As you recall from our reading about Hijras (eunuch/transvestite) in India, they are a marginalized community that has suffered a great deal of discrimination. Apparently 3,000 Hijras from all over the country met today in Kolkata to demand a separate quota for government jobs, health care, and subsidized food. It will be interesting to see if any of their demands are met, since I do not think that they have traditionally been recognized by the government as a "scheduled" caste (i.e. an official caste that is considered outcastes) or what is known as "other backwards castes" (officially recognized groups that are discriminated against or economically challenged.)Monday, July 25, 2011
Hijras and Discrimination
As you recall from our reading about Hijras (eunuch/transvestite) in India, they are a marginalized community that has suffered a great deal of discrimination. Apparently 3,000 Hijras from all over the country met today in Kolkata to demand a separate quota for government jobs, health care, and subsidized food. It will be interesting to see if any of their demands are met, since I do not think that they have traditionally been recognized by the government as a "scheduled" caste (i.e. an official caste that is considered outcastes) or what is known as "other backwards castes" (officially recognized groups that are discriminated against or economically challenged.)
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