India announces separate category for transgender taxpayers

[ArabellaScott]

Interesting to see how the idea of a 'third gender' is approached in India, with a very different cultural and social context.

'Transgender applicants in India can now obtain Permanent Account Number (PAN) as an independent category. Previously, there were only two gender categories available, male and female. An official was quoted in an interview that the amendments to current tax policies were meant to widen representation.'

www.justicenews.co.in/india-announces-separate-category-for-transgender-tax-payers/

Homosexuality appears in the Kama sutra and in many temple sculptures throughout India. Hinduism does not judge or censor it.

Under the Mughal rule (Islam) and British rule this stance changed to what it is now.

Have you read ancient Indian history? You'll be surprised at the role women played and how equitable the society was.

Not every culture and religion started out patriarchal.

Homosexuality appears in the Kama sutra and in many temple sculptures throughout India. Hinduism does not judge or censor it.

Yes, but there was hardly a storyline of being to live as a homosexual couple openly. The done thing as far as any mythology, history, guess-work seems to be to get married with a women and have gay sex on the side (I guess this is where the hijras come in).

And lesbians' are non existent - as far as I can tell.

The Kamasutra is descriptive and more of a manual, not part of hindu law, the Manu Smiriti is and it proscribes homosexuality as unclean. The Arthashastra which offers advice to rulers describes it as a social evil. Hinduism many not have the same attitude to homosexuality as the semitic religions but it was hardly a free love paradise before colonialism and I do wish that activists types would acknowledge that.

Have you read ancient Indian history? You'll be surprised at the role women played and how equitable the society was.

Not every culture and religion started out patriarchal.

Oh dear. I have a great respect for hinduism beyond the caste,cow and sati narrative you find in many western accounts of it even now and I am a fervent atheist! It is a very interesting religion full of humour, sophistication, wisdom, freedom of thought (there are even atheistic traditions within it) but one cannot run away from its imperfections and cruelties either. It was a pretty patriachal religion despite the few matrilineal traditions that one found within corners of it. It recognises the shakti, the role of the feminine principle and has quite a few kickass goddesses but the actual treatment of women, especially lower caste women in hinduism was horrendous.

Yes, but there was hardly a storyline of being to live as a homosexual couple openly. The done thing as far as any mythology, history, guess-work seems to be to get married with a women and have gay sex on the side (I guess this is where the hijras come in).

And lesbians' are non existent - as far as I can tell.

Exactly. Graeco-Roman mythology has much more homosexual content than hindu mythology.

Just wanted to say thanks mirax for contributing to the thread, interesting.

A 10% cervix charge is included...

Genius

I don't know that the cultural context is all that different - it always boils down to homophobia in the end.

eyope · Yesterday 15:12

This isn't what a 'hijra' is. They are either hermaphrodites or men who have undergone voluntary castration who don't want to be seen as or referred to as men.

I've been beaten to it, but only a small number have themselves castrated. (Thanks mirax).

Also, there's no hermaphroditism in human beings, people may have DSDs, but they are still either male, or female.

@eyope Also Indian born and raised (Mumbai) - and worked with the sex workers of kamathipura (lots of the Hijra community operate here too, so there's a lot of third gender rights activists) before moving to the UK. A large number of hijras wanted and actively campaigned to get third gender status. They don't want to be considered male or female. They are proud of being third gender.

As hijra, they have an identity, a history going back millenia, a role and place in society (albiet on the margins). Of course they will be proud of it.

But as sex workers in Kamathipura they are having sex with 'respectable' gay men from society, right? Do you really think it's not homosexuality that drives it?

I think the interesting thing to know would be how recruitment happens. I have no idea beyond the myths of them checking babies and taking those who have ambiguous genitalia - never heard of this actually happening though.

And I can't imagine in modern day India anyone giving up their kids because of this.

It's far more accepted and public than people think.

Thanks for that information @eyope I was travelling in India in 2015 with a couple of gay male friends (married to each other) & we all found ourselves being very careful. Glad that's changed.