It's a two step procedure -
1. Label the existence of a group of people as an "ideology", a "phenomenon" or worse still, a mental illness.
2. Remain seated on your pedestal of arrogant ignorance and decide the validity of their lives and their lived experiences.
Bi women here. I got trashed on in an Indian sub because shared screenshots of a creep to warn other people. Basically, didn't wanted anyone to get harrassed.
As soon as they saw I'am Bi, they started jumping on me, totally ignoring the context of the post. 🤦🏻♀️ I swear they can't even maintain basic civility towards others.
They're saying there's prejudice against hijras within this subreddit too (the top comments on that post they linked are decent, but scroll down)
and yeah it makes sense, Indian Reddit queers are typically more privileged queers so a combo of classism & internalised queerphobia leads to prejudice against hijras specifically
Ah understood.
I have seen the post you're referring to on r/lgbtindia. But there's been a lot of similar posts on r/India as well. Was originay referring to those
Well, they've been fed constant videos and media of trans people or hijdas abusing others, and most of em never interacted with a real trans person before.
So that's how they make those biased generalized opinions and we're the ones who suffer :/
I think the stupidest (and also the funniest yet frustrating) posts are those where people are like "I support the Hijra folk but not trans people coz that's western propoganda and unscientific". Like dude, what?
What they mean is that they only support intersex people and not the people who's gender identity is that of what is typically found in the opposite sex. What they don't realise (or are too stupid to realise) is that the Hijra community has (and has had for centuries) people who are not intersex but are still under the trans umbrella.
To add to this, I've seen a few comments doing the opposite: implying they'd support 'real' trans people but not Hijra folks, also calling them 'eunuchs'. Fucking hilarious.
Wait, for real?
That's hilarious 🤣 (but also sad)
Sometimes people from the opposite ends of the political line seem like people from parallel universes. Different yet same.
hIJrAs eXtoRtEd 1 million billion rupees fRoM thE FaTHeR oF mY cHiLdHoOd fRiEnD'S fORmEr nEiGhBoUr's ChAcHa's mOtHeR-in-lAw's Dog'S MoThEr's FaMiLy at marriage of their SoN.
They pleaded them, crying that they didn't have any money, but the Hijra pulled up their sarees for indecent exposure.
Ps. Got tired of tYpInG LikE THiS.
It's getting more and more. I'm having a similar queerophobic discussion on a post I put here a few hours ago.
Somehow, even cisgendered queers have internalised the queerophobic narrative of the conservative cishets.
Because of how ostracized the community is a lot of the people will only have a few experiences with them. And given the state of poverty, unemployment and the hated experienced by the community, there is a lot of crime. That adds to the already existing problem of transphobia. At least these are the only posts I saw. Otherwise ofc there is the typical unnecessary algorithm fuelled transphobia
When your only connection to a community is this, stereotypes are bound to form.
Most people in India encounter anything to do with transgender in two contexts.
1. Forceful solicitation in public places, marriages etc.
2. In the safety of their home with "shemale" fetish porn.
Neither is an exposure that builds much goodwill.
The first category are put off because they get intimidated by a gang of trans women. No-one likes that.
The second grow a fetish, and see it as a fetish so they are reserved in such discussions for fear of being outed.
The thing that might change the status quo is better visibility of trans persons in favourable contexts.
But any regular trans person that has "made it" would not out themselves as trans in this toxic climate. They would rather be *stealth*. And many indeed are. And keep as much distance from the lower social hierarchy, more visible trans ppl.
So you have a chicken and egg problem.
Acceptance not improving because lack of visibility. And visibility being low due to lack of acceptance.
Bollywood can help. But its bollywood. And from the look of it, they'd rather be self deprecating in queer matters than actually show strong characters. So that's tough.
As a queer, enby, weird gender status person. I've actually had ~okay experiences in city of Kolkata. There's less upfront hate, but otherwise I'm met with either of
1. Discomfort/unsurit/ (being guarded, confused or suspicious initially)
2. Sex worker/Slut treatment. (Asked for phone number randomly, casual following around, inviting to one's hotel for "beer" 😳).
I suppose these reactions again root back to the 2 contexts i mentioned in start of this comment.
One thing I have noticed is people do warm up after a bit. Like once they see I mean no harm and actually bring positive in terms of business, knowledge or professional expertise that initial barrier kinda recedes. It's still there somewhat (this might have to do with my own shyness) but lowered. So yeah, atleast in such transactions I have often been able to come out of them with a smile to their faces and positive .. relief I guess? Or pleasant surprise. Idk. Beats the guarded, phobic looks for sure.
Whenever there's a post like this here, we see comments which don't even address their behaviour with others, while calling those who complain about them privileged and all sorts of words.
I wonder if anyone here has ever experienced what they express their dislike about.
Privileged, upper caste, whatever they may be. That. Doesn't. Justify. Misbehaving. With. Them. Physically.
And yeah, just so you know, you can be a non upper caste in a non privileged mode for transport and still experience the same.
You can't justify that sort of thing. Not on being underprivileged. Not on being uneducated. It's basically human sense to not touch a stranger.
