"Third Sex" Becomes a Political Force

[News_Editor]

A reveler dances while taking part in a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) pride parade to mark the Gaijatra Festival, also known as the festival of cows, in Kathmandu on Aug, 22, 2013. The parade was organized to demand equal rights in society, according to participants. (Photo: Reuters)

KATHMANDU, Nepal — In this capital city, ringed by hills, neighborhoods are marked by the weight of neglect. The office of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), a group championing the cause of sexual minorities, is based in one crumbling setting. To get there, one journeys down a rocky road and a narrow winding lane, both of which are torn apart by potholes and muddy pools of water. It occupies an unremarkable, two-story building, set behind a rust-covered gate. Facing the BDS’s office is an open field littered with garbage.

Until the middle of this year, the only people familiar with such surroundings were the ones who regularly made the journey there—Nepal’s eclectic mix of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trangsgenders (LGBT). But not anymore. This everyday scene of Nepal’s city life has become the setting for a remarkable political turn in the Himalayan nation. The clues lie in the unusual attention the building that houses BDS is attracting.

The visitors dropping by to engage with the LGBT crowd are functionaries from the country’s major political parties. And it is not just to campaign for votes in the run-up to a planned election for the second Constituent Assembly (CA) on Nov. 19. More importantly, apparatchiks of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or UML, are among those who have trooped there with a more progressive vision in mind: seeking prospective candidates to contest the polls. It marks the latest embrace by mainstream politics of an increasingly vocal and visible sexual minority constituency.

“A couple of dozen parties have shown interest in our members,†reveals Sunil Babu Pant, the head of the BDS, a day after he had met a UML delegation in his top-floor office. “This is certainly a big change for us, to be approached this way. They see us as a legitimate and influential group in national politics.â€

Mr. Pant, who became Nepal’s first openly gay lawmaker in the first CA, has already joined the UML, one of the country’s larger establishment parties, which has more social democrat leanings than the gun-toting revolutionaries, such as the Maoists. An equally high-profile transgender figure, BhumikaShrestha, has been sworn in to swell the ranks of the Nepali Congress, a first for the oldest political party in the country.

The list of LGBT candidates is expected to grow as the contestant lists are finalized. Already, over 60 LGBT contenders have declared their political intent through the BDS. These 28 lesbians, 21 gays and 12 transgenders are eying constituencies they are familiar with in 31 districts.

“We have assured them that our election manifesto will accommodate their concerns, such as third-gender rights,†PradeepGyawali, a UML politburo member, told The Irrawaddy. “It is quite amazing that Nepal has made this progress about the third-gender community. No political party thought this way 10 years ago; not even the society.â€

Such a sea change is a remarkable achievement for three reasons. Nepal, after all, is a predominantly Hindu country known for its discriminating caste structure. Even now, it is common to hear of an upper-caste Brahmin refusing to shake hands with Dalits, members of a lower-caste group known as “the untouchables,†out fear of being “polluted.†Other extreme examples of such minority discrimination abound, like Dalits being forbidden to enter upper-caste houses from the front.

There has also been no religious backlash by social conservatives. Such a tolerant response stands out in South Asia, where waves of religious fundamentalism—Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic—are on the rise. In neighboring India, home to the world’s largest Hindu population, religious groups led the charge to challenge a court ruling to decriminalize homosexuality in 2010.

The other reason for cheer is political. The inroads made by the “third genders,†as the LGBT minority is called here, is a progressive step in a country that has been stuck midway in its plans for reform. The first CA was elected with the promise of drafting a new republican constitution. It followed a historic change in what was once the world’s only Hindu kingdom. The 240-year-old monarchy was abolished on May 28, 2008, at the inaugural session of the 601-member national assembly. That came on the tails of a groundbreaking peace agreement, which saw the end of a decade-long revolution spearheaded by the Maoists in which 16,000 people were killed and some 150,000 were displaced.

