status. Kami Sid is the first Pakistani transgender individual to rise to prominence, working both as an actor and LGBTQ rights activist. In 2012, she travelled to Thailand for her first photoshoot which brought about a lot of backlash from the audience. In November 2016, she again did a photoshoot as form of a protest against the violence and atrocities faced by the hijra community. Furthermore, she is the member of “Street to School” movement which promotes and teaches sex-education and cultural diversity to children. In 2017, Kami Sid made her acting debut in the short film “Rani” as a transgender who makes a living by selling toys in the streets. Zara Changezi, another trans person and activist is breaking all barriers and stereotypes with her art. She recently casted in a movie “denial” which is about the obstacles faced by the transgender community. Lastly, there is Almas Bobby, the head of the community who often makes a cameo appearance in films and movies to spread awareness. A few years ago, she was seen in the one of the highest grossing film “Bol (speak)” in which the antagonist is a father who murders his son for wanting to wear women’s clothes and behave like a hijra.
This community still faces violence by extremists who refuse to accept them. In August 2017, a few armed men gunned down a group of hijras walking in the streets of Karachi. Individuals of the Hijracommunity are seen as sex objects by the conservatives and not human beings. Shaheen is a local hijra of Islamabad where she gives blessings in exchange of money.“My name means a ‘royal, white falcon’. I used to like it when I was young but now, I’m ashamed of it. Pigeons are like us, they are born to one and brought up by another. They’re abandoned by their parents and so are we. If I had my fate in my hands, I would have become someone else. When we walk on the streets, people catcall and insult us. May God never make anyone like us. There was a sudden deep pain in her voice that ended in silence for a few seconds. “Personally, I don’t want to beg. I don’t think anyone does,”Shaheen said.“The police harass us; the public harasses us. They don’t let us beg anymore. But we aren’t given any other opportunity, and now you ask us to stop begging? This is not fair!” Shaheen then explained what a woman means to her. “A woman is someone who dreams of having a family, husband, in-laws, and gives her husband a child.” This what she wants but as a hijra she knows this will never happen. “I had a boyfriend and now it’s been ten years since he got married to a woman who he has a child with. I knew I couldn’t give him all of that, so I let him go.”
Shaheen. Personal Interview. 13 November 2018.”
Today, a different narrative runs with the progressive steps being taken within Pakistan. The community is still on the fringes but now its gradually making its way to the forefront. This year thirteen transgender candidates are running for the parliament. Although Pakistan is a conservative and deeply religious country where even homosexuality is illegal but in 2009, it has officially recognized a third gender and granted the option to self-identify intersex people on official documents. The once outcasted hijras are able to get jobs in the mainstream industries. Changes in the legal system are helping the hijras of Pakistan get their rights but these rights will continue to be denied by the people around them unless there are integrated into the culture. Therefore, hijras remain a differentiated social class despite getting some recognition and social acceptance through their loud claps. Pakistan got its freedom from the British in 1947 but the hijras continue to fight for their own.
