Transgendered People Traveling in India: What to Expect?

Hi everyone,

IM is a fantastic site, I just joined today... the closest time I ever got to experience India was on an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York when I got on in London, that was then but things are changing... I just bought a plane ticket to New Delhi and am leaving in a couple of months. I've loved the idea of India for as long as I can remember and now it's all about to become a reality!

Ok the bit about Open Mindedness - does anyone know what I can expect in India being someone who is transgendered? I've looked about on the internet and the only time I can ever remember this subject being mentioned was by another transgendered woman who said people were coming up to her on the street and asking her to bless their babies ( ) - she eventually stayed in India and made a fortune doing this.

I'm very low key, I hate being the center of attention and just want to blend in. I live in the most liberal of cities but sometimes male tourists who come here ask for my photo on the street and it's well, hmm, kind of insulting being recognized in this way.

Some countries are (in general) more tolerant than others.

If you have got any advice for me please reply.

Anna

Really.

Hi Anna P,

Welcome to IM.

I can't answer your questions - hopefully someone will be along later with more information/advice (since you've asked!).

Happy travels

Hi Anna

It can be hard to blend in as a tourist in India by the mere fact of being white, which I'm presuming you are from your profile pic. Being a single white female in itself tends to attract alot of attention and staring in India. It can be hard to just fade into the background unnoticed. Indians by their nature are very curious and ask a lot of questions so it's something everyone visiting the country needs to be prepared for. A little thick skin also goes a long way

Unfortunately I can't provide any specific details as to how transgendered people are viewed or on how you are likely to be perceived.

Hi! I tried to PM you but it won't work so here's some suggestions/ thoughts that I have on the subject. Reason for me wanting to PM was because I am afraid I might hurt you unintentionally by using words/ phrases not considered appropriate so please pardon me if you come across such.

You have taken the right decision by chooing India! :-)

I am a little confused by what you mean by transgendered and how you feel that you will draw attention, I mean by the way you dress up, general behaviour etc? Of course I do understand the term transgendered.

As far as I can tell you from my personal experience - if you seek/ draw attention, you will get it! IF you want to remain low key, then dress up very neutral and develop some kind of 'don't mess with me' air!

Natural born woman who dress up as man have it easier than the other way round. I am simply happy that you have come out with the issue with IMers.

Some thing's that you can expect irrespective of who you are:

1. People WILL stare at you. Try to CHEAT you - make a quick buck out of you.

2. If you are a woman or feel like a woman - people will try to grope/ tease/ wink at you.

3. If you are a man who feels like a woman (I am sorry I don't know how to say it correctly), then you will be more targeted as the mindset of Indians is that such persons 'love sex', 'are easy types', 'loose character' and are 'asking for it by cross dressing' etc.

However DO NOT let it DETER you from coming here as it happens to all woman travellers and sometimes also male travellers. Moreover, there are only handful cases of physical assault or abuse, save the groping habit of Indian men. People just like to tease and call names - nothing personal in that. It's just something they do and you need to get used to it. I get it everyday even though I am born n brought up here!

A lot of things in India is about getting used to it - accepting things the way they are and moving on! It's also about getting mentally prepared and having a laugh and it won't hurt/ bite you.

Some of my friends decided to take a picture everytime they were stared at. It really worked! One friend wears Big earphones so that nobody disturbs him while he is walking in a busy street. You just have to invent the right way.

Dress up neutral and don't make it a point to explain yourself to people - you don't owe anyone any explanation. The way you are- is the way you will be - no answers, no explanation.

I hope you will find whatever little gave you to be helpful.

Cheerio!

That question alone makes me suspicious that this might not be a genuine enquiry.

As anyone who is aware of TG issues knows, transgender is a phrase that covers a wide range of situations, and without further information nobody would be able to offer relevant advice.

Thank you for your replies, you are wonderful !

I don't know how the PM's work as I just joined IM today so sorry about that. I feel a little bit more relaxed about visiting India now although no matter what I hear i'm still going to go anyway, I won't let my own life baggage stop me from doing anything.