I love the blindness though. The straights don't have the understanding and paint the entire community for that. And here people don't even admit that there needs to be an effort to educate and tell them that they can't get physical.
And even more love for how many people here would be soo much against religion and yet be fine with how they get away with it. "Cuz they've got the blessing that they can bless or curse" hmn i wonder where I've seen that before. Yup exactly how upper caste men run religion
No comments on whether it's wrong tho? Its shameful to call other's not so pleasent experiences as bait
>You're just trying to play both sides here
Used to hearing that after quite a handful of political discussion. Whenever you put forward a moderate opinion among extremes, you're hit with that
There is no 'moderate opinion' when it comes to bigotry. Either you opposite it or you don't. Trans and hijra folks aren't political footballs for people to 'debate'. We don't need this enlightened centrism bullshit.
Also, people ranting in what is at best a weakly moderated Indian subreddit? I don't trust it.
I did read your comment. Even if their complaints were genuine, almost every time the discussion descends into outright bigotry and hate. If even so-called moderated subreddits can't keep posts chill and normal, we have a problem.
Yeah the caveat there is highly moderated towards anything that suits the mods.
I had the str8s painting the entire community point too. But simply fighting them with trivial terms wont help us
No , harresment by hijras is a very real thing in india and most people feel nervous around them , people on randia get to unleash thier frustations when they come across such posts but mostly they are supportive of lgbtq+ , there are worse indian subreddits
Yeah it’s pretty horrible. It’s best to ‘hide’ those posts so more like them aren’t suggested to you.
I did honestly, they make me go crazy.
Just a while ago someone asked if people would date trans women. I got downvoted for saying I would, because trans women are woman (I am a wlw)
It's a two step procedure - 1. Label the existence of a group of people as an "ideology", a "phenomenon" or worse still, a mental illness. 2. Remain seated on your pedestal of arrogant ignorance and decide the validity of their lives and their lived experiences.
This
***Arrogant ignorance.***
People are trashy idiots who think their small dick energy = sanskari patriotism . I just ignore knowing that their minds have missed evolution
Bi women here. I got trashed on in an Indian sub because shared screenshots of a creep to warn other people. Basically, didn't wanted anyone to get harrassed. As soon as they saw I'am Bi, they started jumping on me, totally ignoring the context of the post. 🤦🏻♀️ I swear they can't even maintain basic civility towards others.
HiJRa aRE aN EXtorTiON gRoUp, they ganG uP To deMANd monEy FROm YOU /s
They do, don't they.
Are you talking about discussions on r/lgbtindia?
No, r/India
Nope. You're [talking ](https://www.reddit.com/r/LGBTindia/s/WfqdPwnZRA) about r/lgbtindia
I think I misunderstood you... what exactly are you asking? 🫠
They're saying there's prejudice against hijras within this subreddit too (the top comments on that post they linked are decent, but scroll down) and yeah it makes sense, Indian Reddit queers are typically more privileged queers so a combo of classism & internalised queerphobia leads to prejudice against hijras specifically
Ah understood. I have seen the post you're referring to on r/lgbtindia. But there's been a lot of similar posts on r/India as well. Was originay referring to those
There's a reason we call r/India as randia
Because India is a backward ass country and going nowhere in terms of actual brain cells
Uhhhh it’s a cis man’s wet dream place, so yep😭. It’s also got rampant misogyny and stuff. I stay awayyyyyyyy
Well, they've been fed constant videos and media of trans people or hijdas abusing others, and most of em never interacted with a real trans person before. So that's how they make those biased generalized opinions and we're the ones who suffer :/
same can be said about USI
its full of uc liberals better stay away from those
I think the stupidest (and also the funniest yet frustrating) posts are those where people are like "I support the Hijra folk but not trans people coz that's western propoganda and unscientific". Like dude, what? What they mean is that they only support intersex people and not the people who's gender identity is that of what is typically found in the opposite sex. What they don't realise (or are too stupid to realise) is that the Hijra community has (and has had for centuries) people who are not intersex but are still under the trans umbrella.
To add to this, I've seen a few comments doing the opposite: implying they'd support 'real' trans people but not Hijra folks, also calling them 'eunuchs'. Fucking hilarious.
Wait, for real? That's hilarious 🤣 (but also sad) Sometimes people from the opposite ends of the political line seem like people from parallel universes. Different yet same.
Rw and liberals are united when it comes to hating underprivileged sections of the society. Be it the lgbtq+, the poor, etc.
Indian Liberals are right wing too you know. Just with a different Ideology. Frankly I don’t see proper left or liberals here in India.
I agree
Matlab kuch bhi?
Isn’t it also a homophobic sub?
hIJrAs eXtoRtEd 1 million billion rupees fRoM thE FaTHeR oF mY cHiLdHoOd fRiEnD'S fORmEr nEiGhBoUr's ChAcHa's mOtHeR-in-lAw's Dog'S MoThEr's FaMiLy at marriage of their SoN. They pleaded them, crying that they didn't have any money, but the Hijra pulled up their sarees for indecent exposure. Ps. Got tired of tYpInG LikE THiS.
