From Eunuchs to Transgenders: the Issue of “Third Gender” Terminology in Pakistan

Abstract

The research focuses on the specifics of defining and classifying individuals with non-binary gender identity in Pakistan. On the one hand, within Muslim society which is oriented toward traditional values such persons are largely marginalized and perceived as a wholesomely negative phenomenon, scrutinizing which is reprehensible per se. However, we have determined a considerable number of terms which are applied to “third gender” (and applied rather randomly, due to the disparaging attitude to such people). The main reason behind existing terminological variety is that the “third gender” is traditionally viewed in Pakistan through the prism of hijra – unique South Asian communities that include those who, while not being biological females, are unwilling or unable to act according to societal expectations from the male gender. Thus, the unsystematic character of contemporary approach to non-binary gender discourse in Pakistan is predetermined by deep historical roots of this phenomenon and its autonomous development in the region. Upon analyzing a broad range of sources, we classified their suggested terms for “third gender” in the light of theoretical works on gender. It allowed us to establish five discourses (physiological, psychological, Islamic, colonial, legal) with their own specific nomenclature, the practical applicability of which was assessed in this article. Comparative analysis of existing classifications demonstrates that various nomenclatures exist autonomously, which considerably hinders the unification of terminology. This situation can be regarded as an instance of a larger problem within Pakistani society – namely, incoordination of different societal fields and mechanisms of political and legal action.