India's Supreme Court recognises third gender

[isanbirder]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-27031180

There are something like 2 million hijra in India. This decision asks the Government to allocate them quotas for jobs etc.... a huge step forward.

Unfortunately India is not always so progressive!

[onthemoon]

Wow, I didn't see that coming...

[onthemoon]

But then, this article says hijras include eunuchs, and they already got separate IDs in 2009:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8358327.stm

I find this sentence confusing:

There are about 500,000 eunuchs in India. Known as hijras, they comprise the hermaphrodite, transvestite and transsexual communities.

[isanbirder]

But then, this article says hijras include eunuchs, and they already got separate IDs in 2009:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8358327.stm

I find this sentence confusing:

There are about 500,000 eunuchs in India. Known as hijras, they comprise the hermaphrodite, transvestite and transsexual communities.

As I understand it, the word hijra actually means eunuch, but is also used to cover transvestites etc.

Does the 2009 legislation also cover all these groups?

[onthemoon]

But then, this article says hijras include eunuchs, and they already got separate IDs in 2009:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8358327.stm

I find this sentence confusing:

There are about 500,000 eunuchs in India. Known as hijras, they comprise the hermaphrodite, transvestite and transsexual communities.

As I understand it, the word hijra actually means eunuch, but is also used to cover transvestites etc.

Does the 2009 legislation also cover all these groups?

If I were a transvestite, I wouldn't like to be called a eunuch. Or is there a cultural difference, they don't mind, and the meaning is just not easily translatable into English?