Well today started off great! Why you ask- because we had hard boiled eggs for breakfast! Day 5 in India and I’m already getting a little tired of Indian food therefore I was grateful to see eggs and toast on the table. Anyway, I’m going to start today’s blog with a vocab lesson that way it’s a little easier to follow:
1.) Hijra: self-identified term used by males who define themselves as “not men/not women” but as a “third gender”
2.) Kothi: self-identifying label for males who feminize their behaviors; prefer to be sexually penetrated
3.) Parik: husband of a kothi
4.) Panthi: a man who penetrates
So now that I’ve given you all these terms you’re probably wondering what we did today. Well, we visited Mitr Trust, a LGBT support group here in Delhi. While there we got to learn and discuss hirjas in India. Rudrani, the program director who identifies as a trans woman started by showing us a documentary she is currently working on explaining what life as a hirjas in India is like. As one would imagine, hirjas face discrimination from their families, the general public, and other hirjas.
Rudrani shared how in Indian culture everything about a child’s life is planned from the first day of birth based on the sex assigned. Parents who give birth to females display worry, focusing mainly on finding their daughter a husband and teaching her how to cook/clean and less on her education. Parents who give birth to males are proud, knowing that one day their son will be the man of the house, hold a powerful occupation, and earn a living for himself and his future family. With so much pressure put on male children it is extremely difficult for them to go against their families wishes. Those that believe they are born in the wrong body find themselves having to run away from home or face their families disowning them, kicking them to the streets, and being left to become sex workers in order to survive.
In addition to being disowned from their own families hirjas are frequently harassed from other members in society. In the documentary one hirja share how she was beat and cut for being openly transgender. Another shared how she was followed by a group of men who tried to separate her from her boyfriend and rape her.
As if dealing with discrimination from their families and the public weren’t enough, hirjas also deal with discrimination from each other. We learned that culturally and religiously hirjas are considered to be Goddesses who are able to bestow blessings on newlyweds and newborns for money. Interestingly enough though there is a hierarchy in which only a few hirjas are qualified enough to work as a Goddess. The qualifications to become a Goddess include: physical beauty, communication skills, singing, and dancing. Those who do not meet these qualifications must work solely as sex workers and beggars.
With so many hirjas being forced into sex working HIV has become a serious problem. With 2.1 million people living with HIV and 80,000 new cases diagnosed annually in India the need for sex education is extremely important but is lacking. Interestingly, a common misconception about sex in India is that sex is only considered to happen when a penis enters a vagina. With this misbelief many people who participate in other forms of sex do not believe that they can get or spread STIs. I found this misconception to be extremely interesting compared to the American view of HIV coming mainly from men who have sex with men. Mitr Trust is trying to education the hirjas and general public about HIV and the practice of safe sex.
Overall, I think meeting with Rudrani was really helpful. As future primary care physicians we will be working with LGBT populations. It is important to understand their lifestyle, how to educate, and how to treat those that want to be helped.
After leaving Mitr we had a couple hours to explore before returning home. We decided to go to the community market which had several stores, Americanized fast food places, and a movie theater. Steph, Megan, and I got a cheese pizza from Dominos and it was delicious! Allli got a veggie and tofu sub from subway. We were all so happy to have a break in the traditional Indian food we have been eating!
-Lacey
Sitting in the meeting room at Mitr Trust
Shadow box featuring condom education
Community market after visiting Mitr Trust