Simzter t1_ir1ued4 wrote
How does that work? I would imagine the society in a place like Kashmir is not very accepting of transgender people (or maybe I'm just biased)?
Luigi_Conte OP t1_ir1xfqb wrote
Actually things are quite different than what an outsider would expect considering the context. Traditionally this community covers the role of marriage matchmaking and performing at weddings. Generally speaking there's a surprising degree of tolerance towards them, even of course, some radicalized parts of the society behave quite differently. But the most important thing is that things are quickly changing nowadays!
Simzter t1_ir1xrwl wrote
So transgender people have a role to fulfil in Kashmir society? What status does that give them?
Luigi_Conte OP t1_ir1z3n8 wrote
Being marriage a crucial moment for most of the people that assures them some amount of respect and visibility. Imagine to have a transgender person performing at almost every marriage you have attended in your life since childhood. That's already a first step towards acceptance. But things are actually quite controversial...at the same time the only Kashmiri word to define them is a slur (Lanch), while the formal term that is used for them is related to their profession: "Menzimiur"(middlemen)
Simzter t1_ir23sfc wrote
You said things are changing, in what way
Luigi_Conte OP t1_ir27353 wrote
On one side there's an attempt from the community to detach from other forces to represent them...for example a recently appointed government committee for transgender people was questioned as it doesn't involve any community member and it mingles Jammu's (a Hindu majority city in the South of Jammu&Kashmir) and Kashmir's transgdenders demands.
On the other side young generation, also due to internet exposure, is going for gender reassignment surgery, a trend which has created some discontent among the elders, who claim that this doesn't fit in the Kashmiri transgender tradition
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