I have been living as a woman for many years and had all of the operations so I guess i'm as extreme as you can get. I just live my life like any normal person and dress down all of the time, it's just sometimes someone will see that I'm transgendered and this is what I was worried about in India - if when someone (or a group of people) read me as being transgendered they might physically attack me. I imagined this might happen in rural parts of India but maybe i'm just being paranoid.

I've been going through the forums trying to get vibes about different tolerant places. I originally wanted to travel from Delhi to Jodhpur and then to Amritsar and Himachal Pradesh. I'm thinking about avoiding Rajasthan now and going to Varanasi instead.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it alot!

Anna

I don't think you'll get any physical attacks. For me India is a land full of very different people, and somehow everything can be there. People might stare at you, laugh about you, no matter if you are transgendered or anything else, but physical attacks, no. Physical violence happens for other reasons, but not just for being different.

Please note:

Transgender is THE politically correct term.

Haylo, I have explained who i'am and I don't want to have to defend myself or be made to feel like i'm fibbing... why else would I tell people i'm trangendered if I wasn't ??

I'm just trying to prepare for my travels in India and stay safe.

Thanks Federica, it sounds way more cooler than parts of the west . . . as long as I know that i'm not going to be attacked or harrassed by the police just for walking around sightseeing then i'm happy

Good to see you relax now! Don't worry about the apprehensions you have. As Federica has pointed out - this is the beauty of India - everything & anything exists and is accepted here.

If you are worried about your friends experience then just keep quiet about yourself.

In India, we use the term Eunuchs - and they bring good luck and it is considered a good thing to be blessed by such people. But these people are very 'loud' and sometimes very scary too as they clap very loudly and go around singing and dancing in a group - asking for money.

For your travel part, take the hills first to get used to things here then head towards the plains or more touristy places once you have picked up the 'know-how' of things.

Good Luck with your travel!

Haylo suggest you look up Hirja.

Maybe you have missed transgenders on your Indian trips? Maybe you did not observe.

Transgenders are to be found all over India and indeed in Tamil Nadu there is a special temple for themselves only, near Villipuram. Festival is held in April/May when its damn hot there.

To OP I would go carefully at first if you want to mix. They seem to go about in 3's, and are quite agressive, equally so on the trains, demanding money, but also, I think more in the N revered for blessing weddings, christenings etc.

For sure you will have fun if you contact a likeable lot.

Yes I am open minded

Hi Anna,
We have transgendered people in India and there are lots of them, they are not a rarity and are infact a part and parcel of all our festivities - births, marriages and other special occasions. It is considered auspicious to be blessed by transgendered people called Hijara here. That is the reason why the other transgendered woman found people bringing their babies to be blessed to her. There are Hijra communities in practically every town and people are pretty used to them.
The only reason for you to be different would be that you are white and that is a novelty.
I hope this helps you.

After reading all of your replies I know i'm going to love India. I guess if transgendered people are so accepted then I have nothing to worry about.

I don't like the sound of the agressive hijara who ask for money on the trains... I wonder what will happen if they see me

I really love the sound of the temple you mentioned in Villipuram, i'll do some research and see if i'll be able to get there easily from Delhi... if only they would build temples for us in the west!!!

Even though i'm really shy if someone asks me to bless them then i'll do my best.

May I differ with the tone of some of the posts here? - which means I am going to

Although eunuchs/hijras maybe considered auspicious at weddings and births and are sometimes invited there, they are usually shunned outside these settings. Also, their history is not pretty and the ones you usually see come from the poorer strata of the country. In fact, much of their begging/asking for money involves aggressive or lewd behaviour meant to embarrass- people pay them something sometimes just to get rid of them.

Transgender issues, as they are understood in the West, therefore usually do not apply to the Indian hijras.

I am no expert, but my sense is that people who are relatively economically better off do not publicise the transgender thing at all.

My advice: Keep the transgender thing to yourself, even if asked. Maybe fewer people will 'guess' in India. To many you will be just a foreigner anyway.


Safety? I wouldn't worry too much about this issue resulting in an unsafe experience.