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The third gendered in Sri Lanka are not as openly discussed as in other parts of South Asia. Though a strong tradition of transgender people exists in Sri Lanka, and even though these people have been allowed to convert for a long period of time, third gendered people have mostly avoided mainstream discussion on the island. A number of reports state that the concept of third gender is not found on island, but binary concepts are found that are similar to third gender. [1]
The concept of gender changing is very common within historic and ancient Indian culture, and distinction between biological sex and cultural gender was not made. [2] Sri Lanka's third gendered "hold an ancient association with a Hindu goddess of fertility to which they are said to sacrifice their own fertility for the sake of others. By becoming eunuchs, Hijras become semi-sacred, and can bless the health and fertility of newlyweds and newborns." [3]
The Tamils of the Northern Province have a culture of cross-dressing, "so [a male] being feminine isn’t an entirely alien concept". [4]
The term 'pandaka' can be used to trace the history of third gender back to the awakening of the Buddha and the arrival of Buddhism to Sri Lanka over two millennia ago. [5] Buddhaghosa, a monk in Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka, wrote about pandaka; they "are full of defiling passions (ussanakilesa); their lusts are unquenchable (avupasantaparilaha); and they are dominated by their libido (parilahavegabhibhuta) and the desire for lovers just like prostitutes (vesiya) and coarse young girls (thulakumarika)". [6] He also stated that they are “whose sexual burning is assuaged by taking another man’s member in his mouth and being sprayed by semen” and usuya (“jealous”) pandakas as those “whose sexual burning is assuaged by watching other people having sex”. [7]
The Pali Tipitaka, the form of Buddhism followed in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and the most complete transmission being held custodian in Sri Lanka, "mentions several different types of transgendered states and individuals – the man-like woman (vepurisikā), sexual indistinctness (sambhinna), one having the characteristics of both genders (ubhatovyañjanaka), etc.". [8]
Peter Jackson of the Australian National University felt that the Pali Canon had significant influence on the third gender cultures of Sri Lanka and similar countries such as Thailand; "Never the less[sic], what makes accounts of sex and gender in these ancient Indian texts especially fascinating is their contemporary relevance in Thailand, which together with Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos and Cambodia forms part of the Asian cultural sphere in which Theravada Buddhism remains a vital cultural institution.". [9]
They are employed in variety of job sectors, especially in "commercial sex work, beauty culture, Hospitality field, NGO sector and limited numbers in the government sector". [10]
The term 'nachchi' is widely used to refer to transgender people, while napunseka can be used to imply a third gendered centric view of transexuals. [11] The term 'Hijra' can also be used to refer to the third gendered community on the island. [3] [12]
Tamil; peṇ ‘woman,’ peṇṭ u ‘woman, wife,’ peṇṭ an , pe ṇṭ akan , pe ṇṭ akam ‘hermaphrodite, eunuch,’ pe ṇṇ an ‘effeminate man,’ p ēṭ i ‘hermaphrodite’; Malayalam pe ṇ ‘a female, especially a female child, girl,’ pe ṇṇ an ‘effeminate’; Kannaḍa pe ṇ , pe ṇṇ u , pe ṇḍ a ‘female, woman,’ pe ṇ tana ‘state of being a female, feminine character or behavior’; Telugu pe ṇṭ i ‘woman,’ p ēḍ i ‘eunuch’; etc.
