What is the difference between transgender and hijra?

Hijra, transgender, third gender, intersex, transsexual — so many terms. Most people mix these things up, yet knowing them is very necessary, and I believe it's possible to learn it all just by reading a couple of articles. Today I've tried to write a little about the subject of gender. I've added references along with it.

While Bengali has one word for 'gender', English has two words: Sex and Gender. On our ID cards, and on school and college registration cards, we surely see a Sex option there — sex: male or female, like that. There is a difference between this sex and gender.

Sex means a person's physical or birth sex — that is, the word 'sex' indicates whether a person's body is female or male. Based on sex or physical sex, there are three types of people among us.

1. Male, XY

2. Female, XX

3. Intersex and others

Everyone surely already knows about female and male here. But things get a bit confusing when it comes to intersex. In simple terms, anyone who is not fully female or male physically is intersex or other. There are many types of intersex. Some have both female and male genitalia together. Some have non-functional genitalia. There are plenty of such types of intersex, whom people in Bangladesh usually know as "born hijra." Nonclassical forms, hypospadias, Klinefelter, XXX genotype, and so on and so forth — these are all different types of intersex. All of these people are fully physically female, not male. According to various statistics, 1-2% of children born in America are intersex.

Now let's come to Gender. In Bengali, gender is called social sex. It refers to what kind of clothes we wear, how we behave, how we move about in society, and which gender we consider ourselves to be or want to present as in society. For example, I think of myself as male, and I behave the way men do. So my gender is male. Social gender is also called psychological gender — meaning the gender of the mind or the gender of the soul.

In terms of gender, people can be placed into three categories.

1. Men

2. Women

3. Diverse gender (Non-binary),

Those who dress like men, move about like men, and want to present themselves as men in society — their gender is male. Likewise, those who dress like women, move about like women, and want to present themselves as women in society — their gender is female. On the other hand, those whose gender is not specifically female or male are non-binary. Among Bangladesh's gay community, kotis can be given as an example of non-binary people. There are various types of non-binary people. Some are, at times, women and at other times men, and so on. Others behave in ways different from both women and men, and so on. But the biggest thing about gender is which gender a person considers themselves to be, or which gender they want to be recognized as in society — that is their gender. Non-binary people have many subtypes, such as: bigender, pangender, genderfluid, and so on.

There's no reason to confuse intersex people with transgender people. Transgender is a matter of Gender, and intersex is a matter of Sex.

So, Happy Ending

What does transgender mean?

Those whose gender differs from their birth or physical sex are called transgender. In Bengali, transgender translates to 'converted social gender.' Suppose a baby boy is born. But growing up, it turns out the boy behaves like girls, likes to dress like girls, and his mindset, way of speaking and way of thinking are like girls'. He wants to present himself as a girl. In this case, this boy is transgender (a transgender woman). On the other hand, transgender man refers to someone who is born female but whose mindset, way of thinking and behavior are all like a boy's. A transgender woman is physically male, even capable of reproducing like a male, but is female mentally. Non-binary people are also a type of transgender.

1. Transgender woman,

2. Transgender man,

3. Non-binary transgender, etc.

Note: Female and male transgender people are binary transgender. Those whose gender is not specifically female or male are non-binary. A portion of transgender people undergo surgery to change their sex. Those who want to or do change their sex are called transsexual. In Bengali, transsexual translates to 'transformed/converted.'⁴

Note: Not all transgender people are transsexual.

Cisgender?

Those whose gender differs from their birth or physical sex are called transgender. On the other hand, those whose gender and birth sex are the same are called cisgender. For example, I am physically male, I consider myself male, and I live like a man — so I am cisgender. More than 99 percent of people are cisgender. Transgender people are 1 percent or even less.

Hijra, third gender?

In South Asia, people use the word hijra to mean both transgender and intersex people. It's not a medical term at all, so whatever the word is understood to mean is correct. However, the term hijra is thoroughly confusing. According to some people who identify themselves as hijra, since medieval times transgender and intersex people in this region have been neglected by and cast out from society, so they formed a group to strengthen themselves and started living together as a community. They also have their own distinct culture. In other words, hijra is essentially the name of a group and a culture. Transgender women are in the majority within hijra groups. The Bangladesh government has recognized hijras as a third gender. But the term third gender is also quite confusing and criticized.⁶

Koti?

In South Asia, among gay men there are some who are effeminate. They are usually called 'koti' by gay and bisexual people in this region. The 'koti' concept is also quite similar to 'hijra.' However, here effeminate boys and non-binary people (male in terms of sex) are in the majority. Kotis have their own distinct culture, and the reason is largely the same — neglect or being cast out from society. Generally, kotis don't place themselves into either the women or men category. Many mistakenly call them effeminate gay men, but if you notice, you'll see that most kotis' behavior isn't like women's at all. Essentially, it's not like either boys or girls — it's their own separate culture.

References:

1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex

2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

3.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-binary_gender

4.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender#:~:text=Transgender%20people%20have%20a%20gender,to%20another%20identify%20as%20transsexual

.

5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)

6.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kothi_(gender)

@Romeo Farabi