The leader of the Maoists, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known by his revolutionary name “Prachanda†(“the Fierce Oneâ€), is one of a string of Nepali leaders who have presided over five years of political paralysis. The customary bickering between and within Nepal’s political parties has resulted in a half-written constitution. The failure of the CA to meet its multiple deadlines paved the way for another attempt to elect a fresh body to the national assembly. The interim government running the country till the November polls is headed by Khil Raj Regmi, the chief justice.

Yet, for the likes of Mr. Pant, the messy and fractious political transition was fertile ground. His organization rode a wave of human rights activism for the marginalized that spread in post-revolutionary Nepal. Help came from many quarters, the most influential of which was the Supreme Court. The latter ruled in a December 2007 case filed by BDS that the country needs to officially recognize third-gender rights. The government that emerged soon after followed with a call for official documents to have a new category (in addition to male or female) where sexual classification needs to be indicated. Even a budget for these new rights was added to the state’s annual expenses.

The nearly 12 years of work by LGBT activists to reach this pivotal moment was also rewarded during the country’s 2011 census. The official government documents that recognize a third-gender category are supposed to benefit some 500,000 LGBTs, according to government data, although BDS estimates place the figure closer to 2.5 million.

Some analysts who have followed Nepal’s rise as the most tolerant country for sexual minorities in South Asia attribute it to its demographic profile—a population of over 26 million people divided into nearly 100 ethnic minorities and linguistic groups. So respecting another minority, albeit a newly recognized one, is acceptable within the social fabric, they say.

Others locate it in Nepal’s identity since the times of the monarchy. “This country has never had a record of being a theocratic state,†Krishna Hachhethu, a professor of political science at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, explained in an interview. “It was more secular even when it was a Hindu kingdom when compared to secular India.â€

Either way, BDS is credited with awakening Nepalese to a community that has long suffered discrimination, some of it painful and humiliating. “We have more work to do to get people beyond the cities to accept third gender unions as natural,†admits PremBahadurThapa, the non-governmental organization’s lawyer. “It helps when a third gender person is legally recognized as a person.â€

This story first appeared in the October 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

The post ‘Third Sex’ Becomes a Political Force appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Source: Irrawaddy.org

[LeCharivari]

Interesting ...

I referred to this a couple of months ago when asked about Nepal ( http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/655331-could-thailand-become-the-first-asian-country-to-legalize-same-sex-civil-unions/page-4#entry6687711 ), and gave a very brief background to Nepal's current political state - it will be very interesting to see if the November elections actually produce anything constructive, as none of the assorted coalitions and interim governments so far have managed to properly "govern" the country at all.

The term "third gender" is actually more than a little confusing, not only because male to female transexuals are obviously NOT the same gender as female to male transexuals and neither is the same gender as someone who is androgynous, but because the term has different meanings in different countries/cultures:

In Nepal it is not specifically used to mean "gender", but is a third "category" officially called "others" which would include female to male transexuals as well as male to female transexuals, with or without GRS, as well as more "regular" gays - this was made clear by the draft same sex marriage legislation.

In India, where passports show a "third gender" ('M', 'F' and 'E') this is very much for hijras (male to female transgenders), as it is in Pakistan.

In Thailand it depends mainly on who's using the term, rather like "kathoey" or ladyboy: farangs tend to use it to mean male to female transexuals, with or without GRS, while to most Thais kathoey or ladyboy covers the whole spectrum from fem gay to full post GRS transexual (sao praphet song) - although an increasing number of "urban" Thais in Pattaya and Bangkok, particularly those involved in the sex trade, now follow the farang usage. Its usage in the first same-sex marriage bill when it was first proposed in Thailand under the ingterim military government a few years ago was unclear and led directly to its rejection, so there is no mention of it in any current or draft legislation.

Australian citizens can choose 'M', 'F' or 'X' at will, with 'X' being simply "other" or unspecified gender, on any and all official documents.