(cf. Burrow—Emeneau 1984:388, no. 4395)
The term 'pandaka' has two meaning in Indian languages. The first refers to 'eunuchs' and is of Tamil origin. The second refers to homosexual men and is academically considered to be a form of slang. [13]
Nachchis are described as being a variety of people that do not conform to hetereosexual male stereotypes. It was historically used to describe cross-dressers but now is mostly used to describe transgender people. [12]
A few organizations such as the National Aids Council describe the community as being "effeminate men who have sex with other men. They also operate as MSWs, and pick up clients from various cruising points. In addition to having clients, they often have regular male sex partners, with whom sexual activity takes place without financial transactions." It is debatable what this refers to however as there is no clean definition provided [14]
Other organizations describe them as being a subculture of the transgender community, often as a substitute for the terms such as third gender or hijra. [11] [12]
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A term found in Sinhalese that was historically used in a similar manner to nachchi, but now either refers to eunuchs or hermaphrodites. [12]
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The situation in the Constitution of Sri Lanka is the same as the one found in the Constitution of India concerning gender equality, though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka lacks the powers to repel and create law in the same manner that the Supreme Court of India has. [11]
Human Rights Watch stated that third gendered people were not protected by the legal system of Sri Lanka. It called on the parliament to decriminalize being third gender by repelling three laws; Sections 365 and 365A of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, and the Vagrants’ Ordinance. It also recommended that the government passes comprehensive laws to fight discrimination. [15]
LGBT rights activists have focused on improving conditions for transgender people who wish to convert to another binary gender, as opposed to the progression in Continental India, where the movement has focused on the third gendered community. [16] There is apathy among sexual minorities on the island over third gendered rights because they feel it would slow down progression for other minority communities on the island who conform to binary gender. [17]
The Commissioner of the Department of Registrations of Persons, under the UPFA, stated that they will be providing new ID with a new number for transgender persons. [18]
A significant section of the third gendered community are forced to do sex work or beg for money as a result of being rejected by their biological parents. A disproportionate number of the community lack formal education and are unable to find jobs. [15]
A third gendered person explained, "“It’s very hard, in reality. It’s quite alright for the posher Colombo 07 people; they can be doctors and lawyers and such. The poorer people have it harder and are often mistreated, which is why they leave their families or live a life of secrecy. It’s also really hard to find work thanks to societal perceptions, which again is why you get many trans people who are engaged in sex work or who are dancers,”. [4]
A number of transgender people complain about the high cost of undertaking conversion to their desired gender, in-part because government funded facilities are generally of poorer quality and that a lack of trained staff exist on the island. [19]
Chandrasena’s success enables her to get first-rate medical care. She started getting hair removal treatments in 2009; the facial laser treatment she undergoes every six months costs about 6,000 rupees ($45), Chandrasena says. She also spends about 39,000 rupees ($300) for each four-month supply of the estrogen injections she takes every other week. Those prices are average in Sri Lanka.
It has been thought that a number of transgender people are forced to work as sex worked in order to earn money for themselves, though they face the risk of being arrested as prostitution is illegal on the island [20]
Ranketh, a transgender man who asked that only his last name be used to protect his identity, says he spent years looking for doctors and psychiatrists to help him through his gender change, but at first he couldn’t find anyone to assist him.
The third gendered community often face discrimination from health workers on the island, and can find it hard to change their gender even if legally entitled to. [10]
A complaint about the treatment of third gender in Sri Lanka states that the gender disparity between men and women in employment shows how hard it is for third gendered to gain employment. [21]
Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term third is usually understood to mean "other", though some anthropologists and sociologists have described fourth and fifth genders.
In the Indian subcontinent, hijra is the generic term for trans women and may include eunuchs and intersex people who live in communities that follow a kinship system known as guru-chela system. Also known as aravani, aruvani, and jogappa, the hijra community in India prefer to call themselves "kinnar", referring to the mythological beings that excel at song and dance. In Pakistan, they are known as khawaja sira, the equivalent of transgender in the Urdu language.
The relationship between Buddhism and sexual orientation varies by tradition and teacher. According to some scholars, early Buddhism appears to have placed no special stigma on homosexual relations, since the subject was not mentioned.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to transgender topics.
Hindu views of homosexuality and LGBT issues more generally are diverse, and different Hindu groups have distinct views.
