Beneath the Rainbow: India’s Third Gender
Author name:- Alisha Mariyam Hussain
The sultry summer breeze, the cerulean blue sky, the chirping of the cicadas, and June had never looked more beautiful than she does now, unadorned and honest, vulnerable yet invincible. June is a month for people to come out of their shells and be loud and proud, but for what you may ask? It is for standing out from the crowd- for the crowd, for waving the rainbow flag and for marching on for pride. As your mind whirl in circles, of what is being talked about here, hang around as the construe follows soon. "Pride" is the designated name or slogan that commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riots, a pivotal moment in LGBTQIA+ history that sparked the modern gay rights movement. The concept of "pride" as a symbol of LGBTQIA+ identity emerged well before the official Pride Month, with some groups using "P.R.I.D.E." as an acronym for "Personal Rights In Defense and Education" as early as 1966. The word "pride" has evolved from a term with negative connotations (a vice) to a positive symbol of self-respect and affirmation within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Well, there must be a lingering question in the back of your mind, why a flag to represent the whole community. The creator of the rainbow flag, Mr Gilbert, himself answered the question by stating that, “A flag really fits the mission, because that's a way of proclaiming your visibility, or saying, ‘This is who I am!”. Since then the Pride flag- Rainbow flag- has become a universal symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community. Following the first pride march, people, though scared and timid, came trickling out of their sheltered conservative homes, to scream, to dream, and to be accepted for who they were. Pride parades in India today are vibrant affairs, where thousands gather to express themselves and offer support to the queer community. But things were very different in 1999, when the country's first Pride walk was organised in the eastern state of West Bengal. There were just 15 intrepid marchers in their custom-made bright yellow t-shirts with pink triangles who courageously walked on the road, even though they had a strong fear of being recognised, that had them quaking in their boots. Soaked to the bone in the rainy month of July, they were called ‘attention seekers’ and highly discouraged by the constant negative murmurs of the passerby. This has been the state of people who just want to express themselves, and want to be accepted by everyone. An equal treatment is the right to all, not just people who follow and fall under the so called ‘societal norms’, or what is perceived by the majority to be right.
In this realm of rainbow, between the lines of gender, lies the third thread of the binary, the voices that had always been, and still are wrapped in silence, shushed because they are eyed with contempt and considered a gender of inconvenience. They are the transgenders, locally referred to as ‘Hijras’ or ‘Kinnars’, the ones that are painted to be divine in the Hindu Mythology, but yet are treated as disposable in India, the very land that has a history of granting them a special place. The question arises, why such a shift? Why did the temperament of India take a 180 degree turn? It all began with the colonial period, a time that has long ended, but their vile and wrong practices and mindset has stayed behind with us. One such mindset that they gave us was the branding of transgenders as “Habitual Criminals”, and there you have it, the present suffering and terrible situation of the third gender of India.
India is the land of rich culture and heritage, where societal norms and gender expectations are deeply entrenched. This land has numerous states, with one such being Mumbai where a confused child Shaikh resides. Studying in an all boys school, continuously bullied for the child’s feminine ways, being called derogatory terms left and right, left a deep mark on Shaikh. Ever since childhood, Shaikh identified herself as different, and finally came to terms with who and what she was when she was 17. Then, came the decision of transitioning to her current self, Dr. Aqsa Shaikh, which came with struggle and heavy resistance from her conservative Muslim family, but she still persisted. Being harassed and pressured in the name of religion took a mental toll on her, after which she finally took the decision of leaving her abode and living for herself and other people like her. Now, the demons of her past have passed, and Shaikh has amassed thousands of followers on various social media platforms, where she shares about her life and creates awareness. This is not a new story, but it forces us to retrospect how, even in 2025, the era where acceptance is being preached, there is still a community being shunned, due to something they can't even control.
The world we live in is cruel, and people take advantage of the weaker and minority section, those who are thrown out of their homes because of not being accepted for who they are. At this stage, a lot of transgenders go through forceful, cruel and dangerous castration, sex trade, exploitation, and constant and blatant humiliation. In comes the ‘Gurus’, the people even if approached for questioning will keep mum to hide their business. These gurus might be the ones who help the ones lying in the dirt, but they are the same evil who exploit them by taking in the majority of their earnings and leaving almost nil to the ones in need. But, the people are just thankful to them for taking them in and preventing the ultimate destiny of theirs, being found lying in a ditch or begging on streets.
Merely being happy with this isn't the solution. It's 2025, the era of internet, education, and information. People are not unaware, no more are they not empathetic to the crimes and mistreatment of the community that has always been a part of the society, but majorly ignored. People, like you and me, are acknowledging them now, more so than before. There are protests, rallies, marches for their rights. No more are their voices going to be wrapped in silence, they will speak, loud and proud. With them are the voices that amplify theirs, of the common people who do not belong to the community, but they support them, accept them, and respect them; the things that the third gender community has always dreamt of. Actions which seemed impossible a decade ago are now a possibility and the reality.
This was just a whisper of what they endure and go through, a slight glimpse of their life which stirs up a lot of thoughts and provokes us to question society. If God made the third gender so, who are we to discriminate against them? Who are we to exploit and humiliate the works of God? Aren't we all beautiful and proud creations of him. If he doesn't discriminate, why us? When we believe in the almighty, then why do we end up questioning his designs? The Pride month is just not for show and is not a marketing strategy for people selling their goods, it is a statement to all who discriminate and hate; it is a statement to spread love, happiness and smiles. In this world, everyone has a will to express themselves, be it us, the lesbians, the gays, or the bruised and battered, third gender of India, “the Kinnars/Hijras”.