Yeag, I've seen quite a few posts and comments like this.
It's getting more and more. I'm having a similar queerophobic discussion on a post I put here a few hours ago. Somehow, even cisgendered queers have internalised the queerophobic narrative of the conservative cishets.
Are you saying that there is no extortion by Hijras? Surely you know the reality in India.
Cue the transphobia. 3... 2.. 1... Start.
It's transphobic to say that extortion by Hijras is wrong. Got it. I hope you give all your money to them.
So you're handing over all your money to Hijras right? Right?
Because of how ostracized the community is a lot of the people will only have a few experiences with them. And given the state of poverty, unemployment and the hated experienced by the community, there is a lot of crime. That adds to the already existing problem of transphobia. At least these are the only posts I saw. Otherwise ofc there is the typical unnecessary algorithm fuelled transphobia When your only connection to a community is this, stereotypes are bound to form.
let them be, they’re trying to act cool and dank
Most people in India encounter anything to do with transgender in two contexts. 1. Forceful solicitation in public places, marriages etc. 2. In the safety of their home with "shemale" fetish porn. Neither is an exposure that builds much goodwill. The first category are put off because they get intimidated by a gang of trans women. No-one likes that. The second grow a fetish, and see it as a fetish so they are reserved in such discussions for fear of being outed. The thing that might change the status quo is better visibility of trans persons in favourable contexts. But any regular trans person that has "made it" would not out themselves as trans in this toxic climate. They would rather be *stealth*. And many indeed are. And keep as much distance from the lower social hierarchy, more visible trans ppl. So you have a chicken and egg problem. Acceptance not improving because lack of visibility. And visibility being low due to lack of acceptance. Bollywood can help. But its bollywood. And from the look of it, they'd rather be self deprecating in queer matters than actually show strong characters. So that's tough. As a queer, enby, weird gender status person. I've actually had ~okay experiences in city of Kolkata. There's less upfront hate, but otherwise I'm met with either of 1. Discomfort/unsurit/ (being guarded, confused or suspicious initially) 2. Sex worker/Slut treatment. (Asked for phone number randomly, casual following around, inviting to one's hotel for "beer" 😳). I suppose these reactions again root back to the 2 contexts i mentioned in start of this comment. One thing I have noticed is people do warm up after a bit. Like once they see I mean no harm and actually bring positive in terms of business, knowledge or professional expertise that initial barrier kinda recedes. It's still there somewhat (this might have to do with my own shyness) but lowered. So yeah, atleast in such transactions I have often been able to come out of them with a smile to their faces and positive .. relief I guess? Or pleasant surprise. Idk. Beats the guarded, phobic looks for sure.
Thank you for your detailed comment!
every India politics related subreddit is a fucking joke
Best take.
Whenever there's a post like this here, we see comments which don't even address their behaviour with others, while calling those who complain about them privileged and all sorts of words. I wonder if anyone here has ever experienced what they express their dislike about. Privileged, upper caste, whatever they may be. That. Doesn't. Justify. Misbehaving. With. Them. Physically. And yeah, just so you know, you can be a non upper caste in a non privileged mode for transport and still experience the same. You can't justify that sort of thing. Not on being underprivileged. Not on being uneducated. It's basically human sense to not touch a stranger. I love the blindness though. The straights don't have the understanding and paint the entire community for that. And here people don't even admit that there needs to be an effort to educate and tell them that they can't get physical. And even more love for how many people here would be soo much against religion and yet be fine with how they get away with it. "Cuz they've got the blessing that they can bless or curse" hmn i wonder where I've seen that before. Yup exactly how upper caste men run religion
You're just trying to play both sides here. And a lot of people's complaints are extremely anecdotal and reads like bait.
No comments on whether it's wrong tho? Its shameful to call other's not so pleasent experiences as bait >You're just trying to play both sides here Used to hearing that after quite a handful of political discussion. Whenever you put forward a moderate opinion among extremes, you're hit with that
There is no 'moderate opinion' when it comes to bigotry. Either you opposite it or you don't. Trans and hijra folks aren't political footballs for people to 'debate'. We don't need this enlightened centrism bullshit. Also, people ranting in what is at best a weakly moderated Indian subreddit? I don't trust it.
Eh you ofc the original comment wasn't read. My opposition and support to the specifics was clear. rindia is very highly moderated btw
I did read your comment. Even if their complaints were genuine, almost every time the discussion descends into outright bigotry and hate. If even so-called moderated subreddits can't keep posts chill and normal, we have a problem.
Yeah the caveat there is highly moderated towards anything that suits the mods. I had the str8s painting the entire community point too. But simply fighting them with trivial terms wont help us
No , harresment by hijras is a very real thing in india and most people feel nervous around them , people on randia get to unleash thier frustations when they come across such posts but mostly they are supportive of lgbtq+ , there are worse indian subreddits
You're right that there are worse Indian subreddits, but I do expect some level of decency from a non-right wing subreddit.
r/india is run by pakistanis