Mukhannath was a term used in Classical Arabic and Islamic literature to describe gender-variant people, and it has typically referred to effeminate men or people with ambiguous sexual characteristics, who appeared feminine and functioned sexually or socially in roles typically carried out by women. Mukhannathun, especially those in the city of Medina, are mentioned throughout the ḥadīth literature and in the works of many early Arabic and Islamic writers. During the Rashidun era and first half of the Umayyad era, they were strongly associated with music and entertainment. During the Abbasid caliphate, the word itself was used as a descriptor for men employed as dancers, musicians, and/or comedians.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in India have been evolving rapidly in recent years. However, Indian LGBT citizens continue to face social and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT persons.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people face active discrimination in Bangladesh. Due to the conservative attitudes in Bangladeshi society, negative views of homosexuals are very high. Homosexuality is illegal under Bangladeshi law, which is inherited from the colonial British Indian Government's Section 377 of 1860. According to the law, the punishment for engaging in same-sex sexual activities is imprisonment. It is dangerous for those who identify as homosexuals to openly come out in society because of social rejection, hate or assault.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Sri Lanka face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, which dates from the time of colonial British Ceylon, criminalizes sexual acts deemed "against the order of nature". This has been ruled unenforceable by the Supreme Court, but the court does not have the power to remove laws outright. A private members' bill submitted to parliament in August 2022 has been given the support of the ruling government and is likely to be passed by parliament in 2023.
The relationship between transgender people and religion varies widely around the world. Religions range from condemning any gender variance to honoring transgender people as religious leaders. Views within a single religion can vary considerably, as can views between different faiths.
A transgender person is someone whose gender identity differs from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Many experience gender dysphoria, which they may seek to alleviate through transitioning, often adopting a different name and set of pronouns in the process. They may pursue gender affirming care such as hormone replacement therapy and various gender-affirming surgeries. Not all transgender people desire these treatments and others may be unable to access them for financial, medical or legal reasons. Those who do desire to medically transition to another sex may identify as transsexual.
A kothi in the culture of the Indian subcontinent, is a man or boy who takes on an "effeminate" role in same sex relationships, often with a desire to be the penetrated member in sexual intercourse. The origins of the term Kothi are unclear. The original meaning was intended as a slur, similar to "fag" or "sissy." Local equivalents include durani (Kolkata), menaka (Cochin), meti (Nepal), and zenana (Pakistan). The male partners who perform the penetrative acts are known as Panthi.
Gender systems are the social structures that establish the number of genders and their associated gender roles in every society. A gender role is "everything that a person says and does to indicate to others or to the self the degree that one is either male, female, or androgynous. This includes but is not limited to sexual and erotic arousal and response." Gender identity is one's own personal experience with gender role and the persistence of one's individuality as male, female, or androgynous, especially in self-awareness and behavior. A gender binary is one example of a gender system.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender/Hijra rights activist, bollywood actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker in Mumbai, India. She is also the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of kinnar akhada. She was born in Malti Bai Hospital on 13th Dec 1978 in Thane. She is the first transgender person to represent Asia Pacific in the UN in 2008. At the assembly, she spoke of the plight of sexual minorities. "People should be more human-like. They should respect us as humans and consider our rights as transgenders," she said. She was a contestant on the popular reality show Bigg Boss in 2011. Her efforts helped the first Transgender team to scale a Himalayan peak in 2020.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.
Intersex, in humans and other animals, describes variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies". Intersex people were historically termed hermaphrodites, "congenital eunuchs", or even congenitally "frigid". Such terms have fallen out of favor, now considered to be misleading and stigmatizing.
Tamil sexual minorities are Tamil people who do not conform to heterosexual gender norms. They may identify as LGBTQIA. It has been estimated that India has a population of 2.5 million homosexuals, though not all of them are Tamil, and not all Tamils live in India.
Sexual minorities in Sri Lanka have been counted in recent times as consisting of as little as 0.035% of the population to as high as 19.6%. It is likely that there are around 1,100,000 according to current mapping conventions.
The history of sexual minorities in Sri Lanka covered in this article dates back to a couple of centuries before the start of the Vikram Samvat era, although it is highly likely that archaeology predating this period exists. There are virtually zero historical records of sexual minorities in the Latin script dating prior to colonialism. The concept of Sri Lanka did not exist prior to colonialism, and the term 'lanka' translates to 'island'.
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