In Germany, starting next month, German parents can choose to leave their children's sex "blank" on birth certificates, with the option to either choose 'M' or 'F' later or to leave it blank, although it is not clear yet how this will be reflected in German passports which only allow for 'M' or 'F'.

[Scott]

This topic might get more visibility if it is moved to the Gay forum. It doesn't seem to be of much interest to those posting in the World News Section.

Topic Moved.

[butterlimbo]

In Thailand it depends mainly on who's using the term, rather like "kathoey" or ladyboy: farangs tend to use it to mean male to female transexuals, with or without GRS, while to most Thais kathoey or ladyboy covers the whole spectrum from fem gay to full post GRS transexual (sao praphet song) - although an increasing number of "urban" Thais in Pattaya and Bangkok, particularly those involved in the sex trade, now follow the farang usage. Its usage in the first same-sex marriage bill when it was first proposed in Thailand under the ingterim military government a few years ago was unclear and led directly to its rejection, so there is no mention of it in any current or draft legislation.

How Thai use the term "Kathoey" has pretty much nothing to do with the western term "ladyboy". Might be true that in "urban" circles in Pattaya the term ladyboy is en vogue, but that is probably pretty much restricted to the red light district and when it comes into word exchange with foreigners who might be rather interested in physical activities with the tiny brain below the belt than in an academic debate about gender issues.

third gender is also not a "gay" issue.

[LeCharivari]

In Thailand it depends mainly on who's using the term, rather like "kathoey" or ladyboy: farangs tend to use it to mean male to female transexuals, with or without GRS, while to most Thais kathoey or ladyboy covers the whole spectrum from fem gay to full post GRS transexual (sao praphet song) - although an increasing number of "urban" Thais in Pattaya and Bangkok, particularly those involved in the sex trade, now follow the farang usage. Its usage in the first same-sex marriage bill when it was first proposed in Thailand under the ingterim military government a few years ago was unclear and led directly to its rejection, so there is no mention of it in any current or draft legislation.

How Thai use the term "Kathoey" has pretty much nothing to do with the western term "ladyboy". Might be true that in "urban" circles in Pattaya the term ladyboy is en vogue, but that is probably pretty much restricted to the red light district and when it comes into word exchange with foreigners who might be rather interested in physical activities with the tiny brain below the belt than in an academic debate about gender issues.

third gender is also not a "gay" issue.

"How Thai use the term "Kathoey" has pretty much nothing to do with the western term "ladyboy"."

Not sure how you come to that conclusion, since "the western term "ladyboy" is a THAI term predominantly used in and about Thailand (by both Thais and westerners), although it is also now increasingly used elsewhere in South East Asia (particularly the Philippines). While the two terms are arguably not synonymous, that the majority of those using the terms (Thais) see and use them in that way makes how Thais use either or both terms pretty crucial - particularly in Thailand.

The suggestion that "the term ladyboy" is out of place "in an academic debate about gender issues" is contradicted by pretty well every piece of research on the subject in Thailand, such as Male, Female and Transgender: Stereotypes and Self in Thailand by N Udomsak, Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand (and his other research) by Peter Jackson, and The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys by Richard Totman.

"third gender is also not a "gay" issue."

Possibly not according to the narrowest definition of "gay", but it is unarguably an LGBT (both transexual and/or transgender) issue so comes under any "gay" umbrella.

The only exception is its use in the reports of the "third gender" in Germany, which is simply bad reporting - the Germans are just letting parents of the 1 in 2,000 children born intersex leave that part of the birth certificate blank, not recognising a "third gender".

Edited October 18, 2013 by LeCharivari

[onthemoon]

Here is an article about the third gender and homosexuality: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_gender#Third_gender_and_the_concept_of_homosexuality

I also thought that Magnus Hirschfeld used the term "third gender" for homosexuals but I couldn't verify this on the 'net right now.